One postcard shows a scantily clad woman next to an old Army tank.
Another shows a giant illuminated clown towering over a city skyline.
Traditional views of Main Street are nowhere to be found among the winners in this year’s Postcard Art Competition and Exhibition at the Lake County Discovery Museum.
Abstract images, jarring juxtapositions and digitally manipulated photos made up many of the 270 entries from more than 100 artists from all over the United States.
It’s a far cry from when the contest started in 1995, said Debra Gust, project manager for the contest and exhibit. Just eight years ago, Gust said, “there were a lot more straight photos. Now, there are so many digital photos with manipulated images, it’s very fresh and exciting.”
This year’s overall winner–from artist Stacie Mann of Maine–is titled “Chard Noodles.” It shows a mixed-media artwork of colorful “noodles” stitched together like a Jackson Pollock drip painting.
Copies of the 12 winning postcards are on sale at the museum. They “are a celebration of the postcard as a visual art,” Gust said.
The exhibit is open 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays through the end of November at the museum, 27277 Forest Preserve Drive, Wauconda. Entry is $5.50 for adults and $2.50 for children 4 to 17. Younger children are admitted free.
