Backus sets 2026 photo show
The A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery announced the accepted works for its 2026 annual juried photography exhibition, Through the Eye of the Camera, which are on view through June 19 at 500 N. Indian River Drive.
Judges accepted 81 of 178 submissions in four categories: animals, flora and landscape, people and portrait, and open. Best of Show went to Steven Hassur of Vero Beach for Volks’ Art. First-place winners were Dale Erickson for animals, Franz Walderdorff for flora and landscape, Greg Rodgers for people and portrait, and Robert McCall for open.
Additional honors went to David Bence for best black-and-white photography, Les Greenwood for best film or traditional raw photography, and Albert Lim for director’s choice. A members opening reception is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. May 15, with remarks at 6:30 p.m. A full list of accepted works is available on the Museum’s website.
FULL AWARDS
| AWARD | CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST |
| Best of Show | Open | Volks’ Art | Steven Hassur |
| Director’s Choice | Open | Sanctuary of Light | Albert Lim |
| Best Black & White Photography | Open | Ghost Children | David Bence |
| Best Film or
Traditional RAW Photography |
Animals | Mirror Image | Les Greenwood |
| First Place | Animals | To the Nest | Dale Erickson |
| Second Place | Animals | The Pas de Deux | Maureen Mackenzie |
| Third Place | Animals | Sunrise Silhouette | Les Greenwood |
| Award of Merit | Animals | Nature’s Gardeners | Kathy Graham |
| Award of Merit | Animals | Into the Mist | Maureen Mackenzie |
| Award of Merit | Animals | Persistence | Anthony Thompson |
| First Place | Flora & Landscape | Connections 71 | Franz Walderdorff |
| Second Place | Flora & Landscape | May Petals 2 | Sabrina Bruhwiler |
| Third Place | Flora & Landscape | I Spy | Jennifer Cenker |
| First Place | People/Portrait | Three White Lights | Greg Rodgers |
| Second Place | People/Portrait | Foggy Morning Roundup | Robert Adams |
| First Place | Open | The Personification of Richard Huss | Robert McCall |
| Second Place | Open | Degeneration No. 1 | David Bence |
| Third Place | Open | “Sporangia” Fungal Architecture | Barbara Whitlam |
| Award of Merit | Open | Riding with Waves of Light | John Furlong |
| Award of Merit | Open | Crystal Blue Reflection | Kay Kent |
| Award of Merit | Open | Kings Highway, Winter Garden Parkway Triptych | Robert McCall |
A selection of award-winning art will be featured in social media posts throughout the exhibition.
A complete list of accepted art and artists is available on the Museum’s website.Visitor ballots cast throughout the run of the show determine the final People’s Choice Award.
This year marks another chapter in one of the region’s longest‑running juried photography traditions — an exhibition that has steadily expanded its reach, drawing entries from across Florida and beyond. Through the Eye of the Camera continues to celebrate the evolving art and craft of photography, offering a vibrant survey of how today’s photographers see the world.
2026 Jury Panel
Jesi Cason is a Tampa‑based commercial and branding photographer known for her bold, colorful visual style and her ability to create empowering portraits for creative professionals and unconventional entrepreneurs. With more than a decade of experience, she has photographed Grammy Award–winning musicians, Olympic athletes, and standout Florida talent. A 2025 St. Petersburg Month of Photography Photo Laureate, Cason also serves on the Board of Directors at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) and teaches Digital Photography 101. Her work has earned ADDY Gold Awards and first place in the 2024 FMoPA Members Show. Through her vibrant, community‑minded approach, she continues to shape Tampa Bay’s visual culture with storytelling that is imaginative, expressive, and impossible to ignore.
Matt Kushan is a photographer, interdisciplinary artist, and educator whose work spans more than a decade across the United States and South Asia. He holds an MFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston and a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His professional background includes leading a creative team at a design house in Lahore, photographing for international fashion brands, and partnering with non-profit arts organizations on public art and research-driven projects. His recent series, Songs of the East, reflects on his blue‑collar upbringing in Cleveland and his years living in Lahore, using the camera to examine personal narrative, cultural distance, and the distortions shaped by the age of disinformation. He is currently Associate Professor /Assistant Chair of the Photographic Technology Program, School of Digital Media Production, College of Arts & Sciences, Daytona State College.
Rick McCawley is a Senior Professor of Graphic Design and Photography at Broward College, where he has taught for 25 years and holds the John and James L. Knight Endowed Teaching Chair. A former Miami Herald staff photographer for 15 years, he contributed to the newspaper’s Pulitzer Prize–winning public service coverage of Hurricane Andrew. He has authored more than 40 books on graphic design, photography, and fine art, and serves as an Adobe Community Expert, Adobe Express Ambassador, and Adobe product consultant. McCawley is a founding designer and lecturer for the Miami Street Photography Festival and a sought‑after speaker on AI and visual communication. He holds an MA in Photography from Barry University and an MFA in Graphic Design from Florida Atlantic University.
ALL DATES AND PROGRAMMING SUBJECT TO CHANGE; PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR ANY UPDATES OR CANCELLATIONS.
About the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery
Since its founding in 1960 and the first day the doors opened in 1961, the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery has been a center and catalyst for creativity and culture in our region. The Museum houses the nation’s largest public presentation of artwork by Florida’s preeminent painter, A.E. “Bean” Backus (1906-1990), and also continues its more than sixty-year tradition of exhibiting and celebrating the paintings of the original Florida Highwaymen, who got their start here. In addition, the Museum organizes and hosts changing exhibitions from artists of regional, national and international acclaim. The Backus Museum was recognized as the 2026 Best Museum, 2021 Best Tourist Attraction, 2018 Best Museum in the Best of the Treasure Coast by the readers of Indian River Magazine; 2025 & 2022 Best of the Best Community Choice Award for Best Art Gallery; and the 2024 Best Art Gallery by Hometown News.
Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 12 Noon to 4 PM. Admission is $5 per person; AARP, AAA, and Veterans with appropriate ID receive a $2 discount. Students with school ID, children under 18, active duty military, and current members are always free. Additionally, the A.E. Backus Museum offers $1 admission to individuals and families presenting a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card as part of the Museums for All access program, to encourage individuals of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits; and is also a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active military families May 16 – Sep 7 during regular hours. Please note the City of Fort Pierce is working to improve the North Indian River Drive Corridor from Seaway Drive south to Avenue A through Spring 2027. The Museum will remain open and accessible. For more information see this Traffic Notice.
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