can be found online here > Fort Pierce - Friday April 10, 2024: The A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery is pleased once more to present the popular juried photography competition Through the Eye of the Camera. This year's exhibition features 81 of the year’s best photographs drawn from professional and amateur photographers. Through the Eye of the Camera will be on view May 10 – June 21, 2024 at 500 North Indian River Drive in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce. The Members Opening Reception for the exhibition will be held Friday, May 10 from 6:00-8:00 pm with welcome and remarks at 6:30 pm. Members are admitted free; Not-Yet Members are $20. (All artists who participated in the competition are welcome to attend with one guest.)
This year there were 70 artists who submitted 194 entries in one of four categories: (1) Animal subjects; (2) Flora & Landscape subjects; (3) People/Portrait subjects; or (4) Open, for subjects that are not included in the three major categories.
The jury panel conferred 36 awards for the Best of Show, Best Black & White Photography, Best Film / Traditional RAW Photography, and 1st-2nd-3rd Places and Awards of Merit in the category awards.
The top 8 award winners for 2024 are:
- BEST OF SHOW – Paper Mill, Brunswick, GA by David Bence (Vero Beach)
- FIRST PLACE, ANIMALS – Birds of a Feather by Louis Jawitz (Port St. Lucie)
- FIRST PLACE, FLORA & LANDSCAPE – The Shroom Forest by Sharon Norris (Stuart)
- FIRST PLACE, PEOPLE/PORTRAIT – Contemplation by Cynthia Garcia (Port St. Lucie)
- FIRST PLACE, OPEN – Sunday Breakfast in Old Florida by John Furlong (Port St. Lucie)
- BEST BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPH – Being – Journey #11 by David Bence (Vero Beach)
- BEST FILM/TRADITIONAL RAW PHOTOGRAPH – Morning on the Edge by Maria Miele (Palm City)
- DIRECTOR’S CHOICE – Motherhood by Bob Gibson (Tequesta)
IMAGES AVAILABLE - here is a link to view the available images - https://we.tl/t-XPgfqTOuT6
- 2024 BEST OF SHOW, Paper Mill, Brunswick, GA by David Bence - Backus Museum 2024
- BEST FILM-TRAD RAW PHOTOGRAPHY, Morning on the Edge by Maria Miele - Backus Museum 2024
- BEST B&W PHOTOGRAPHY, Being-Journey #11 by David Bence - Backus Museum 2024
- 1ST PLACE, ANIMALS Birds of a Feather by Louis Jawitz - Backus Museum 2024
- 1ST PLACE, OPEN Sunday Breakfast in Old Florida by John Furlong, Backus Museum 2024
- 1ST PLACE, PEOPLE-PORTRAITS Contemplation by Cynthia Garcia - Backus Museum 2024
- 2024 DIRECTOR’S CHOICE, Motherhood by Bob Gibson – Backus Museum 2024
- Through the Eye of the Camera 2024 exhibition graphic
- AE Backus Museum & Gallery - outdoor mural plaza
During the exhibition on view through June 21, visitors are invited to share their own vote for their favorite work on display. The results will be counted for the annual "People’s Choice Award" given to the winner at the close of the exhibition.
“We’re very proud of our longstanding traditions of juried exhibitions, and how at their heart they have provided artists opportunities to be inspired, to expand their talents, and to be recognized and celebrated for their achievements,” says Backus Museum executive director J. Marshall Adams. “This is our 29th annual juried photography exhibition, and that’s kind of mind blowing. At nearly three decades, it’s the younger of our two annual juried exhibitions! It’s a key example of how we extend the Backus legacy to new generations of artists and continue to nurture a vibrant creative community that benefits everyone.”
The competition is stiff for this exhibition because of the high quality of work submitted, and every year cash prizes are awarded for the most powerful pieces selected by the judges. Each year a new jury panel is assembled to provide independent eyes on the competition. This year's judges include:
Tariq Gibran is the Curator of Art and Exhibitions at the Museum of Art – DeLand, Florida. With over three decades of experience in commercial, documentary, and fine arts photography, Gibran believes that art is essential in fostering human connection and the transformation of society. He has taught photography at Daytona State College, the University of Central Florida and Stetson University. Gibran holds an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Fine Arts, a BS in Marketing from Clemson University, and an AS in Photography from Daytona State College.
Sharon Lee Hart is a South Florida-based artist currently exploring ecology, ephemerality, and time through experimental and cameraless photography. While maintaining an active studio practice, Hart serves as an Associate Professor of Art at Florida Atlantic University. With an environmental focus, she has also served as an artist-in-residence at Joshua Tree National Park (Joshua Tree, CA), The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences (Rabun Gap, GA), and The Studios of Key West (Key West, FL). Her work is in several permanent collections including the King County Public Art Collection (Seattle, WA) and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, Missouri), and has been featured in solo and group exhibitions, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Kirk Ke Wang is a Professor of Art at Eckerd College, a painter, sculptor, photographer and a mixed media artist. Born in Shanghai, China, Wang received two MFA degrees from Nanjing Normal University and University of South Florida. He has exhibited his art in galleries and museums locally, nationally and internationally, such as the Museum of Modern Art, PS1 in NYC, National Museum of Art of China in Beijing, Tampa Museum of Art, Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota Art Museum, and USF Contemporary Art Museum. His works have also been collected by museums and private collectors in the US and Asia. Wang maintains studios in Tampa and NYC, and often travels internationally.
Click on this link to see the full list of award-winners.
A complete list of all 81 accepted entries is also available online on the Museum's website at BackusMuseum.org.
About the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery
Since its founding in 1960 and the first day the doors opened in 1961, the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery has been a center and catalyst for creativity and culture in our region. The Museum houses the nation’s largest public presentation of artwork by Florida’s preeminent painter, A.E. “Bean” Backus (1906-1990), and is home to the state’s only permanent multimedia exhibition on the Florida Highwaymen. In addition to preserving and perpetuating the artistic and humanitarian legacy of Backus, the Museum organizes and hosts changing exhibitions from artists of regional, national and international acclaim. The Backus Museum was recognized as the 2022 Best of the Best Community Choice Award for Best Art Gallery; and the 2021 Best Tourist Attraction – 2018 Best Museum / Best of the Treasure Coast by the readers of Indian River Magazine.
Regular Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 12 Noon to 4 PM (closed Monday-Tuesday). Admission is $5 per person; AARP, AAA, and Veterans with appropriate ID receive a $2 discount. Students with school ID, children under 18, active duty military, and current members are always free. Visitors are asked to follow the latest public health guidance for the safety and comfort of guests, staff, and volunteers.