Fade To Blue receives Governor’s Citation
Juanita Cage Lewis, Ombudsman for the Department of Housing and Community Development presented me with this Governor’s Citation at the opening reception at The Allegany Arts Council.
MCA Newsletter
Fade To Blue gets coverage in Maryland Citizens for the Arts’ new newsletter, Advocacy Ave. You can read the interview here:
Book Release: July 8, 2022
Fade To Blue: A Tribute to Allegany’s Campobello. A hard cover keepsake coffee table book containing 39 photographs of 500 participants in and outside of the building. It also contains personal oral histories of 100 of the participants. 148 glossy, full-color, heavy weighted pages of Allegany High School creatively preserved.
Fade to Blue Receives State and Local Grants
Fade To Blue has received monetary grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Allegany Arts Council. I am beyond fortunate! These funds will help produce my vision for this important community project!
Representing Allegany County
First Lady of Maryland, Yumi Hogan and the Maryland State Arts Council in 2021 released a book of visual artists in Maryland. Each county has two artist representatives and I am humbled to be one of the visual artists to represent Allegany County. I chose the image Home Town for inclusion since it shows a classic view of Cumberland…but with my staged twist.
Fade To Blue (Old Allegany Photography Project)
Starting September 9, 2020 I will be setting up generations of alumni of Allegany High School in the old school in various locations and scenarios. My hope is that it will be a positive send off for a school that has meant so much to many people over the decades before it is razed next year.
Times-News Article 5
Night Walker opens at The Delaplaine
On display from Nov 7th - Dec 29th 2020 at The Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, MD. Links below for images and a talk I gave about some of my work along with two other very talented photographers.
Awarded Best of Show for 2nd consecutive year
Snow Walk #4 takes Best of Show at the Cumberland Valley Photographer’s Exhibition.
Night Swim accepted into the 4th Biennial Maryland Regional Juried Art Exhibition running from December 2019 - March 2020
Washington Post write up of “Night” Exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore, featuring Night Swim.
Lake House takes Best in Show at the 2019 Cumberland Valley Photographers Exhibition.
The Cumberland Valley Photographers Exhibition is an annual juried national call for photography along side it’s counterpart, the Cumberland Valley Artists Exhibition at the Washington County Museum of Fine Art in Hagerstown, Maryland. This year I was excited that three of my Peripeteia pieces were selected by the juror, Tess Vinnedge, Regional Director at the Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York. She chose: Night Swim, Piney Plains and Lake House, which was awarded Best in Show.
Here are a few nice write ups of the exhibition:
“Night”, 28th Annual Juried Exhibition, The Mansion at Strathmore. Night Swim helps market the exhibition and Koolwink takes Best in Show.
I was fortunate enough to have “Night Swim” featured on the promotional material for the exhibit. This was a national call for entry for any type of media juried by Adah Rose Bitterbaum, founder and director of Adah Rose Gallery and Erwin Timmers, artist and co-founder of the Washington Glass Studio and School. At the opening reception/awards ceremony I was very excited to be announced as the winner of Best in Show for “Koolwink”! I am particularly proud of this show because it was a call for all forms of media, not just photography, in which there were over 900 submissions.
Juror for the 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 Mountain Maryland Photography Contest
Cash awards were given to the top three places in four photo categories: Arts and Entertainment, Active Outdoor Recreation, Nature and Scenic Landscapes and History and Heritage. I was very honored to be asked and excited at the opportunity to see the other side of a photography competition. See more about the annual contest and the winning images here:
Koolwink wins two National Awards: Best of Show: Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition, 2017; and Top Juror's Award: Cumberland Valley Photographers Exhibition, 2018
CUMBERLAND TIMES NEWS — Michael Hunter Thompson, a Cumberland-based photographer, won Best of Show for his photograph “Koolwink” at the Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition awards ceremony held at the Allegany Arts Council’s Saville and Schwab galleries.
Thompson’s photograph was selected by juror Shannon Thomas Perich of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History for its beautiful composition and color and the way it captured her imagination. “This is the one that I couldn’t get out of my head after seeing all the other images,” she said.
Cumberland Times-News Article 1
Cumberland Times-News Article 2
THE HERALD MAIL -- Thompson’s “Koolwink” won a top Juror’s Award in the Cumberland Valley Photographers exhibition. The lonely subject of “Koolwink,” combined with its beautiful color composition is reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s iconic 1942 painting, “Night Hawks,” in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Backbone Mountain Review Visual Artist 2016:
I was fortunate enough to be chosen as the visual artist for 2016's Backbone Mountain Review: an annual literary publication. It features short stories, essays and poems along with one visual artist, whose images are seen throughout the publication.
2015 Maryland Start Arts Council Individual Artist Award Recipient:
In March of 2015 I was notified that I have been awarded an Individual Artist Award by the Maryland State Arts Council in the Visual Arts: Photography category. I couldn't be more honored! They were also gracious enough to include my work in their July newsletter and another piece in their annual report publication.
For more info:
http://www.baltimorearts.org/around-town-msac-individual-artist-awards-announced/
Record Talk Listen Podcast:
I was featured on the Western Maryland Podcast, Record Talk Listen on 2/15/15 (Episode 15). Check it out! We talk about some of my work and techniques as well as announcing the changes to the Tri-State Photography Exhibition this year, which is going on a national scale with online submissions with a National Georgraphic photographer as the juror, Ken Garrett. Be sure to listen and subscribe to the podcast because Lydia does a great job putting it together for the community. It can be found on iTunes, Podcast App for iOS or at the website: www.recordtalklisten.com
A direct link to the episode I'm featured on: http://recordtalklisten.com/2015/02/15/michael-h-thompson-special-effect-photographer-and-painter/
Thanks!