Judging Photography at Arts in the Alley

For close to fifty years, Grove City Ohio has put on a shindig celebrating the arts called “Arts in the Alley”. It’s grown from a little neighborhood art show to a festival that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year and is now the longest running arts and music festival in the state. There are over 100 juried exhibitions for everything from leatherworking to photography to crocheting to quilting. We’ve got food trucks, including the absolutely necessary funnel cakes, and music all weekend long.

I moved here back in 2003 and I started participating in the Fine Arts and Photography shows in 2009. Last year was the first time in 16 years that I didn’t participate in the Photography show because they finally accepted my offer to help judge it!

I’ve been asked to judge again this year and I’m looking forward to it.

Having spent years entering competitions myself, I know what it's like to put an image out there for someone else to evaluate. There's excitement, nerves, and a little bit of hope that they'll see what you saw when you created it. That experience shapes how I judge just as much as the years I've spent critiquing and judging.

Entries don't close until September, so I have no idea what will be coming through the door this year. Every image represents someone's time, creativity, and willingness to share their work. I'm looking forward to seeing what our local photographers create and spending a day with some really enjoyable photographs.

Winning first place in the professional photography show in 2018.