The “town & country” exhibition juried by Michael Kirchoff, was in the online gallery from May 24 to July 4, 2024.  Michael selected fifty five images from forty thirty six artist for the exhibition. Jennifer Wannen’s image “September Reds” received the Juror’s Award. Linda Posnick’s image “Last Days Of The 6th Street Bridge” received the Director’s Award.

Juror’s Statement

I’m writing this statement using a method I’ve never done before. I’m doing so while going through the full gamut of submissions and taking notes and writing short blurbs along the way. This is all in the hope that there is a full understanding of how and why I might come to the conclusions you will find in the final selections. I’m letting it take me into the land of all lower case writing, so please bear with me and maybe the road I take will become clearer…

i’m looking for quiet moments full of form, texture, color, meaning, and most importantly to me – light. scenes that somehow provided clarity in the midst of chaos. i’m definitely leaning away from cities more, though not eliminating them by any means, as they too can provide calm in the midst of a storm.

if you didn’t already sense this, my mind is quite often a wild jumble of duties, images, people, to-do lists, conversations, technical details about myriad things, and most often, noise. on a weekly basis i fear the cacophony of clamoring about deadlines. it can be easy to get lost in this constant sea of madness. however, i don’t have it in me to slow down, let alone stop. it’s a flaw, let me tell you. there’s a lot of static in here.

so when an opportunity like this appears, i jump at it. “hey michael, would you like to juror an exhibition themed ‘town & country’?” uhhhh, hell yea, i would. that sounds exactly like what i need. so this is healing for me. a chance to escape, relax (still figuring out what that really is), and take in the simple pleasures not often afforded to me.

i grew up in, and still reside in, a big maddening city. as much as i like it, it can wear a mind and body down. ushering my tired brain into a land of lonely roads, abandoned buildings, country fairs, and moments without anxiety that offer a sense of place and home, is gold to me. thank you for this refuge.

oh, and don’t get me wrong. i freaking love this! every time i feel as though I should take a break, i double-down and say i’m going at it 100% for as long as i possible can. time is short and i feel as though there is much to do. just look through these images and tell me you wouldn’t want to be in these places and experience these brief moments in time. seriously, you’d be bonkers to think that. these photographs give so much more with every glance than they could ever take.

every single photographic artist who submitted their work to this call needs to be commended for their efforts. i’m coming to the end of my selections and i’m feeling a wonderful sense of ease. this was sooooo worth the time and effort. it turns out that i do know how to relax. this was it all along. my love for the photographic medium fills every nook and cranny of my soul, and these images are the building blocks of a vessel that carries me forward. thank you all for opening my eyes and my heart to it. let’s do this again soon, shall we?

Michael Kirchoff
April, 2024

link to online exhibition