Laura Goyer, a Vienna Resident, and a photographer herself, was a judge for the show at the Vienna Arts Society on Saturday, Aug. 19. Here she stands next to some of her own work which was separate from the show.
Vienna — The Winner of Vienna Art’s Society’s Annual Photography Exhibit “The Human Condition,” is not only
a photographer: Deborah Kennedy, who runs Artspeaks and took home first place for her photo “Gone,” accompanies her photographs with poems.
“When people see my photographs they look at the picture, read the poem, and look at the picture again for a long time,” said Kennedy.
“Gone” is a picture of Kennedy’s daughter when she was 15 years old. Kennedy recited the poem to the room, reflecting her daughter’s attitude some 10 years prior when all she wanted to do was hurry up and get out of this point in her life. “It’s obvious the photographer is really focused on her and she is oblivious about everything else going on around her. She’s like the world doesn’t exist for me,” said Kennedy.
Director of the Vienna Arts Society, Lu Cousins, said that her idea for the show was indicative of the unrest going on in the nation at large. “We have a show every August and a photography competition, but this year there so much going on and so many emotions in communities. We want the photographers to be able to pick out whatever they want, a building or asking questions like who lives in it?” she said.
According to Cousins, this was not a typical photography show, as all of the competitors were members of the Vienna Arts Society. Still, there was a judge present, Laura Goyer, a Vienna resident, and a photographer herself.
Goyer, who was a pediatric physician for 25 years, also had a display of photographs at the show representing “The Human Condition,” although hers were not judged.
“It’s easy for me to pick the best photographs that I love, but it’s hard to convince somebody else that these are better because it requires a reason. Feedback is my favorite part of the show, and I enjoy working with artists who are open to parts of their work that could be altered and telling them about what I liked,” said Goyer.
Deboarah Kennedy took home first place for her photo “Gone.”
Diane Blackwell, of Houston, Texas, won second place for “Into the Light.”
Patricia Deege won third place for “Musician & Friend.”
Susan Scanlon won honorable mention for “Havana, Cuba.”
Mike Colby won honorable mention for “Xingu Indians Dancing for Amazon (Xinga) Eco-Services.”
The photographs submitted by member-photographers did not have to be from a specific time or place, and many submissions came from trips abroad as well as from many years prior.