BENTONVILLE — Two local artists will have their works on display at the Crystal Bridges museum when it celebrates the natural beauty and abundant local talent of Northwest Arkansas in “Looking at Our Landscape,” a juried community photography exhibition.

Photographs taken by Terry Stanfill, who oversees SWEPCO’s Eagle Watch Nature Area in Gentry, and by Patrick Lanford, a teacher at Gentry High School, will be on display during the exhibition.

More than 100 community members, from children aged 12 to adults over 80, submitted photographs that range from a close-up view of a hummingbird sipping nectar from the rare Royal Catchfly flower by Stanfill to Lanford’s reminder-ofthe-past photo of the old school building in Vaughn.

Beginning April 1, all 305 submissions will be presented in an online gallery, and the jury-selected 50 featured works, including those of Lanford and Stanfill, will be on view in the Massey, Crystal Bridges’ temporary gallery located at 125 W. Central Ave. in downtown Bentonville.

The public is invited toan opening celebration of the exhibition from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 2. A number of featured artists and jurors will be present at the opening, which is part of Bentonville’s First Friday celebration.

The exhibition’s photographs capture the sparkling waters of the Kings and Buffalo Rivers, the faceted rock formations at Tanyard Creek and the barns and pastures of back-roads Arkansas, among many other regional treasures.

“We were pleased with the variety and quality of work submitted,” said Manuela Well-Off-Man, assistant curator and jury member. “People from all walks of life participated and the selections we made reflect their interests, from beautiful natural settings to historical sites that they wanted to share with others.”

Juror Don House, a professional photographer whose work has been published nationally and featured in exhibitions around the country, said, “There were more than 300 entries and there wasn’t a single one that shouldn’t be in the mix. We have a community full of very talented people, and this exhibition allowed them to express what it is about this area that they love. I think that’s really important.”

An online gallery of all submissions and an illustrated checklist will be posted at http://lookingatourlandscape.org. after the exhibition opens.

Area, Pages 9 on 03/24/2010