Banning Art Gallery holds photography exhibit and contest | Entertainment

BY BEVERLY RASHIDD

For the Record Gazette

The Banning Art Gallery is hosting its first photography exhibit, “Spotlight on Photography.”

In addition to the exhibit, a photography contest is being launched.

The current exhibit showcases the works of three talented local photographers.

The exhibition runs from now through July 29.

Michelle Morton is the newest of the three featured photographers, having begun working in photography after retiring as a nurse and family nurse practitioner.

The proud daughter of Navy parents, she was born on Coronado Island California.

“My artistic expression comes in the form of inverted photography and fine art photography,” she states. Her photography can be found in several SoCal Galleries.

One of her photographs is in the Banning Art Gallery’s 2021 calendar and other gallery publications.

Award Winning Photographer Steve Rich was born and raised in Southern California.

Rich has over 30 years’ experience as a commercial advertising and fine art photographer.

He works with both digital and film formats.

He is one of the few photographers still working in the darkroom to produce archival silver gelatin prints that may be tinted or hand colored.

He hand tints some of his pieces which cause the viewer to take a closer look at his photography and the subject matter. He has an uncanny ability to capture light on his works whether in black and white or color. Steve prefers to shoot his images as a series, giving a broader sensibility and understanding to the subject matter.

Inland Empire photographer Greg Vojtko has nearly four decades of experience as a newspaper photojournalist and corporate communications photographer.

Combined with his education in fine arts, the photographic results show with stunning results.

His recent focus has been largely on local pieces: from sunrise ventures to capturing the windmills of Cabazon, to a captivating three panel panoramic view of the Pass area mountains covered in snow.

The public is invited to a meet and greet reception for the featured photographers to be held at the Gallery July 10; 5 to 7pm.

At the reception with the photographers, the winners of the Gallery’s photography competition will be announced.

Continuing with the photography presentation, the Banning Art Gallery is holding a competition, “Focus on Photography.” The Gallery will begin accepting entries on Friday, June 18 and will accept contestants through June 30.

The public is invited to visit the gallery as jurors to vote in the first round of the competition from June 22 to July 2, Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors may vote once in each category every day the gallery is open.

The top three winners from each category will advance to the finals which will be judge by guest judges and announce on July 10, at the reception.

Details and Entry forms guidelines and rules are available online at www.CulturalAllianceofthePass.org, Banning Art Gallery on Facebook and at the Banning Art Gallery, 42 W Ramsey Ste. C, next to the Fox theater.

The Banning Art Gallery is a component of the Cultural Alliance of the Pass.

The National Endowment for the Arts provides support for this program.