Arts & Entertainment

Shorewood Photographer Donates Award-Winning Photo to Arboretum

Al Whitaker's photograph 'Iris Pond and Bog' won top prize earlier this year in a national contest. It's new home is the Minnesota Arboretum.

The Minnesota Arboretum’s Oswald Visitor Center was the scene of yesterday's official unveiling of a beautifully framed, prize-winning photograph donated by photographer Al Whitaker of .  

Whitaker, a member of the Arboretum Photographers Society, entered “Iris Pond and Bog” in a contest held in conjunction with National Public Gardens Day, and it was .

The accompanying plaque reads

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“Iris Pond and Bog, by Al Whitaker, Arboretum Photographers Society; donated in appreciation of the Arboretum Gardeners, Staff, and Volunteers; First Prize, National Public Gardens Day Photo Contest, 8 May 2012.”

Arboretum Director Ed Schneider joined Whitaker in unveiling the framed photograph upstairs near the entrance to the restaurant. 

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Special guests at the unveiling included Whitaker's wife, Virginia, and the many Arboretum gardeners whose talents and hard work are so evident in the Arboretum's stunning gardens, plant collections and restored natural areas.

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