Last Friday night, February 1, a crowd gathered at Polk Museum of Art to celebrate Judy Barger's retirement after 21 years at the Museum. The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of a photograph by Florida artist Jerry Uelsmann. The piece, called The Philosopher's Desk, will be housed in the Museum's Permanent Collection in honor of Judy's years of dedication and service.

Judy has been a fan of Uelsmann's work for many years, and when she officially retired at the end of December, Daniel E. Stetson, the Museum's Executive Director, told her that funds had been donated to puchase a piece in her honor. He asked her for a list of artists or pieces that she found appealing. It was from that list that the Uelsmann was selected, but Judy was unaware of which piece was chosen until the unveiling.

Jerry Uelsmann creates photo composites by layering negatives and manipulating them in the darkroom. He has been creating his surreal images for over forty years -- and long before Photoshop was even invented! He is considered one of the best artists in his field, and Judy is thrilled that one of his pieces will be in the Museum's Collection in her honor.