Organizers of the 13th Annual Fran Achen Photography Competition 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.
“We are pleased to announce that the 2022 Fran Achen Photography Competition will return to the Cultural Arts Center in both its traditional in-gallery display format and online virtual show,” a recent news release stated.
According to the release, an in-person opening reception, which will include award announcements, will be held Sunday, July 3, at 1 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main St., Whitewater.
The show and competition will remain available for viewing throughout the month of July.
In 2021, the release continued, the Fran Achen competition and show saw some departures from its traditional format, many of which were put in place as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the Cultural Arts Center no longer requires masks, allowing those continuing to seek precautions to do so on an individualized bases, the release noted.
Competition requirements
According to the release, 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 Fran Achen show is truly one of the highlights of the year. Fran Achen was an exceptional photographer and his catalog of images continues to inspire. This show, organized in his honor, is an excellent opportunity to showcase the outstanding work created by both established and aspiring area photographers. I am always excited to see the many ways these artists interpret the world through their images. Viewing each year’s collection is a real treat,” Jeff McDonald, chairman of the show and Whitewater Arts Alliance board member, was quoted as saying in the release.
Competition entrants will compete for the following awards: Best of Show Award, $125; Second Place Award, $100; Third Place Award, $75; Outstanding Youth Award, $50, and Viewers’ Choice Award, $50.
Those looking to participate in the competition should keep the following dates in mind:
• Entries and fees due: Thursday, June 16 by 11:59 p.m.
• Award announcements: Sunday, July 3, to be held at the Whitewater Cultural Arts gallery at 2 p.m. The Viewers Choice award recipient will be announced at the show’s conclusion.
• Photo drop-off: Monday, June 27, and Tuesday, June 28, between 4 and 6 p.m.
• Photo pick-up: Sunday, July 31, between 3 and 5 p.m.
For more information and to obtain an entry form, visit: www.whitewaterarts.org/fran-achen-2022 .
Additional questions may be address to McDonald, at waa.franachen@gmail.com.
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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