The Light Factory Fifth Juried Annuale
Message from the Curator

We are thrilled to be celebrate what one might call a milestone—our fifth year of The Light Factory Juried Annuale. The competition this time around was stronger than ever. It was exciting to see so many wonderful photographs created by both experienced artists and emerging talent.

For the fifth year we had a terrific response with 125 submissions sent in from all over the world. Our guest juror, Kevin Miller, Director of the Southeast Museum of Photography in Daytona Beach, Florida, had a difficult time selecting the six winners. When he sent us his list, he noted: “So much great stuff…congratulations on your reach.” Special thanks to Kevin for the amount of time and effort he put into this project.

When the Juror evaluates the work, he (or she) does not see where the artists are from. We are thrilled the South is well represented: Dawn Roe is from Winter Park, Florida, Rylan Steele lives in Columbus, Georgia, and Aspen Hochhalter calls Charlotte, North Carolina, her home. Aspen, with a different body of work chosen by a different juror, is the first artist to be selected for the second time. She was also included in The Light Factory Third Juried Annuale.

Every year an artist from Charlotte has won a place in the Annuale, which speaks volumes about the state of photography in our area.
The remaining winners this year take us across the United States to the west coast: Dana Fritz (Lincoln, NE), Tami Bone (Austin, TX), and Joshua Band (San Francisco, CA).

I always regret that the Annuale exhibition cannot feature more of the excellent works that are submitted. This year is no exception. However, we are very pleased with the final results. Congratulations to these six photographers. I hope you enjoy the wonderful work they have created.
               
                                                    - Dennis Kiel / Chief Curator of The Light Factory