By Bob Bahr, PV Arts Council member The municipal offices for Prairie Village are in the heart of our relatively quiet and leafy neighborhood, but its residents and other artists outside our immediate environs have their eyes--and camera lenses--pointed much further afield. This is on view right now in the Art of Photography show in the R. G. Endres Gallery, at City Hall. The juror for this exhibition, which featured more than $3,000 in prize money, appreciated the wide scope of the qualifying entries. "I was surprised by the great variety of submissions, with motifs from all over the world--perhaps every continent except Antarctica," said Philipp Eirich, co-owner of Cerbera Gallery, located in Kansas City's Crossroads neighborhood. More than 45 artists contributed more than 50 photographs to the exhibition, which will be on view at the municipal offices through July 6. Their submissions were divided into three categories: People & Portraits of People, Landscapes & Architecture, and Abstract/Non-traditional/Photo-collaged/Highly digitally enhanced. Winners in each category receive a $500 prize. The R. G. Endres Best of Show award earns the winner $750. Additionally, six pieces receive Honorable Mention awards worth $200. Eirich said not only were about four entries within a point of each other at the top of his judging tally, but even the initial culling of all the entries to winnow them down small enough to exhibit was difficult and close, with only a few submissions clearly not making the grade. "It was really impressive," Eirich said. "Even the photos that did not make it into the show were of high quality. Not making it into a show does not mean it is a bad image, it's just there is limited gallery space available. It is so subjective, especially with a single judge, not a panel." When he judged the photographs on display, Eirich certainly got in his steps for the day, briskly walking the halls of the municipal building, taking notes and exhibiting intense concentration. In the end, only three photos could win the top prize in each category, and only one could be named Best of Show. The Best of Show winner for the 2024 Art of Photography proved to be "Fourvière," by James Terry. "That piece was the best of both worlds, with a snapshot, street-photography aesthetic, but with a wonderful composition and the black-and-white look," Eirich said. "There's also the architectural elements but also a human being. The older gentleman is walking away, so we only see his back, which makes the effect stronger. This is not a straight road, with three bends that are emulated in the walk of the person, It has a lot of movement and the overall composition is wonderful. Oftentimes, the light can be too contrasty in a photograph, and that is the opposite of what you see in this image, with the very subtle differences in grayscale." In the Landscapes & Architecture category, Paul McMillian won with "Take a Second Look." Eirich seemed to be entranced by the play of symmetry in the piece, which seems to be referenced in the title. "There seems to be symmetry in the windows, but the closer you look, the less geometric and the less symmetric it becomes, with the windows at angles," he said. "I also really appreciate that you can see the artist in the image as well." "Coupole," by Steve Johnston, won the category of Abstract/Non-traditional/Photo-collaged/Highly digitally enhanced. "This is an intriguing piece," Eirich said, "with architectural elements combined with subtle blue hues that go from almost whitish to very dark. And you become inquisitive because you don't know what it is." The winner of the People & Portraits of People category is "Tourists," by Don James. "It's just a wonderful image with a street photographer vibe," Eirich said. "The women are similarly dressed. They are clearly tourists, both wearing running shoes and both holding something on their shoulders. They don't look like sisters, but they are perhaps best friends." The six Honorable Mention awards went to "Ground Gears," by Brittany Buchanan; "Generational Colors in Peru," by Jessica Frieze; "Toucher le Fond," by Robin Blochlinger; "Balcony Shadows," by Paul Middleton; "Pritzker Pavilion," by Steve Anderson; and "At Alison's," by Steve Wilson. At the opening reception for the show, visitors voted on the People's Choice award, with Lauren Kinne's "Big Sur Portal" winning the honor and the $500 prize. Eirich has attended several Art of Photography shows since he moved to the Kansas City area almost 10 years ago. He looks forward to it every year and hopes to see more experimental photos next year in the Abstract category. "The question of AI hovers over the future," he adds. AI-generated or modified art is undeniably going to be on everyone's minds going forward. Photography is an artform that reflects society, so the 2025 edition of the Art of Photography should be an interesting one. Remember--it's easy to visit the exhibition. It's a mere stroll through the municipal building on Mission Road. The current show featuring the work of local 45 photographers will be on view at the R. G. Endres Gallery until July 6.
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