This is one of two exhibits featuring works by members of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva (BGCG). The works were created for the 2016 National Fine Arts Exhibit and ImageMakers Photography Contest, two member competitions from the Boys & Girls Club of America’s arts initiative. An opening reception for the two exhibits will take place in conjunction with Geneva Night Out on Friday, January 8, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Geneva History Museum and Hobart and Williams Smith’s Houghton House. Refreshments will be served at the reception, and the artists will be on hand to answer questions about their work. The ImageMakers photography exhibit will be on display at the Museum, and the Local Fine Arts Exhibit will be hung at the Solarium Gallery in Houghton House at 1 Kings Lane, Geneva. The public is welcome to attend. Both exhibits will be up through January 29, 2016.

Over 100 members of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva are involved in this year’s exhibits, and most of the artists took part in both competitions. Artists range in age range from 6 to 18. Jurors for the National Fine Arts competition were Phillia Yi and Gabriella D’Angelo, professors of art and architecture at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), as well as Roberta Dixon, artist and owner of R. Dixon Gallery in Seneca Falls. The jurors for ImageMakers were Andrew Markham, videographer and photographer with the Office of Communications at HWS; Spencer Tulis, the chief photographer at the Finger Lakes Times; and Alysia Kaplan, also a professor of art and architecture at HWS.

The ImageMakers National Photography Contest, created in 1960, is an annual contest that encourages youth to explore the latest in photography arts. Youth ages 6 to 18 create photographic works to submit to their local contest. Images selected from the local contest move forward to regional judging, where winning images proceed to the ImageMakers National Photography Contest. Winners at the national level are exhibited at Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Conference and other events. The Geneva Club is part of the Northeast Region and regional judging will take place in March (January 2016).