The Carnegie Arts Center has a new exhibit in their lobby, highlighting the works by members of a regional photography club, The Photo Collective. The show opened on Wednesday and will remain on view through Aug. 9.

The Photo Collective is a group of photographers of various levels of expertise and training located in or near Stanislaus County.  The group is self-funding and open to all who are interested in enhancing their photographic skill and knowledge.  The purpose of the group is to promote photography as an art form.  In pursuit of this goal the members work together to organize photographic exhibits, workshops, and seminars within the community.  Members also enjoy getting out to photograph together during organized photography trips and learning from one another during print reviews and programs during our monthly meetings.

The exhibit at the Carnegie will feature photographs from 13 members, with works in both color and black and white.

"I was already familiar with many of these artists, knew the high caliber of photographs they make, and it was just a matter of finding the right time in the schedule to present their works as a group," said Lisa McDermott, the director of the Carnegie Arts Center.

The photographers in The Photo Collective put on a members exhibition once each year with the venue changing as space demanded.

"This is an active and creative group of photographers from throughout our region. The show has a great diversity in styles and subjects, showcasing the different interests of the individual artists," McDermott said.

The photographers included in the exhibit are: Barbara Barbour, Rob G. Bearden, Gary Hunter, Doug Lavine, Edward Mendes, Susanne Nichols, Lorraine Nilson, Clifton Parker, Ed Richter, Bambi Schmidt, Dennis Stone, and Virginia White-Scoble.

Admission to the exhibit is free. The Carnegie Arts Center is located at 250 N. Broadway. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.