Bridges Sesquicentennial Photo Exhibit Winners Announced

Announcing winners of the Statewide Photography Call “Bridges: Sharing Our Past to Enrich the Future.”  Photos to be featured in a Bridges Sesquicentennial Photo Exhibit that will travel to six regions across Nebraska in 2017. The statewide call for photographs of historic places titled “Bridges: Sharing our Past to Enrich the Future,” sponsored by Hildegard Center for the Arts (HCFA), in collaboration with the Nebraska State Historical Society and the Nebraska Tourism Commission, garnered over 800 photo submissions from all 93 counties in Nebraska. Amateur and professional photographers alike were invited to capture images of historic sites and treasures across the state of Nebraska. The photos were reviewed by jurors; Joel Sartore, freelance photographer for National Geographic Magazine, George Tuck, Professor Emeritus of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Bobbi and Steve Olson, longtime Nebraska Life Magazine photographers. The winning photographers and designated county/s include: Bobbi Anderson (Washington), Gary Andrews (Douglas, Lancaster), Alan Bartels (Dundy, Madison, Platte), Laura Beahm (Adams), Vicki Beilke (Richardson), Janessa Bergman (Phelps), Curtis Blum (Morrill, Scotts Bluff), Caryl Bohn (Butler), Shane Booth (Franklin, Webster), Anna Bowens (Hamilton), Bob Brammeier (Johnson), Richard Callaway (Garden), Nancy Carlson (Nance), Angela Carroll (Arthur, Clay, Hooker, McPherson, Polk, Seward, Thomas), Bill Coe (Hitchcock), Rena Conner (Harlan), Kendra Cutler (Logan), Darcy Demmel (Perkins), Jodi Gehr (Colfax), Erin Giannangelo (Saline), Kathleen Hansen (Red Willow), Zach Hanson (Fillmore), Michael Hast (Boone), Larry Headley (Lincoln), Paul Hosford (Antelope), William Hosford (Greeley), Ron Jensen (Dawes, Sioux), Rebecca Johnson (Nemaha), Patricia James (Boyd), Richard Jones (Dawson, Valley), Nia Karman (Hall), Nathan Kathol (Cedar), Bernadette Korslund (Gage), Darcia Kovarik (Loup), Mitzi Kuszak (Sherman), Chuck Leypoldt (Burt, Holt), Dan Luedert (Buffalo, Frontier, Thurston), Randy Lukasiewicz (Cuming, Howard), Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy (Brown, Custer, Dakota, Jefferson, Keya Paha, Knox, Pawnee, Pierce, Rock, Stanton, Thayer, Wayne), Monte McKillip (Hayes), Elizabeth Nelson (Keith), Julie Pflum (Chase), Becky Potmesil (Sheridan), Roger Rea (Garfield), Bob Rooney (Blaine), Kelly Rush (Kearney), Deborah Schaben (Furnas, Gosper), Patricia Schemmer (Cherry), Sonia Schmidt (Nuckolls), Kimberly Sharples (Banner, Cheyenne, Deuel, Kimball), Sibyl Spahn (Wheeler), Jay Spilker (Saunders), Stephen Sullivan (Box Butte), Greg Sutton (York), Herb Thompson (Sarpy), Donna Whitman-Eklund (Cass, Otoe), Brian Weber (Dodge), Jill Weiser (Grant), Jeanne K. Wiemer (Merrick). The winning photos will be showcased in a BridgesSesquicentennial Photo Exhibit that travel to six regions across Nebraska as part of the state’s 150th birthday celebration in 2017. The Nebraska 150 Commission has officially endorsed the Bridges Photo Exhibit as a signature event. The exhibition is set to premiere at the Great Plains Art Museum – University of Nebraska Lincoln beginning January 6, 2017.  Other exhibition locations include the Seward Civic Center, the Prairie Arts Center in North Platte, the Carnegie Arts Center in Alliance, the Norfolk Arts Center and the Durham Museum in Omaha. The six venue sites and dates for the traveling exhibits are:

  • The Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln: January 6- March 25, 2017
  • The Seward Civic Center: June 1- July 28, 2017
  • The North Platte Prairie Arts Center: August 1- September 22, 2017
  • The Norfolk Art Center: September 7- October 26, 2017
  • The Alliance Carnegie Arts Center: September 26- November 10, 2017
  • The Durham Museum in Omaha: November 14, 2017 – January 7, 2018

The selected photographs will also be showcased in a digital catalog and may appear in Nebraska Tourism travel guides, posters and calendars to promote this project and the State of Nebraska. ALL submitted photos will join a virtual exhibit on the website at Hildegard Center for the Arts. Exhibit Sponsors; Statewide and Regional The Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation, Humanities Nebraska and the Johnson Hardware Company are serving as statewide exhibit sponsors. Regional exhibit sponsors include: Union Bank & Trust, The Cattle National Bank & Trust Co., Nebraskaland National Bank, Great Western Bank and the Alliance Lions Club. About the Nebraska 150 Commission On March 1, 2017, the State of Nebraska will celebrate its Sesquicentennial or 150th year of statehood. Planning is underway to commemorate this historic occasion with a yearlong celebration that will engage, educate and inspire the state’s citizenry while leaving a legacy for future generations. Regan Anson, Executive Director of the Nebraska 150 Celebration, said, We are proud to lend our support to the Hildegard Center for the Arts’ Statewide Photography Call. The ‘Bridges’ project presents a unique opportunity for photographers of every skill to capture and showcase the beauty of every corner of our remarkable state.” About the Hildegard Center for the Arts Hildegard Center for the Arts (HCFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofitarts organization established in 2009. Its mission is to unite people of all beliefs, cultures and traditions to inspire humanity through the Arts.  As an art center without walls, HCFA partners with organizations and communities to provide opportunities in the visual and performing arts.  The organization is committed to expanding its outreach to traditional and nontraditional audiences alike and uses the arts and humanities as a vehicle to educate and deliver creative experiences. The Bridges Sesquicentennial Photo Exhibit is part of a three-year initiative at Hildegard Center for the Arts called “Bridges,” – offering projects that connect communities and cultures through the arts. The office headquarters for Hildegard Center for the Arts is located at Old City Hall, 920 “O” St., Suite 1, Lincoln, NE, 68508.   To learn more, go to www.hildegardcenter.org. Contact Person – Kim Einspahr | Hildegard Center for the Arts (402) 416.8650 or [email protected]

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