By Kim McDarison

Last year, in advance of the Fran Achen photography exhibition, then in its 14th year, the chairperson of the event, Jeff McDonald, said he enjoyed putting together the exhibition and contest each year because he, too, liked photography, and he liked that the event continued to share Achen’s Whitewater history.

Once again, this year, with the show entering its 15th year, the Whitewater Arts Alliance is seeking photographers to enter their works. A deadline to enter is Wednesday, May 29.

Last year, during an event preview, McDonald, who is a Whitewater Arts Alliance board member, said the show received some 80 entries.

When he became the chairman of the show, ten years ago, he focused on building the exhibition, and attracting other artists, he said, adding that the show had evolved into a “popular Whitewater Arts Alliance staple,” and then came COVID, which brought about some changes.

A virtual format was developed for many of the alliance’s exhibitions, and last year, the Fran Achen show offered both in-gallery and online viewing options running concurrently.

According to a recent news release, that format will remain in place for this year’s exhibition and contest, with the show made available for viewing throughout July.

New this year, the release noted, the alliance will be producing a free, commemorative PDF catalog, containing all of the photographs which are chosen for placement within the juried show. The catalog will be made available by the alliance “for download,” the release read.

Last year’s show additionally included 25 pieces from Achen’s photographic collection, much of which is permanently housed in the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library.

A recounting of Achen’s history notes that he born in 1916, arriving in Whitewater in 1938. He began attending classes at what was then known as the Wisconsin State Teachers College at Whitewater.

While at school, he became a roving reporter and photographer for the Royal Purple, known today as the vehicle that publishes University of Wisconsin-Whitewater news.

Achen graduated from the institution in 1941, with a bachelor’s degree in geography.

He married a classmate, Lydia Emma Nickos, in December of 1941, in Whitewater.

Achen was reported to have “returned to Whitewater” after World War II, sometime around 1946, where he opened a portrait studio. He also joined the faculty at Whitewater High School and taught geography.

Over the course of the next 20 years, Achen became locally known as the official game photographer for the Warhawks football team.

Achen ended his tenure as football team photographer in 1984, and was inducted into the Warhawk Hall of Fame in 2000.

He died, at the age of 87, in January of 2004. The Kenosha County-born teacher and photographer is buried in Whitewater’s Hillside Cemetery.

Those interested in participating in this year’s show are encouraged to complete and submit an entry form in advance of the deadline, along with an entry fee of $35 for members of the public and a $30 fee for members of the alliance, and digital copies of the works being submitted. Up to four photographs may be submitted for consideration for the aforementioned application fees.

An application form, along with additional entry details, is found here: https://www.whitewaterarts.org/fran-achen-2024.

Those works which are chosen for display within the show will be eligible for consideration by the judges for several awards and cash prizes, including: First Place, $150; Second Place, $125, and Third Place, $100.

A Viewers Choice award recipient will receive $75. Honorable mention certificates also will be presented.

A notice of acceptance with be sent on Wednesday, June 5, to those artists whose works have been selected for display within the exhibition. The show will run between July 5 and 28, with a reception and awards presentation ceremony planned for Sunday, July 7, between 1 and 4 p.m.

A Viewers Choice award winner will be announced on Sunday, July 28, according to the news release.

The Fran Achen Photography Show is open to the public and free to view.

Patrons will find the works on display during the regular hours of operation of the gallery within the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main St., Whitewater: Thursdays through Fridays, noon to 4 p.m.

An earlier story about last year’s exhibition, Fran Achen and the show’s history, and the show’s chairperson, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/photographic-continuum-a-peer-through-time/.