Current Photography Competition Information
The Village of Elsah Museum announces the opening of the Village of Elsah Museum for the 2022 season with its annual photography exhibit on Saturday, April 2 at 1 pm. The purpose of the exhibit is to celebrate and foster an appreciation of the beauty and unique qualities of the Village. The exhibit theme is “Elsah Postcard.”
The judge was Erica Popp, an artist and photography teacher. She commented on the high quality of the submitted images. She felt that the winner gave a clear message encouraging winter visitors to come to Elsah and see the Eagles. The exhibit awards include the annual Village of Elsah purchase prize, four special recognitions and a youth prize.
The Village of Elsah Purchase Prize is for “Welcome to Elsah” by photographer, Patricia Ott of Godfrey, Illinois, pictured above. The purchase prize photograph will be part of the Village of Elsah Museum’s collection. As the winner of the Village of Elsah Purchase Prize, Ms. Ott will also receive the Green Tree Inn award of an overnight stay for two. The photograph is an image of the Village welcome sign on a snowy day with an Eagle perched on the sign.
Ms. Ott is a well-known local nature photographer. She has taken many photographs of eagles. She often feels a strong connection with her subjects. The photograph was taken on January 14, 2022, Sony A7R4 with a 70-200mm f2.8 prime lens. The photograph is customed framed, using an archival quality mat and UV filtering glass.
There were four recognitions for photographs with outstanding qualities. These were awarded to Joan Baker for “Elsah General Store” for the use of color and expression of theme, Tim Eckels for “Through the Past” for composition, Karen King for “The Tunnel” for its iconic image and storybook quality, and Jeff Vaughn for both his entries, “Bluffs and River Bend in Autumn Light” and “Redbud and Blue River Reflection,” for the outstanding quality of the images and prints.
For the fourth year, a Youth Award was given for the best photograph submitted by a person between the ages of 10 and 18 years old. The winning photograph was “Elsah Village Hall” by Penny Hosmer of Godfrey, Illinois. This is Penny Hosmer’s first entry in the photography exhibit.
The following photographers are represented in the exhibit: Joan Baker, Tim Eckels, Kaye Hayden, Jon Hosmer, Penny Hosmer, Karen King, Marty McKay, Yvonne Mossman, Patricia Ott, Holly Rain, Rosa Renner, Carolyn Schlueter, Jeffrey Vaughn, and Cynthia Verseman.
The Museum exhibit will be open the first weekend in April and every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 pm until Sunday, August 7, 2022. Visitors are encouraged to wear masks and keep a social distance. Hand sanitizer is available at the door. A celebration of the winners and participants will be held on Saturday, April 2 at 1 pm with refreshments outside, weather permitting. All the photographs are for sale; and proceeds are retained by the photographer. The Museum will continue to be open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 pm with its regular exhibits through the end of October.
Thanks go to all who make this exhibit possible with their funding and time. We thank the Village of Elsah Board of Trustees and Mayor Pitchford, Historic Elsah Foundation, Green Tree Inn, the Village of Elsah Museum Advisory Committee and Museum attendants, Sally Horbelt and Jeff DePew.