2008 POP Show and Trade Expo Offers Much to Benefit Many
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this year's Power of Photography show and trade expo speaks volumes for local talent and the community's heart. Everyone is invited to attend this family-friendly event.
Over 140 contestants submitted hundreds of photos last month in hopes of winning awards in the 15th annual benefit show. Coordinated by the Wide Angle Photo Club and major contributor Peoples First Community Bank, the finest POP entries will be exhibited July 11-13 at the Wright Place in downtown Pensacola. Over $2,500 in cash and prizes and 74 ribbons will be awarded in POP's juried photographic art show.
The exhibit, free to the public, opens at 10 am on both Friday and Saturday, noon on Sunday. One of the many venues during downtown's Gallery Night on July 11, the POP show offers both art and education. Visitors may view the photo art, attend Saturday seminars and product demos, vote for People's Choice, sign-up to win merchandise, bid in silent auctions and purchase photos.
Over $8,000 in photography-related equipment will be displayed.
"Come and experience some of photography's newest and greatest products," said Carol Langston, POP coordinator for product displays. "Don't rush through the show."
Guests can watch a demo on monitor color calibration or how to use a graphic tablet, take a portrait before a Denny's Manufacturing backdrop or try out photo accessories. National and local vendor displays will include sample merchandise, discount offers, and brochures. For the specific vendor names and direct links to their web sites, see the list of POP 2008 sponsors and vendors on the Wide Angle web site, www.wideanglephotoclub.org.
Not only does this juried art event showcase the talents of photographers from Mobile to east of Tallahassee, but it also reveals the heart of dozens of local sponsors who chipped in so that ARC Gateway, an organization which helps developmentally disabled children and adults, will benefit.
"As funding cuts become more pervasive, we have a growing list of children who are waiting for services," said Sue Straughn, honorary POP chair and news anchor for WEAR-TV3. "We are so grateful for the support of the Wide Angle Photo Club, the many sponsors and participants of this event for their contributions to ARC Gateway." Last year's show raised $3,000 for ARC Gateway. Income from photo entry fees, silent auctions, commissions on sales and drawings all help this good cause.
"Your kind donations allow us to reach out and provide much needed therapies to our waiting children," Straughn said. "It is crucial that these little ones with developmental disabilities receive services as early as possible. We thank you!"
"The quality of the art (last year) was excellent," said Lynne Vann, a registered nurse from Milton, who visits the POP show whenever she can.
Her favorite photos portray aspects of nature. "It's amazing to see what people can do with a camera to capture what God has created," she said.
Last year's POP show was obviously well-organized and thoughtfully arranged, and the door prizes were another plus for visitors, Vann said. People who attend this year's show won't be disappointed in what they see, she said.
In Brief:
- POP Show hours are Fri., July 11, 10 am to 9 pm;
- Sat., July 12, 10 am to 5 pm; and
- Sun., July 13, noon to 4 pm.
The location is at 60 E. Wright Street, one-half block from Palafox Street, downtown Pensacola, FL. Admission is free.
Educational Offerings:
On Sat., July 12, the public is invited to these free POP offerings at the Wright Place
Seminars:
- 10 am - Walter Birks: "Computerized Slide Show w/Music"
- 11 am - Dan Wendleton: "Travel Photography"
- 12 pm - Robert & Billie Nicholson: "Art in the Digital Age"
- 1 pm - Vivian Spencer: "The Constructed Image: Making Pictures"
- 2 pm - Suzanne Borges: "Competing in Photo Contests"
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