Guests view the work of 35 photographers Jan. 17 during the opening reception of the Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibit, featuring the work of 35 photographers, in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Photographer Christopher Jarvis poses with his second place Juror’s Award during the Jan. 17 opening reception of the Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibit, featuring the work of 35 photographers, in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – The Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibition, a juried show representing 35 photographers, will run through Feb. 28 at the Padzieski Gallery in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Lousias, an award-winning freelance photographer from Dearborn who died in 2018, traveled to 23 countries and all 50 U.S. states during her lifetime in pursuit of her passion, and when she returned home she shared her love for photography with the community.
She was active with the Artists’ Society of Dearborn and the Dearborn Community Arts Council, assuming leadership positions.
Lousias also photographed the outdoor public art installed throughout the city as part of the Dearborn Sculpture Initiative, and visited schools with her photos as part of the sculpture and writing workshops sponsored by the Dearborn Community Fund.
The city’s annual photography exhibit was named after her in 2019 in recognition of her dedication and contributions to the art of photography and her generosity in sharing her time and artistic talent with others.
During the Jan. 17 opening reception, Gallery Coordinator Chris Bennett said photography is an art form and a lot of art work is created by photographers.
“I know that we live in a more image-saturated society in the world now, with social media and camera phones, but these are people who take photography more seriously and are more expressive and creative,” he said.
Dearborn Community Fund Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard said Lousias worked in a bank for years, but photography became both her hobby and her passion.
When Lousias’ family asked if the annual photography exhibit could be named after her, the response was a resounding yes.
“There are so many people that love beauty, love doing these kinds of things, and we’re just happy that we have an opportunity and a venue that we can showcase these folks,” Woodyard said. “Some are amateurs and some are seasoned professionals, so it runs the gamut.”
Photographer Aileen Mozug poses with “Glass and Metal 204b,” an archival pigment print, which received a second place Gallery Award during the Jan. 17 opening reception of the Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibit, featuring the work of 35 photographers, in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
The first place Gallery Award was given to Paolo Mastrogiacomo for “Blue Hour,” an archival pigment print, with the second place Gallery Award given to Aileen Mozug for “Glass and Metal 204b,” an archival print.
The first place Juror’s Award went to Suraj Bhamra for “Man on the Corner,” an archival pigment print, with the second place Juror’s Award given to Christopher Jarvis for his submission.
Jarvis’ photo of a winding mountain road was shot in black and white in May 2024 during a West Virginia road trip.
“A big reason to take the trip was to take photos and explore, and this one was fairly early on in the trip,” he said. “It was morning, and there was a nice fog in the air, it was raining slightly, and it had a really nice atmosphere to it.”
Jarvis said he was shooting with both digital and film during the trip, and he shot in black and white until he ran out of film, then took his remaining shots in color.
Mozug said that while she is attracted to architectural abstract, her winning photo in the show is not abstract.
“I thoroughly enjoy architectural, the geometric proportions and the image,” she said.
Mozug said she took many shots of the building in her winning photo from different angles.
“I will take an image, crop it and turn it around to create a whole new image,” she said. “It’s very interesting.”
Mozug said she will stop if she sees something she wants to photograph.
“I’ll just take a straight shot of a building and then a month later I’ll look at it, turn it around, crop it, do whatever to make it different,” she said.
For more information about current and upcoming Padzieski Gallery shows, go to padzieskgallery.org.
Dearborn Community Fund Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard (front center) speaks during the Jan. 17 opening reception of the Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibit, featuring the work of 35 photographers, in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Photographer Suraj Bhamra poses with “Man on the Corner,” an archival pigment print, which received a first place Juror’s Award during the Jan. 17 opening reception of the Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibit, featuring the work of 35 photographers, in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Award-winning exhibit photographers Aileen Mozug (left), Paolo Mastrogiacomo, Christopher Jarvis and Suraj Bhamra gather during the Jan. 17 opening reception of the Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibit, featuring the work of 35 photographers, in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Padzieski Gallery volunteer Bill Bialkowski (left), Dearborn Community Fund Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard, Gallery Coordinator Chris Bennett, volunteer Karen Holland and Dearborn Community Fund Board Member Johanna Seidel await the opening of the Teresa Lousias Memorial Photography Exhibit Jan. 17, featuring the work of 35 photographers in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.