Exhibits

Our Current Exhibit

The ever popular Through Our Eyes Photography Competition and Exhibit premiered in the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center in 1993 and has continued every three or four years since. Each show brings changes and challenges as the art of photography evolves.

Any person is eligible to submit current, original photographs. Through Our Eyes is a regional competition and photos were taken in Miami, Shelby, Darke, Champaign, Clark, or Montgomery County.

This year’s divisions were Landscape, Digitally Altered, Youth, Abstraction and Life in Miami County. Landscapes included nature and urban scenes, as well as wildlife. A photo is considered digitally altered if the original scene has been digitally changed significantly. This includes adding, moving, or removing items and major changes to saturation, contrast and levels. The Youth Division includes entries from students in grades K - 12. Abstraction is defined as an image in which the elements of design are the main emphasis and does not represent the subject in a literal way. The Life in Miami County Division was judged by Leiann Stewart of the Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau. Winners in this category agree to permit The Visitors Bureau to use winning images in this category for publicity purposes to promote the region in print and electronic media for two years after the close of the exhibit. Additionally, the jurors may determine that a Youth submission has earned an award in a division outside the Youth category.

PARTICIPATING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Life in Miami County Division
The Joy of a Good Slide Jonathan Blount
HM Bird Watching . . .You Jonathan Blount
Limestone on the Patio Sue L. Curtis
Princess and Elfie Sue L. Curtis
Lavender Orpington I Lisa Harris
Lavender Orpington II Lisa Harris
1st Place Beat the Heat Linda Lee Jolly
READY FOR LPGA James Roger O’Donnell
3rd Place In Bloom Silas Starry
2nd Place Fall-la-la-la-la! Diana Wesco
HM Cherry Street - After the Rain Matthew Windel

Abstraction Division
2nd Place Pleurotis Citrinopileatus Tim Collette
HM Ornate Ocelli Kristy Harbour
3rd Place Icy Pendulum Connie Galey
1st Place Lake Sunset Abstract Beth Larsen
Difficult to Play James Roger O’Donnell
HM What does this represent? James Roger O’Donnell

Landscape Division
Blood Moon Tim Collette
1st Place Star Trails Tim Collette
HM Snow Bench Sue L. Curtis
2nd Place Amazing Autumn Judy Deeter
The Return of Spring Judy Deeter
Red “V” in a Tree Kristy Harbour
Second Chances Kristy Harbour
Surprise in the Garden Linda Lee Jolly
Golden Garden Guest Linda Lee Jolly
3rd Place Farm Circles Beth Larsen
Wishful Thinking Diana Wesco
Eagle Eye Diana Wesco
Fultons - 202 Matthew Windel
HM Majestic Penny Passon

Digitally Altered Division
Heaven in a Cup   Jonathan Blount
Humming Along Connie Galey
Owl Be Watching You Connie Galey
3rd Place Friesian Lisa Harris
1st Place Wagaman Mill Kreg Kohli
Englewood Park Kreg Kohli
2nd Place   Painted Tulip Beth Larsen
HM Tree of Life Jan Sexton
HM   Crystalline Descent Robert K. Winkle Jr.

Youth Division
HM Self-Portrait Ruby Harris
New Beginnings Brooke Householder
1st Place Peace Brooke Householder
Best of Show Hanging Words Jocelyn Gold
The Night Write Jocelyn Gold
A Windy Day Jocelyn Gold
3rd Place Small Town Walter Livermore
Courthouse Walter Livermore
HM UP! Silas Starry
The Woods Awake Silas Starry
2nd Place Where Strength Meets Strategy Amelia Tucker
The Art of the Pitch Amelia Tucker

Meet Our Jurors

James Smith is the owner of Tall James Photography that was registered in 2012 and is a Portrait, Commercial, and Event photographer located in the Troy Area. James has worked with the Troy Chamber of Commerce, the Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau, and many local businesses and restaurants. James was the Official Strawberry Festival Photographer for over 10 years, held a family photography studio in downtown Troy from 2013-2014, and ran a wet plate collodion "Tintype" portrait studio from 2017-2020. His favorite part of photography is not just helping people document their life or promote their business, but the network of truly wonderful people he's met over the years.

Delaney Fields is the Marketing & Experience Specialist at the Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau. She uses her knowledge of photography regularly in her job to help promote all the great things in Miami County. Delaney’s photography experience comes from many years of sport and event photos, as well as senior photos, couples, and small weddings. Her favorite part of photography is capturing candid moments and memories that last a lifetime.

“It was an honor to be asked to judge the Through Our Eyes 2025 photography exhibit. We came in excited to see the work of many talented photographers in the area and were impressed with the submitted photographs. The Youth category was very impressive and stood out to us this year. Many factors were taken into consideration other than just technical ability. Storytelling, mystery, and use of subjects and color were all considerations. We were excited to both agree on the Best of Show with no deliberation, and we look forward to seeing more work from this photographer in the future. We would like to thank the artists for participating and sharing their photographs with us, as well as Hayner Cultural Center for this opportunity. It was a great experience for us both and we enjoyed our time judging together.”
Delaney Fields & James Smith

Leiann Stewart is the Executive Director of the Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau. Leiann has been at the bureau for a decade and took over as director in October 2019. She has over 20 years of marketing and sales management experience and has been a member of the Executive Board of Ohio Has it! as well as the Ohio Travel Association.

“I would like to thank all of the artists who submitted photos for the Through Our Eyes 2025 photography exhibit. The talent was phenomenal with a wide variety of styles, portrayals, and creativity. Each photo showed Miami County’s people and spaces in a unique way, and it was clear that these photographers take great pride in the area in which they live.”

Leiann Stewart
Executive Director
Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau

Through Our Eyes 2025 is sponsored by The Friends of Hayner and
the Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau.

First Floor Exhibit Case

A Child's Garden of Verse books courtesy Debra Stichter
and 18th & 19th century Children's Teapots courtesy Sharon Severt