Judges
Judges and the Judging Process
The jurist panel consists of three (3) independent judges who are selected annually from across the country for their in-depth knowledge and experience in multiple art media. In October, they will review the digital images of all applicants to select the Festival artists and the Waitlist artists. In March, the same jurist panel will review the work of the exhibitors to determine those artists they consider eligible for awards. Judging of the awards is based upon the overall quality of the artwork exhibited. After a booth is selected by a judge, the artist is responsible for selecting one piece for Saturday’s awards processing that best represents his or her entire body of work. The Best of Show, Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation Award, and the Morse Museum Award are each presented for an individual piece of art. Awards are presented solely at the discretion of the judges.
Meet the 2026 Festival Judges!
Thomas M. Brewer
Professor Emeritus UCF, Art Educator/Artist
Urbana, IL
Thomas Brewer was born in Urbana, IL in 1948, attended public school there and graduated from Champaign Central High School. Attended Parkland Community College and received a B.A. in Art Education and Ceramics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (1973). After graduating he worked as a studio potter for nine years and began teaching art. He completed an M.A. in Art from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. in Art Education from Florida State University (1989). He taught K-Post Graduate art and art education for 35 years at Florida State University, The University of South Carolina, The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and The University of Southern Mississippi. He also served as the Coordinator of Art Education at UCF and retired with the honor of Professor Emeritus of Art Education in 2015.
Brewer was awarded a 2013-14 J. William Fulbright Teaching/Research Fellowship to Iceland. His research and scholarship in Visual Arts Education focused on student learning, curriculum and instruction, assessment, and education policy. He served as Chair of the National Art Education Association’s (NAEA) Research Commission (1998-2001) and Chair for the Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) Visual Arts Education Policy Committee. He was named the 2007 NAEA National Art Educator of the Year and received the 2010 SECAC Award for Outstanding Service. Brewer served on the National Art Education Foundation (NAEF) Board of Trustees 2012-2016, was elected NAEA Distinguished Fellow (2012), and in 2016 was elected to the Council for Policy Studies in Art Education.
His studio work has been included in many national and international group exhibitions.
Brewer is currently represented at Arts on Douglas, New Smyrna Beach, FL; Carol Robinson Gallery, New Orleans, LA; and at www.tombrewergallery.com Urbana, IL.
Brewer had a studio and residence in New Smyrna Beach, FL from 2000-2021 and since March 2021 works at Tom Brewer Gallery 305 W. Griggs St, Urbana, IL, US.
Cheryl Strichik
CEO, Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center
Hendersonville, TN
Cheryl Strichik is the Executive Director of Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center. Strichik officially assumed the role on October 1, 2017. In addition to leading the exponential expansion of MACC programming and staff development, she is spearheading an ambitious vision for the future of Monthaven as a jewel-box museum and the leading center for arts and culture in Sumner County, with a capital campaign that includes land acquisition, the construction of a dedicated youth arts enrichment center, and other unique arts and cultural amenities for our region.
Strichik is a veteran of the non-profit fundraising sector, having been the CEO of Educational Media Group for over 20 years. She and her husband were also the owners of the Striped Door Art Gallery in downtown Nashville from 2001 to 2008. Strichik and her family currently live in Hendersonville, Tennessee, where she continues to grow her mission to provide art access to all.
Gina T. Washington
Artist / Educator / Entrepreneur
Cleveland, OH
Gina Washington is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural connector who considers herself a Child of the Universe. She creates art by any means necessary, bringing clarity and solutions to challenges through creativity. Her goal is to make art accessible to all people, including those disenfranchised and underrepresented in the global community.
Washington has served as a juror for numerous prestigious arts programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Valley Art Center’s 52nd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, The Cleveland Sculpture Center’s Revealed Artists, the Cleveland International Film Festival (Shorts Program Team since 2019), BAYarts Annual Juried Exhibition (2025), Lorain City Schools Scholastic Art Competition (2024–25 season), Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition (2024/25), Zygote Press BIPOC Fellowship Program (2023), and Karamu House Room in the House Fellows (2024), among others.
Her recognitions include: 2025 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Grant; 2024 Ohio Arts Council Artist Opportunities Grant; 2023 Assembly for the Arts Arts Leadership Residency; and 2023/24 Winner of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Professional Digital Manipulation and Collage.
Her work and curatorial projects have been featured widely, including in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (June 19, 2025), on Ideastream Public Media’s “The Sound of Us” in partnership with the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center (2025), and on Sound of Applause with Dee Perry (2014). She has curated exhibitions, the upcoming Heights Arts 2026 show Consider Fires, the Rooms to Let series (2019–2021) with The Visit Arts Collective, and is the founder of Mateza Gallery LLC (2018). As a Board member for many organizations in Cleveland, Ohio, and a visual artist and educator, her purpose is clear. Art heals, uplifts, and transforms the human psyche.