"PC" Julie Blackmon

James Mueller: "LaGarita Club," Dec 1984, silver gelatin print

PhotoSpiva 2006, the national photography competition sponsored by Spiva Center for the Arts, opens to the public Saturday, April 22, and continues through Friday, May 26.

Spiva officials established the annual competition in 1977. “PhotoSpiva is enjoying its 30th anniversary this year," noted Jo Mueller, Spiva's Executive Director, "and has become a prestigious national event for both amateurs and professionals. It is now the oldest, continuously-running photography competition in the country.”

This year 115 photographers from 25 states submitted 497 images, competing for $2,000 in awards. Internationally-acclaimed photographer Keith Carter judged the 2006 competition. Carter selected images for the exhibit and presented a lecture at MSSU March 12.

“Carter spoke about his work and sources of inspiration,” Mueller said. “Although he had already judged the competition, he didn’t share information about the photographs he chose for the exhibition or which photographers will receive awards.”

Carter selected 96 images by 71 artists for the exhibit in Spiva's Main Gallery. Thirty-seven of the featured photographers reside in Missouri, Kansas, or Arkansas.

Although the photographers have been notified of their acceptance to the exhibit, awards winners will not be announced until April 21 at an evening reception for photographers, their guests, and Spiva members. The Joplin Globe will host the reception. Pianist Clint Newby is slated to entertain.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of PhotoSpiva, the Regional Focus Gallery presents Remembering Jim Mueller. The exhibit of 55 photographs by Mueller, a noted local photographer and a PhotoSpiva founder, includes silver gelatin and cibachrome prints produced by between 1971 and 1985.

His lifelong passion for photography carried Mueller down a dual track. He owned and operated a commercial/industrial photographic business that served businesses in the four state area for 30 years, while developing a body of work that expressed his personal creative interests. His skills and knowledge were exceptional; and he was invited to assist with the Ansel Adams Workshop, first as a darkroom technician, later as a group leader.

“Jim’s work is quite varied,” noted Suzanne Wilson, his wife and PhotoSpiva co-founder. “He could discover great beauty in anything. A scene in a Joplin alley held as much interest for him as a western landscape.”

Funding support for PhotoSpiva 2006 and Remembering Jim Mueller is provided by Leggett and Platt, Inc. with additional financial assistance from the Freeman R. Johnson Trust, Friends of St. Avips, and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Spiva Center for the Arts is located at Third and Wall in downtown Joplin. Spiva galleries and Gallery Gift Shop are open Tuesday through Saturday 10am–5pm and Sundays 1–5 pm. The Center is funded through memberships, contributions, and grants. Admission to the Main Gallery is by voluntary contribution.

For additional information, please call 417.623.0183.