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: 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"

• 1st Place - Print Division : Jeff Pearcy : "Personal Trainer"

• 2nd Place - Print Division : Jeanne Garrett : "Moon Drops"

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

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

• Honorable Mention - Print Division : James Meldrum : "Tropical Beauty"

• Honorable Mention - Print Division : Jeff Pearcy : "Katelyn Altmann 3"

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

• Honorable Mention - Print Division : Vinay Sinha : "Eclipse"

• Honorable Mention - Print Division : Richard Wunsch : "Ridge Runner Farm"

• Outstanding Youth : Landon James : "Quick Sip"

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

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

• 3rd Place - Digital Open : David Bueschel : "Bridge House"

• Honorable Mention - Digital Open : David Bueschel : "Rust and Shine"

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

• Honorable Mention - Digital Open : Tim Holte : "Spillover II at Night"

• Honorable Mention - Digital Open : Tim Holte : "Tree in Lake Park"

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

• 2nd Place - Digital Human Interest : Michael Knapstein : "Buggy Ride"

• 3rd Place - Digital Human Interest : George Roesch Johnson : "Concentration "

• Honorable Mention - Digital Human Interest : Michael Knapstein : "Father and Daughter"

• Honorable Mention - Digital Human Interest : Michael Knapstein : "The Cowgirl"

• 1st Place - Digital Built Environment : Guntis Lauzums : "Staircase 2017"

• 2nd Place - Digital Built Environment : Kathleen Sletten : "The Prison Laundry"

• 3rd Place - Digital Built Environment : Brad Schmitt : "Cessation, May 1995"

• Honorable Mention - Digital Built Environment : Kathleen Sletten : "The Bonded Warehouse"

Resources:

• Print Division: Web Gallery

• Digital Division: Web Gallery

• Printed Exhibition Catalog: Order Online

• 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.