The Wilton Arts Council has announced that Jacquelyn Etling of Trumbull won Best of Show in the council’s 21st annual photography exhibition, Focus ’19, for her photograph Country Road. The annual contest attracted 181 photographs from 106 photographers (72 adults, 19 high school students, 13 youths and two judges) representing 25 cities and towns in Connecticut and New York. It may be seen at Wilton Library through March 29. Many of the photos are available for sale.
The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Friday, March 8, 2019 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the library at 137 Old Ridgefield Road.
In addition to Etling, awards will be presented to the following photographers in the Adult Division: first place also to Etling for The Berkshires, second place to Robert Sachs of Norwalk for Cao Thon Village, Vietnam, third place to Nancy Breakstone of Westport for Death Valley Dunes at Sunrise, fourth place to Chris Anderson of Ridgefield for fifth & twenty sixth, and fifth place to Steven Labkoff of Stamford for She Lights the Way. Honorable mention awards will be presented to Paul David Anthony of Stamford for Sensuality and the Edge of Reality, Rick Bannerot of Norwalk for Catching Waldo, David Henkel of Bridgeport for Junco Treats, Tom Kretsch of Westport for Solitude, Death Valley, CA, Marion Lynott of Norwalk for Old Bog Road and Sergio Villaschi of Cornwall Bridge for That Time of Day.
In the high school division, awards will be presented for: first place to Victoria Andrew of Wilton for Abandoned, second place to Katie Sailer of Newtown for Immersed, third place to Connor Golden of Weston for New York’s Bravest, and honorable mentions to Jack Cromwell of Wilton for Where to Next, Connor Golden for Marooned, and Mihika Shukla of Wilton for Pondering.
The following photographers will be presented with awards in the Youth Division (old enough to hold a camera through eighth grade): first place to Amanda Prather of Wilton for The Light at the End of a Tunnel, second place to Caroline Collen of Milford for Wise Little Owl, and third place to Amelia Yerenkova of Wilton for Fish Show. Honorable mentions go to Caroline Collen for Mom and Calf, Ronan Conway of Wilton for Tiny Tiger, Big Purr, Amanda Prather for Crystal Clear and Annabelle Zhang of Wilton for I See You.
The judges for Focus ’19 are: Joan Fitzsimmons of New Haven, professor of photography at Norwalk Community College; Julie Frank of Darien/Rowayton, winner of Focus ’18 Best of Show; and Daryl Hawk of Wilton, professional photographer.
Musical entertainment for the reception will be provided by David Arrazinni, Dennis Hyde, Martha Lind and Richard Margo.
The reception is being sponsored in part by Bridgewater Chocolates in Brookfield, Cactus Rose in Wilton, Hunan Café in Wilton, Red Rooster Pub (formerly, Portofino) in Wilton, Stop & Shop in Wilton, the Village Market in Wilton, and an anonymous beverage donor (purveyed through Black Bear Wines & Spirits, Westport).
Sponsors for Focus ’19 are: Beardsley Traveling Art Framer in Wilton, Milford Photo in Milford, Photographic Solutions LLC in Norwalk, and Rockwell Art & Framing in Wilton, Westport, Fairfield, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Stamford and Greenwich.