It's Labor Day weekend, which signals the last days of summer and the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Congratulations are due to the prize-winning photographers in the 2018 Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Competition:
First Place: Andrew Chow, Hugo
Second Place: Peter E. Russell, St. Paul
Third Place: Buck Holzemer, Minneapolis
Merit Award: Roger Brooks, St. Paul
Honorable Mentions: John M. Stottlemyer, Arden Hills; Siarrah K. Tribbett, Grand Rapids; Sarah Leschinsky, Maple Grove; Jon K. Wilbrecht, Minneapolis; Shawn Uglum, Eden Prairie.
The following special commendation awards were made to photographers:
Allen and Carrie Clark Award for Excellence in Content and Form: Daniel E. MacKenzie
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Award: Cynthia Fleury
Jennifer and William Oliver Award: Alec C. Johnson
North Hennepin Community College Award of Excellence in Memory of Joseph Gazzuolo: Michael Robert Borg
The Glen Lake Optimist Club Award: Gary Jacobson
The Gordon Parks Gallery Photography Award: Steve H. Ozone
Tweed Museum of Art Award: Benjamin H. Muedeking
Last but not least, two thumbs up to R. J. Kern, who received both the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts Great State of Minnesota Award and the Minnesota State Fair Foundation First Glance Award for his photograph “Kenzie and Hootie, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016”