About 100 people shuffled around a concrete floor and perused art pieces hung from chain-link fence material at Saturday’s opening night for the fifth Lawrence Own-Your-Own Art Exhibition and Sale.

Featuring 150 art works by 60 Douglas County artists, the show was on the first floor of the Hobbs Taylor Lofts, a new downtown residential development at 750 N.H.

“It’s a unique way to expose local art to people,” said Scott McMichael, a show organizer. “Each year has its own personalized touch.”

McMichael is also the community development director at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. The center will benefit from 20 percent of the proceeds raised at the sale that runs through Oct. 2.

Opening night provided suspense for the artists as the show’s juror, Nancy Hernandez, unveiled her merit award winners and named the top three prize winners.

Hernandez is an art historian and docent at the Spencer Museum of Art at Kansas University.

“There’s a very diverse art community here,” Hernandez said. “There was so much to chose from, which made it difficult.”

Lawrence photographer Wally Emerson won Best in Show with “Duckweed and Branches,” a photograph of wood branches stretched across green floating plants at the Baker Wetlands. The piece is priced at $925.

“It was a sophisticated, exquisite photo,” Hernandez said.

She awarded second place to Henri J. Doner-Hedrick and third place to Howard Freedman.

The pieces will remain on sale throughout the week, as the first floor of the Hobbs Taylor Lofts will keep 10 a.m.-to-5 p.m. hours until the closing ceremony from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 2, McMichael said.

The show typically raises between $4,000 and $5,000 for Bert Nash.