The Courier/Mittman Gallery opened its Cultural Canopies group photography exhibit on Oct. 9 by announcing the winners of its art competition. The exhibit, located at 38-15 Bell Blvd. and curated by Vida Sabbaghi, celebrated the diversity of Queens and Brooklyn and included artists from both boroughs.
The first prize went to Norma Colon for her photograph of a man walking a dog in Brooklyn. Colon has been taking photographs for many years now but when she took this one, it was instinctive. “I just saw a man walking a dog and I clicked it [the picture],” she said, adding that she was “happy” she won the first prize.
The exhibition itself was inspired by Steven Hoelderich’s book Cultural Canopies of Queens. The book is a compilation of storefronts across the borough. Six photos from his book are part of the exhibit and one of them even won an award.
Hoeldrich’s photograph of Sean Ogs, a tavern in Woodside, placed second in the competition. “I jumped out of my skin,” when he heard he had won, he said. “I am tickled.” Hoeldrich, a resident of Astoria, took up photography after his grandfather inspired him to do so when he was a child.
Maeen Saleh’s photograph of a tree’s branches against a blue sky won the artist third place in the competition.
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