News Photo by Darby Hinkley Mitchel Dipzinski, gallery associate at Art in the Loft, positions a photography piece by Lane Blair Olsen, called “Empirical.”

ALPENA — Step into the green room.

Art in the Loft’s juried art exhibit, “Emerald,” opens today, featuring 82 pieces of artwork by 51 artists.

An artists’ reception will be held at 6 p.m., at Art in the Loft, located on the third floor of the Center Building in downtown Alpena.

The exhibit will be on display in the gallery Oct. 1 through Nov. 11, and online through Dec. 31.

The color green symbolizes 20th anniversaries, and this is Art in the Loft’s 20th year, explained Executive Director Justin Christensen-Cooper.

Chuck Bennett, longtime photographer, juried the show. He and his wife Karen Bennett were among the founding members of Art in the Loft.

“We wanted to choose a juror who has a deep history with the Loft, and was part of its formation, and is also an artist,” Christensen-Cooper said. “So, that’s why we went with Chuck.”

Chuck Bennett is also the author of “Camera Coach” (Unlock Your Camera’s Creative Power). His work is often displayed at Art in the Loft, where he has taught photography classes.

The juror took about three days scoring entries to come to his final decisions.

There were 103 total submissions to ‘Emerald,’ Christensen-Cooper said.

Every piece is made up of at least 50% shades of green.

At tonight’s opening, the artist whose work is chosen by the juror as Best of Show will receive a full year of exhibition space and a $300 cash prize. Second place will receive $200, third gets $100, and the People’s Choice artist will get $50.

The 51 “Emerald” artists include: Lori Acre, Melissa Angles, Marilyn Bachelor, Kasey Behring, Mark Bisanz, Kathleen Bower, Michael Brzozowski, Eugene Cambre, Maggie Connor, Linda Drean, Kevin Englund, Rachel Goodstein, Rick Houchin, Saralee Howard, Steve Jakubcin, Griffin James, Karen Jonker, John Karsnick Jr., Kimberly Kleber, Marisa Kronenwetter, Jeannie Lamb, Cheryl Lemke, Mary Lightner, Peggy Little, Carol Lund, Kamara Marsh, Sean McLain, Mark Mixdorf, Charlie Murphy, Edwina Murphy, Tim Murphy, Lane Blair Olsen, Aaron Olsen, Claire Potrykus, Bradley Przeslawski, Caroline Rhude, Vicki Sarris, Charles Schroeder, Shasta Sitton, Melissa Smith, Leanna Springer, Betsy Stecker, Amy Tatroe, Jill Tatroe, Sharon Wade, Chelsea Wallace, Janet Wallace, Ed Whitmore, Thane Whitscell, and Beverly Wolf.

Many of the artists are from Alpena, Hubbard Lake, Ossineke, Presque Isle, Rogers City, and other local areas, but others hail from around Michigan.

A 20th anniversary celebration and fundraiser is planned for Nov. 11, with more details to come.

For more information, visit artintheloft.org, email director@artintheloft.org, or call 989-356-4877.