16th Annual Fran Achen

Juried Photography Exhibition

Exhibition: July 5-27, 2025

Awards Reception: Sunday, July 6, 1-3pm

Web Galleries Now online!

Print Division: https://waa-fran-achen-2025.artcall.org/pages/web-gallery

Digital Division: https://waa-fran-achen-digital-2025.artcall.org/pages/web-gallery

Exhibition Catalog Available!

Order Online - Download PDF

Note to Artists:

Pickup:

• Sunday, July 27 from 4pm to 6pm

• Monday, July 28 from 2pm to 6pm

• PLEASE pickup Sunday from 4pm to 6pm if at all possible -- we have a very tight turnaround for our next major event, the 1st Annual Paint Wisconsin Juried Exhibition: A Tribute to Marilyn Fuerstenberg, whose drop-off begins Monday evening.

• There will be a concert in the CAC Gallery Sunday from 2pm to 3:15pm. We would love to have you stop by early to enjoy the Pieces of Eight Woodwind Octet. There is a requested donation of $10 per person. The octet includes pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns, and bassoons, and will perform works by Mozart, Hidas, Kalinnikov, and a new piece by Wisconsin composer Brian Packham.

The Votes Are In…The Awards Chosen By Voting Are:

• Print Division

  • Viewer’s Choice : Kristine Hinrichs : “At Neptune’s Gate”

  • Artist’s Choice : Polly Marzahl : “Docent of Puget Sound”

  • Public’s Choice : Vinay Sinha : “Eclipse”

• Digital Division

  • Artist’s Choice - Digital Division : Tim Holte : "Tree in Lake Park"

  • Public’s Choice - Digital Division : Bienyl Huelgas : "Salcedo Sky"

34 photographs received votes for the Viewer’s Choice Award; 47 photographs received votes for Public’s Choice Awards; and 44 photographs received votes for Artist’s Choice Awards. Thank you to all those who voted and, especially, thank you to everyone who submitted work.

Exhibition: July 5-27, 2025

Awards Reception: Sunday, July 6, 1-3pm

The Classic Has Returned IN 2025 FOR THE 16th edition

— in an expanded Form!!

The Whitewater Arts Alliance (WAA) proudly presents the 16th Annual Fran Achen Juried Photography Exhibition, continuing a tradition that honors the legacy of local photographer and educator Fran Achen. This year’s exhibition features both traditional gallery display of photographs from the Print Division, together with projected photographs from the new Digital Division. Online web galleries will display all images from both divisions during the run of the exhibit at whitewaterarts.org/fran-achen-2025.

Works by fifty-seven photographic artists from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Florida were selected from a much larger submission field by an experienced jury panel. Over 200 photographs will be on display at the Cultural Arts Center in Whitewater--about 100 on the gallery walls and another 100 or so using projection systems in the gallery.

The public is invited to a special reception, featuring a gallery talk and awards presentation, on Sunday, July 6, from 1pm–3pm. Many of the artists will be on-hand for the reception which will make it an excellent opportunity to meet them, enjoy refreshments, and explore the exhibit in an informal, friendly atmosphere where all are welcome.

While the awards presented at the reception will have been awarded by the jury panel, the public is also asked to weigh-in. The Print Viewer’s Choice Award is chosen by public in-gallery voting. The Print People’s Choice and Digital People’s Choice Awards are chosen by public online voting. Voting for these awards continues throughout the run of the exhibit and the awards are announced on the last day of the exhibit.

Jeff McDonald, President of the Whitewater Arts Alliance and longtime chair of the Achen exhibit, shared: “The Fran Achen Exhibition continues to evolve in exciting ways, but its heart remains the same—celebrating the power of photography to connect, inspire, and reflect our shared experiences. It’s been a privilege to help nurture this event and witness the incredible talent it draws year after year.”

To mark the closing of the exhibition, WAA welcomes a special live performance by Pieces of Eight, a semiprofessional summer woodwind octet, on Sunday, July 27. Featuring musicians from southern Wisconsin, the ensemble will perform selections by Mozart, Hidas, Kalinnikov, and a newly commissioned work by Wisconsin composer Brian Packham. A suggested goodwill donation of $10 is appreciated.

Come celebrate the creativity, community, and enduring impact of the arts in Whitewater.

Awards:

• Best of Show : David Bueschel : "Fast Ball"

• Print Division:

  • 1st Place : Jeff Pearcy : "Personal Trainer"

  • 2nd Place : Jeanne Garrett : "Moon Drops"

  • 3rd Place : Phyllis Deicher-Ladwig : "Pluja"

  • Viewer’s Choice : Kristine Hinrichs : “At Neptune’s Gate”

  • Artist’s Choice : Polly Marzahl : “Docent of Puget Sound”

  • Public’s Choice : Vinay Sinha : “Eclipse”

  • Honorable Mention : Phyllis Deicher-Ladwig : "I'll Get You There"

  • Honorable Mention : James Meldrum : "Tropical Beauty"

  • Honorable Mention : Jeff Pearcy : "Katelyn Altmann 3"

  • Honorable Mention : Sashi Popke : "It's All in the Details"

  • Honorable Mention : Vinay Sinha : "Eclipse"

  • Honorable Mention : Richard Wunsch : "Ridge Runner Farm"

  • Outstanding Youth : Landon James : "Quick Sip"

• Digital Image Division / Open Subject Theme:

  • 1st Place : Tim Holte : "Sailboats in Early Evening Light"

  • 2nd Place : Michael Knapstein : "Dawn at Cave Point"

  • 3rd Place : David Bueschel : "Bridge House"

  • Artist’s Choice - Digital Division : Tim Holte : "Tree in Lake Park"

  • Honorable Mention : David Bueschel : "Rust and Shine"

  • Honorable Mention : Tim Holte : "Northern Lights Over an Old Boat"

  • Honorable Mention : Tim Holte : "Spillover II at Night"

  • Honorable Mention : Tim Holte : "Tree in Lake Park"

• Digital Image Division / Human Interest Theme:

  • 1st Place : John Messley : "It's Universal - Budapest "

  • 2nd Place : Michael Knapstein : "Buggy Ride"

  • 3rd Place : George Roesch Johnson : "Concentration "

  • Honorable Mention : Michael Knapstein : "Father and Daughter"

  • Honorable Mention : Michael Knapstein : "The Cowgirl"

• Digital Image Division / Built Environment Theme:

  • 1st Place : Guntis Lauzums : "Staircase 2017"

  • 2nd Place : Kathleen Sletten : "The Prison Laundry"

  • 3rd Place : Brad Schmitt : "Cessation, May 1995"

  • Public’s Choice - Digital Division : Bienyl Huelgas : "Salcedo Sky"

  • Honorable Mention : Kathleen Sletten : "The Bonded Warehouse"

Resources:

• Print Division: Web Gallery

• Digital Division: Web Gallery

• Exhibition Catalog: Order Online - Download PDF

• Exhibition 11” x 17” Poster: Download PDF - Download JPEG

• Exhibition Legal Size Poster: Download PDF - Download JPEG

• Double-Sided Letter Size Invitation: Download PDF

• 5-1/2” x 7” Invitation: Download PDF

• Exhibition Catalog Pre-Order Flyer: Download PDF

• Press Release: Download PDF

• Press Images: Download ZIP

About Fran Achen…

The Whitewater Arts Alliance honors Fran Achen’s contribution to Whitewater by sponsoring the Annual Fran Achen Juried Photography Exhibition.

Fran Achen was a longtime Whitewater resident, teacher, and local photographer. He is most remembered for his photographic collection which chronicles the history of Whitewater.

Born in Kenosha in 1916, his interest in photography began after high school. He spent almost two years delivering cars for the Nash automobile factory. “It seemed like such fun to explore America, so that started my interest in photography and geography, which became my major in college,” he said.

In 1938, when Fran enrolled at Whitewater State Teachers College, it was the first year enrollment went over one thousand. Fran remembered being the last one to register, making the enrollment that year 1,008 students. While an undergraduate student at the college, he served as a photographer for both the Royal Purple and the former Minneiska yearbook, as well as working as a freelance photographer for the Janesville Gazette, making “a buck a picture” which helped to pay his way through school.

While attending college, Fran met his wife, Lydia. They were married for 55 years and had three children—Chap, Randi, and Jim.

After graduating from college, Achen taught social studies for a year before being called up for military service in World War II. Achen served almost four years as the commanding officer of an entirely African American medical unit whose primary duty was to recover wounded soldiers from the front lines. Achen recalled years later that the Rhineland and Central Europe campaign was very successful and remembered crossing the Rhine River just two days after its capture.

When the war was over, he pursued his interest in photography by working in a studio in Madison, and later by purchasing a photography studio in downtown Whitewater, where he worked for 11 years.

In 1956, after selling the studio, Achen continued to serve the community as a teacher at Whitewater High School where he taught his favorite subject, geography. He later became assistant audio-visual director for the Janesville school system.

Achen retired in 1979. However, he never retired his camera. He continued to photograph the life and events in and around the Whitewater area.

In the 1980s, Achen donated nearly 400 custom printed and mounted photographs to the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater also has an extensive collection of Fran’s photos.

Although his photo taking slowed down in his later years, Achen said he was never afraid to flip the shutter on what he believed could be a lasting memory or a special photograph.