WHITEWATER ARTS ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES 17th ANNUAL FRAN ACHEN JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Record Regional Submissions and New Digital Platform Mark Landmark Year for Whitewater’s Premier Photography Event
The Whitewater Arts Alliance (WAA) is proud to announce the 17th Annual Fran Achen Juried Photography Exhibition, opening Thursday, June 4, 2026 at the Cultural Arts Center Gallery, 402 W. Main Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin. The exhibition runs through Sunday, June 28, 2026, with an Awards Reception on Sunday, June 7 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
This year’s exhibition marks a landmark moment for the event, drawing a record 502 submissions from photographic artists across the region — a 25 percent increase over the previous year. The breadth and quality of work submitted reflects the exhibition’s growing reputation as a serious regional venue for fine art photography.
Two Salons — A Philosophy of Full Equals
The Fran Achen Exhibition has pioneered a dual-salon format that treats the photographic print and screen-based digital media as full equals in the gallery space. The Traditional Salon celebrates the enduring power of the physical print, displayed in a classical gallery setting. The Digital Salon champions screen-based fine art, presented on high-definition displays in-gallery — not as an afterthought, but as a fully realized exhibition experience alongside its printed counterpart.
This year’s exhibition received 201 submissions in the Traditional Salon and 301 in the Digital Salon. A total of 342 works by 75 photographic artists are represented in the show, with 150 works hung in the gallery.
“Each work here represents an artist who responded to the world with skill, intention, and a point of view worth sharing. That is what this exhibition has always been about.”
— Jeff McDonald, WAA President and 12-Year Exhibition Chair
The G/A Exhibition Engine — A First for Local Arts Organizations
Making its debut this year is the G/A Exhibition Engine, a sophisticated web application developed by Gaelic Arts LLC and provided to WAA at no cost. The Engine brings both salons together in a single unified digital experience and represents a significant advancement in how community arts organizations can present exhibition work.
The G/A Exhibition Engine was designed specifically for desktop and laptop viewing. Respect for its artists and an uncompromising commitment to quality drove that decision — every image is presented with true color, fine detail, and the visual scale that serious fine art photography deserves. The Whitewater Arts Alliance is proud to be among the few regional arts organizations providing this level of international-standard digital presentation.
The Exhibition Engine features high-definition zoom capability, an interactive artist directory with direct links to participating photographers’ websites and social media channels, and a real-time Public Choice voting system. It is available now at whitewaterarts.org/fa-2026-exhibition.
The Jury
This year’s distinguished jury panel brings three distinct perspectives to the evaluation of submitted work: Ashley M. Dimmig, PhD, Crossman Gallery Director and Art History faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Gerald H. Emmerich, Jr., HonPSA, GMPSA-P, a Photographic Society of America Grand Master with over 15,400 international acceptances; and Michael J. Havice, PhD, a retired Marquette University broadcast faculty member and active professional photographer with significant magazine publication credits.
Awards
Eleven cash awards totaling $1,300 will be presented at the Awards Reception, including Best of Show, Photographic Merit Awards (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place in each salon), Fran Achen Creative Expression distinctions, and Public Choice Awards determined by community voting both in-gallery and online.
About the Exhibition
The Fran Achen Juried Photography Exhibition commemorates the life of Fran Achen, a longtime Whitewater resident, educator, and photographer whose work chronicled the history of the Whitewater community for decades. Named in his honor, the exhibition continues his legacy of helping people see the world through fresh eyes.
Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, Noon to 4:00 PM.
More information about the exhibit, including a link to the digital Exhibition Engine, may be viewed here.
