The Whitewater Arts Alliance has announced that it will be hosting the 14th Annual Fran Achen Juried Photography Exhibition.
Organizers of the event have announced that they are looking for submissions for inclusion in the upcoming competition and art show.
The event is sponsored by the Whitewater Arts Alliance.
According to information released by the alliance, the Fran Achen photography competition is open to all photographers, from amateur to professional artists, of all ages.
Participants are invited to place their works for exhibition and compete for award placements.
Work submitted to the competition will be placed on display in July.
The exhibition will held at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center Gallery, 402 W. Main St., Whitewater.
The exhibition will be on display both within the gallery and virtually on the alliance’s website.
According to the release, submittals must be received by Wednesday, May 31, along with a completed entry form; the applicable entry fee of $35 for the general public or $30 for alliance members, and emailed digital copies of entered photographs. The entry allows for the submittal of up to four photographs. For more information, along with the online entry form, important dates, and rules, visit the alliance’s event page: www.whitewaterarts.org/fran-achen-2023.
An opening reception, featuring the presentation of several awards, will be held Sunday, July 2, at 1 p.m., at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center. Refreshments will be served. Exhibition attendees may vote for a “Viewer Choice” award; voting will be available throughout the course of the exhibition. A winner will be announced Sunday, July 30, the release stated.
“Fran Achen was a revered member of the community and an exceptional photographer. His collection of images continues to inspire. This exhibit, named in his honor, is an excellent opportunity to showcase the outstanding work created by both established and aspiring area artists. The participation and support of many skilled photographers from all over southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois is greatly appreciated and is the reason for this program’s continued success. Each year brings a new crop of inspired work,” Jeff McDonald, the exhibition’s chairman and an alliance board member, was quoted as saying in the release.
Admission to the exhibition and its reception is free and open to the public. The gallery is open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
About Fran Achen
According to the “Find a Grave” website, Frances “Fran” Moses Achen was born Dec. 7, 1916, in Kenosha County. He is buried in the Hillside Cemetery, Whitewater. He died on Jan. 4, 2004 at the age of 87.
Information provided by Ancestors, Family Search, notes that Achen married Lydia Emma Nickos on Dec. 27, 1941, in Whitewater.
Information provided through geni.com describes Achen during his life as a photographer of “renown” in both the Whitewater and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater communities.
According to the site, Achen was raised in Kenosha and was a graduate of Kenosha High School. He next, in 1938, began attending classes at the Wisconsin State Teachers College at Whitewater, where he became a roving photographer and served as a reporter for the Royal Purple.
In 1941, Achen received a bachelor’s degree, majoring in geography. He married a college classmate in 1941.
After World War II, the narrative reports, he “returned to Whitewater,” where, between 1946 and 1956, he operated a portrait studio. He next joined the faculty at Whitewater High School where he taught history and geography.
He is also credited as the “official game photographer” for the UW-Whitewater Warhawks football team, enjoying that role for 20 years and ending his tenure in that capacity in 1984. He was inducted into the Warhawk Hall of Fame in 2000.
The full narrative about Achen is here: https://www.geni.com/people/Francis-Achen/1883723.
Fran Achen
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