Arts Center East’s annual photography exhibit brings variety
The 11th annual Juried Photography Exhibit at Arts Center East in Vernon saw a record number of submissions.
Ninety-five artists submitted more than 260 individual photographs. Eighty-four pieces are hanging on the center’s walls, and several more are available to be seen in the online exhibit.
“We had an incredible turnout for this show,” ACE Executive Director Liz Bologna said, at the exhibit’s opening reception, on Dec. 10. “This was the largest we’ve had, to date, maybe for any of the show’s we’ve had, but definitely for the photography show.”
The exhibit was judged by Paula Beverage, owner of Luz Photography in Vernon.
Best in Show went to Tim Nighswander, for his photo titled “Purple Tulip #16.” First place went to John Picard for his photo, “Grand Canyon Rain.” Second place went to David Silsbee and his photo, ”Tent Caterpillar Moth.”
Third place went to Larua Kinlock, for her photo “Dancing Before Dark,” a photo she took while hiking on a trail in Massachusetts. She said she usually walks to get inspiration for her paintings - her most common form of art expression.
“You can go for a five mile walk on the trail. This is the golden hour, just before sunset. I was just there at the right time, in the right place with the light,” she said, adding that she took the photo with her iPhone, and did enhance it some, using PhotoShop.
Kinlock, who is from Stafford, said she has had works in the photography exhibit in the past, as well as several of her paintings in other exhibits. She said she really enjoyed all of the works in the show.
“I was thrilled just to get in,” she said. “I think this is the show that gets the most submissions. Since they’ve been doing online submissions, they get more and more things from outside the area, so it gets more difficult to get a piece in the show.”
Bill Byers earned an honorable mention for his photo “Cutler Harbor Fog.” While in Cutler, Maine, some years ago, and buying some lobsters from a dock, he noticed the fog coming in, and took a photo. He said editing is the part of making any photo come to life.
“What any camera takes is a recording of the light, but it’s our interpretation of it, and we have to work with it when we get back into the lab to make it come across,” Byers said, adding that he was inspired as a child by the images of World War II he saw in Life Magazine.
“I looked at black and white photographs. Black and white is what I see,” he said. “Yes, I see in color, and I photograph in color, but then I have to take the color out, or desaturate the color so it’s not jumping out at you, and it makes you look at what is there.”
Byers, who currently lives in Tolland, taught photography at Worcester State University for 31 years, and at the Maine Photographic Workshop.
“I think this is an exceptional show. It’s stunning,” Byers said. “It says a lot about this organization - Arts Center East - for pulling together such strong photographs. The photographers who bring their work in trust this institution to display, exhibit, and maintain their images.”
Also receiving honorable mentions were Zee Rubin for “Linear No. 2,” Raymond Harder for “Melting Lilly,” and Stephen Niemczyk for “Breathe in the Beauty.”
The Photography Exhibit runs through Jan. 14, 2023. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, from 1 to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit www.artscentereast.org.
