The Awards Collective was created to feature the works of artists who have received either a Juror’s Award or Director’s Award in ASG’s Online exhibitions.  Renee Elkin’s image Meditation received the Juror’s Award in the imperfect lens exhibition juried by Amanda Smith.  Renee’s exhibition Serenity is discussed in this GalleryTalk.

Artist Statement

“Using cameras in what they do best, capturing light on film or a media card, is how my imagination gets filled and how my artistic vision is seen. Throughout the years of making images with many different types of cameras (analog, digital, lensless/pinhole, plastic/toy), have all guided me to the juncture where I have been composing images towards a hybrid method of photographic art.

A good many of these images were produced with film, and on occasion, still are. My time of working in the darkroom has passed. Now film is scanned and then reworked in Photoshop. Using digital imaging has added to my repertoire and expanded my way of seeing the world around me. The initial captures now take on a new life.

I lean towards landscapes for the peace and solemnity it affords me while exploring gardens, the desert, and forest areas. If there is a message to my series it is to bring a calmness to this frantic world in which we are living.”

Renee Elkin
March, 2026

Bio

Renee Elkin’s art interests began very early in life. She remembers sitting with her mother who both taught and encouraged her to draw. Her encouragement led her to participate in summer school classes at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Renee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and continued her education with a teaching certification plus an art endorsement in grades K-9.

Her use of arts as an educator expanded her creativity in the Chicago Public Schools.  She has also been an adjunct professor in the Photography and Art departments at Columbia College Chicago. She uses her love of photography to volunteer in special programs to spread this art form to others.

Outside of teaching much of Renee’s history has been in the field of professional photography. She has exhibited her art photography in a variety of galleries as well as online throughout the United States. Her published work can be seen in books and magazines.

Spending part of the year in Arizona has allowed her to incorporate landscape and alternative photography to her art making.

Renee’s interest in all things creative has led her to the area of artisan bookmaking to use as a way to illustrate her art photography.

instagram: @reneeselkin

link to online exhibition