Maine Photography Show

John Boeckeler of Hope wins best in show

Sat, 04/11/2015 - 10:00am

Story Location:
1 Townsend Avenue
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
United States

The Boothbay Region Art Foundation was filled with two kinds of people the evening of April 10: those who love to photograph and those who love photos.

Juror Tillman Crane selected a black and white image by John Boeckeler of Hope entitled, “Home Calendar,” as the Jim Taliana Best of Show winner.

“This image has many things going for it; first it has a great sense of narrative,” Crane said about his choice. “Who lives here? Why are they not here now? And, a myriad of other questions .... Secondly, it is made from a powerful vantage point; we are invited into the image to confront the calendar from 1931 then we see the wallpaper and finally into the next room ... it is a very complete image.”

This year’s show book cover, voted on by the committee, is “Winter Waves,” by Knapp Hudson of Portland.

First Place Student award went to “Serenity,” by Elena Laustsen of Rockland. This young lady has also been selected by the BRAF board to be its first student scholarship recipient (as awarded related to the Maine Photography Show).

Lauststen told the packed gallery that getting ready for the Maine Photography Show was a fun event she looked forward to.

“I've been in the show four times now. And I've always planned ahead for it. Thank you so much for selecting me for a scholarship.”

First Place Color: “Japanese Lantern Skeleton,” by Carol Macleod of Cape Porpoise.

First Place Black & White: “Spade Bits,” by Kim Stone of Brunswick.

First Place Visions of Maine: “Gloves, Custom House Wharf, Portland” by Bill Shumaker.

Best Printing of an Image (by a maker) is a new prize category ($50). The first recipient: Michael Austin Kane of Damariscotta.

A total of $1,600 in prizes was awarded to the 22 photographers. Photographer, BRAF board member and show chairman Bruce Burnham noted 299 photographers submitted images for consideration.

Known for his wry sense of humor, Burnham added, “We were out there on the streets trying to find a 300th photographer to enter, but ... we just couldn't find them.”

The complete list of winners, and their images, is on the event website: www.mainephotographyshow.com.

Looking ahead to 2016, Burnham announced Kathleen Clemons had accepted the invitation to be juror for a show themed “photo impressionism.”

The 10th annual Maine Photography Show will hang through May 1. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Saturday, April 25, Crane will be at BRAF, located at 1 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor, to give a gallery talk. Crane will discuss the process he used to select the 103 images, whittled down from 813, for this show.

Moments before Gary Stone of The First/First Advisors, announced Best of Show, he summed up what everyone was feeling about the exhibition when he said, “Thank you for preserving memories, thank you for preserving history and thank you for preserving beauty.”