Fort Pierce – Wednesday March 13, 2024: The A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery’s annual juried photography exhibition, Through the Eye of the Camera, returns to provide amateur and professional artists a great opportunity to be a part of this enduring and coveted competitive survey.
Entries in both traditional and digital photography will be accepted by advance appointment April 10 through May 3.
There is a $30 entry fee for artists entering 1-3 works, $25 entry fee for artists entering 4 or more works. This year’s full prospectus with application, dates, guidelines, categories, awards, and entry procedures is available to download from the Museum’s website at www.BackusMuseum.org/juried-shows or pick up during regular hours at the Museum, 500 North Indian River Drive in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce, Florida.
Photographers may enter their work in one of four categories: (1) Animal subjects; (2) Flora & Landscape subjects; (3) People/Portrait subjects; or (4) Open, for subjects that are not included in the three major categories. In addition to Best of Show, Director’s Choice, People’s Choice, and 1st-2nd-3rd and Award of Merit in the category awards, there is a special “Best Black & White Photograph” and “Best Film / Traditional RAW Photograph” award. Details are available in the prospectus.
The juried exhibition Through the Eye of the Camera will be on view May 10 through the closing out of the regular season on June 21, with accepted artists and award winners announced online by Thursday evening, May 9. The opening reception is planned for Friday, May 10 from 6-8 p.m.
Artists are required to sign up online for an entry appointment in advance. Each 15-minute entry appointment will accommodate one artist entering up to three (3) works of art; artists wishing to enter more than three works may sign up for additional entry appointments. Artists can access the online appointment schedule with all entry information at www.BackusMuseum.org/juried-shows.
Currently on view at the Backus
Art of the Fantastic: Imaginative Illustrations from the Korshak Collection, through April 28, 2024. The Korshak Collection features works by pioneering artists from over a century of published science fiction, horror, and fantasy. These original adventure and fantasy illustrations appeared on the covers and pages of timeless novels, and in classic pulp magazines from the 1930s through 1960s such as Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, Fantastic Adventures, and Wonder Stories. The exhibition features works by such masters as Aubrey Beardsley, Arthur Rackham, Gustave Doré, Howard Pyle, Virgil Finlay, Kelly Freas, J. Allen St. John, Frank Frazetta, and Michael Whelan. With outstanding images of Martian princesses, Arthurian legends, ethereal fairies, alien invaders, imaginative pasts and fanciful, uncertain futures, Art of the Fantastic is far and away a superb survey of the extraordinary.
About the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery
The A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery is a community-based, 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts institution that relies on your support. Contributions during these challenging times will lessen the financial impact on the Museum, and can be made securely online at www.BackusMuseum.org/donate. Gifts can also be made as an ongoing monthly donation, as a way to extend contributions and provide steady support through uncertainties. For more information, please visit www.BackusMuseum.org.
Since its founding in 1960 and the first day the doors opened in 1961, the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery has been a center and catalyst for creativity and culture in our region. The Museum houses the nation’s largest public presentation of artwork by Florida’s preeminent painter, A.E. “Bean” Backus (1906-1990), and is home to the state’s only permanent multimedia exhibition on the Florida Highwaymen. In addition to preserving and perpetuating the artistic and humanitarian legacy of Backus, the Museum organizes and hosts changing exhibitions from artists of regional, national and international acclaim. The Backus Museum was recognized as the 2022 Best of the Best Community Choice Award for Best Art Gallery; and the 2021 Best Tourist Attraction – 2018 Best Museum / Best of the Treasure Coast by the readers of Indian River Magazine.
Regular Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 12 Noon to 4 PM (closed Monday-Tuesday). We are closed Easter Sunday. Admission is $5 per person; AARP, AAA, and Veterans with appropriate ID receive a $2 discount. Students with school ID, children under 18, active duty military, and current members are always free. Visitors are asked to follow the latest public health guidance for the safety and comfort of guests, staff, and volunteers.
