Summer Award Jurors
Jennifer Cantley is the Community Gallery & Advisory Manager at the Toledo Museum of Art and a visual artist focusing in physical science and abstraction. Jennifer’s work has been sold and exhibited nationally, and she has work included in the collection on view at the Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering & Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Jennifer co-founded the Alluvium Gallery at Kendall College of Art & Design (Grand Rapids, MI), and has directed and curated various galleries including Center Gallery at StudioSwan (Metro-Atlanta, GA), the Limelight Gallery (Atlanta, GA), and most recently the new Robert C. and Susan Savage Community Gallery (Toledo, OH). In addition, Jennifer has worked as an Art Consultant for an international luxury art consulting firm based out of Atlanta, where she selected and installed art worldwide. Jennifer has a passion for sharing art with her community and has worked in youth and adult art education for many years. Recently, her focus has been on art education and outreach in low-income communities. Jennifer holds an MFA from Kendall College of Art & Design, as well as a BFA from Eastern Michigan University.
Mike Han (b.1984) is a Detroit based artist and designer born in Ann Arbor, MI at the U of M hospital. Han’s creative practice strives to achieve dynamic balance in art and life by connecting people, places, and purpose through his organic and abstract character line work. Han’s artwork draws influence from Korean calligraphy, graffiti, and modern design. Mike has been commissioned to create art at Pitti Uomo in Italy for the MEDC, Bloomingdale’s 150th Anniversary celebration at their flagship location in NYC, and has exhibited collaborative work with Model No. Furniture during Art Basel Miami. Mike has exhibited in Seoul, S. Korea and has also painted in Osaka, Japan. Han has painted murals for Google for Startups, Ford Motor Co., LinkedIn and has artwork in the permanent collections of Mercedes Benz Financial Services, Somerset Collection, Huntington Bank, and Henry Ford Health Systems. He is proud to collaborate with great Michigan brands like Detroit Pistons, Gardner White, SEE Eyewear, and Leon Speakers. Han has been an awards juror for Art Prize, CSCA’s Creative Best, and the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original. He was the keynote speaker for APACC’s 2023 gala, and has been invited to speak to the Carhartt Global Design Team, CCS Fashion Design Students, and at the Strategic Staffing Solutions all hands meeting.
Alison Rivett is Associate Director of the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan and a practicing visual artist. She received her MFA in art and design from the Stamps School at the University of Michigan in 2007 after studying both classics and art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She worked in exhibition design and visitor services at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles; American Museum of Magic, Marshall MI; and U-M Museum of Natural History. She taught painting at the University of Michigan before moving to Bangalore, India to teach and develop new programs at the Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology for seven years. Her current creative practice involves interpreting PhD dissertations through image-making.
Winter Invitation Jurors
The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair’s jury process is unique in that applicants are juried by one of four panels that are category specific. Guest jurors are selected for their experience and expertise in a range of related media. A variety of backgrounds and skills are sought, including artists, educators, and museum curators. Panelists join Jury Advisory Board members to ensure both new and experienced jurors serve together.
2023 JURY ADVISORY BOARD
The Jury Advisory Board is a year-round Advisory Council to the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair staff. They provide rules and standards review during the art fair. They also meet in a final composition session to review the invitations from the jury panels and establish a wait list.
Suzanne Boissy is a native Ypsilantian and has lived in the area for most of her life. She received an MFA in Fibers from Eastern Michigan University, where she has been a part-time lecturer for 7 years. Additionally, she’s taught at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, and Interlochen Arts Academy, where she is also an alumnus. Her current work involves embroidery and three-dimensional embroidery on non-traditional surfaces like petri dishes and tampons to explore themes related to societal and intellectual infection, and issues relating to feminism and misogyny. Her work has been exhibited locally and throughout the Midwest.
Lynda Cole Lynda Cole paints in encaustic and oil paint and cold wax and also creates large scale 3 dimensional geometric pieces. She has exhibited widely and won awards for her work, including Art Prize 2011 where she won third prize for her work titled ‘Rain’. She graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Textile and Clothing Design. She continued her education at the University of Michigan where she studied Botany. From 1976 - 1990 she ran her landscape design company - Wildwood Flower.
Maxwell Davis designs and constructs custom home furnishings and figurative glass sculptures, as well as acts as a concept and design consultant. He’s exhibited in over 130 national and international exhibitions and competitions and has been privately collected by dozens of furniture and fine art collectors. His work is in collections at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA, and the Detroit Institute of the Arts, and he’s been a featured artist on HGTV High Noon Productions, “Modern Masters,” and “Look What I Did”. From 1973 to 2018, Maxwell taught at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. Throughout his 44-year tenure, he provided instruction in the areas of ceramics, glass, industrial design, and for nearly twenty years he served as head of the furniture area. Maxwell holds a BFA from Southern Illinois University, and a MFA from the University of Michigan.
Nicholas Dowgwillow joined the Stamps School of Art and Architecture in 2014 as 2D Media Coordinator. He provides organizational, technical, and logistical support for the printmaking, painting, and drawing studios. His expertise spans the range of 2-dimensional media with emphasis in traditional print. Dowgwillo is a practicing printmaker and has exhibited his work in numerous national and international exhibitions, participated in multiple artist residencies, and worked as printer and partner on a variety of collaborative projects. He received his BFA in printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2007 and his MFA in printmaking from Arizona State University in 2011.
Adam Shirley is an artist, designer and educator living and working in Detroit, Michigan. Adam began his career working as an apprentice for a master jeweler, learning the traditional techniques and processes of metalsmithing. Shirley received his BFA in jewelry and metals from the College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI and his MFA in metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Mi. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and he is represented by Simone DeSousa Gallery, Detroit, MI.
2023 GUEST JURORS
Panel One – Metal, Jewelry, Fiber
Susan Hoge is a self-taught bead worker and an overly educated metalsmith with degrees from University of Michigan, University of New Mexico, The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and Cranbrook Academy of Art. Susan began her career by making and selling beaded jewelry at Grateful Dead concerts in the early 1980s. Concurrently while in Ann Arbor, through her work with Patricia Woodbury at the original Bead Gallery, she had the opportunity to repair and recreate ancient and indigenous beaded pieces from around the world. This gave her a solid technical foundation. She has run her own studio for the last 38 years and shown her work at galleries in the USA and Europe. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, In Style, American Craft, and Metalsmith magazines. It has been purchased and worn by Janet Jackson at the Grammys and by actresses on the red carpet at the Oscars. Her work is in the jewelry collection of the Museum of Art and Design in NYC.She began teaching metalsmithing/jewelry at City College of San Francisco, and is now a Lecturer II teaching metals/jewelry and art at the Penny Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan.
Eric Okon is a designer and educator in the field of jewelry and 3D arts. His work utilizes found objects re-purposed as wearable sculpture and has appeared in multiple periodicals and texts including Metalsmith magazine and Lark Book’s, 500 series. In addition to jewelry work, he has spent much of his time teaching Jewelry, Design, Sculpture and Drawing. Eric earned his MFA (2003) from Eastern Michigan University and currently teaches in the Art department at Eastern Michigan University.
Evan Larson-Voltz is a craftsperson and visual artist whose work examines the various facets of handwork as an action and prime endeavor that shapes human cognition. His metalwork and studio work investigates metaphoric interactions, perceptual anomalies, and the role that craft has within the larger contexts of culture. He was Fulbright Fellow in Seoul, South Korea, researching metal craft traditions and the role of the craftsperson. He has lectured nationally and internationally at Nanjing University, Shanghai University, Seoul National University, The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, the University of Oregon Eugene, University of Wisconsin LaCrosse, among many others. His artwork has been included in national and international exhibitions in notable venues throughout the world. He earned an MFA in metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in metalsmithing from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Panel Two – 2DMM, Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, Digital
Elena Arnaoutova is a Professor, and the Foundation Department Chair, at the College for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan. She holds an MFA from Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Art. Teaching since 2002, higher education has become her dedication and greatest passion. In addition to teaching at CCS, she has taught and given numerous lectures and workshops. She has produced, juried and curated a range of exhibitions and programs at CCS as well as exhibitions for local galleries. In addition, Professor Arnaoutova has an active career as a fine artist. She has been featured in multiple exhibitions around Michigan, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, MI, Robert Kidd Gallery, BBAC, the Detroit Artist’s Market, as well as numerous national and international group shows. Her work can also be viewed in many private collections throughout the US and Internationally.
Jason DeMarte is a Professor and the Photography Area Coordinator of the Art Department at Easter Michigan University. Jason is an established artist best known for his highly detailed and seductive flora and fauna photo assemblages. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums, both nationally and internationally. DeMarte has been featured in journals, textbooks and publications including; the British Journal of Photography, Huffington Post, Feature Shoot, Hi-Fructose, Oxford American, The Elements of Photography, Manifest, Photo Review, and Black Warrior Review. Some notable exhibitions include: Exposure International Photo Festival, Contemporary Calgary,The Museum of Un-natural History at Clamp Art, New York City. DeMarte's had many solo exhibitions in noted galleries throughout the US. DeMarte is a tenured professor of art at Eastern Michigan University. He received his B.F.A. in Photography from Colorado State University and his M.F.A in Photography from the University of Oregon.
John Stanley has been in the art museum world for over 40 years. He spent the first 17 years of his career at the Toledo Museum of Art. Beginning as a stock boy, he held a number of positions, including Chief Operating Officer (COO) over his last 10 years. Stanley then worked for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for 13 years, serving as its COO and Deputy Director for Programs. Following Boston, Stanley spent nearly 11 years in NYC at the Whitney Museum of American Art, as COO and Deputy Director. He finished his career, again at Toledo, as its 10th Director, President and CEO. With an undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo, Mr. Stanley earned an MBA from Bowling Green State University, attended the Museum Management Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, and pursued postgrad course study in art history. In his various roles, Stanley has overseen many large, complex building projects from renovating historic structures to constructing a new museum building for the Whitney. He has worked with several Pritzker Prize winning architects - Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano. Residing in Maumee, Ohio, Stanley continues in the museum field as a consultant.
Nora Venturelli was born in Rosario, Argentina. In 1968, as a child, she immigrated with her family to California
where she graduated from High School and started her studies in art. In her late teens, during a 5 year interim Argentina, she studied with artist Julio Vanzo. Returned to the US and has been living in Ann Arbor, MI for the last 25 years. Nora has a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, and a Master in Fine Arts from Eastern MI University. She is currently a Lecturer II at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design where she teaches drawing and painting. Nora is active showing her work locally and internationally, her work is in numerous private and public collections. She is represented by the WSG Galleryin Ann Arbor, MI.
Panel Three – Wood, Furniture, Glass, Ceramics, Sculpture, 3-D Mixed Media
Jason J Ferguson is a Professor at the Eastern Michigan University School of Art & Design. Jason uses humor, the uncanny, and an absurdist voice to create public interventions, performance works, videos, and sculptural objects. Ferguson’s psychologically charged installations have been said to raise issues of artistic control, consciousness, and mortality. He spent his formative years in Baltimore where he received his BFA from Towson University and continued his studies at the University of Delaware where he completed his MFA in 2006. Ferguson has exhibited internationally including exhibitions in Japan, China, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Albania, Canada, and the Netherlands; as well as nationally in Brooklyn, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Detroit. Notable venues include the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MoCAD), the Delaware Contemporary, the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, Brooklyn’s BRIC, and the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago. He was an artist-in-residence at Elsewhere Artist Collaborative in 2007 and New Riddles and Constellations, the Netherlands in 2008. His artwork has been featured in a variety of publications including SCULPTURE magazine, Hyperallergic, SciArt Magazine, Artifizz, the Chicago Art Review, and more. Ferguson currently resides in Michigan where he is a Professor in the School of Art & Design at Eastern Michigan University.
Yiu Keung Lee Mr. Lee, or just “Lee”, was born in colonial Hong Kong in 1965. He has earned his BFA at the Eastern Michigan University in 1992 and his MFA at the University of Michigan in 1995 under the mentorships of Susanne Stephenson, John Stephenson, and Jean-Pierre LaRocque respectively. Over the years, Lee has taught in various institutions including the University of Michigan, Henry Ford Community College, Eastern Michigan University, and the College for Creative Studies. Lee is the founder of the Clay Work Studio in Ann Arbor and it has become one of the major privately run ceramics studios in the area focusing on educating and mentoring individuals who are interested in ceramics art. Lee’s own art work is a reflection of his upbringing in the colonial Hong Kong where he spent the first twenty one of his life before moving to the United States.
Diane C. Wright is the Senior Curator of Glass and Contemporary Craft at Toledo Museum of Art. Diane C. Wright received her MA in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from Parsons the New School for Design, specializing in glass studies. She has conducted research and lectured on glass for many institutions including The Freer/Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian Institution. She worked as a Senior Fellow in the American Decorative Arts Department at the Yale University Art Gallery where she pursued research on the early American collection and began building a collection of studio and contemporary glass. She has worked as an educator at the Corning Museum of Glass where she taught about glass making history and techniques to students of all ages. She presented the first in-depth study of Frederick Wilson, Louis C. Tiffany’s most prolific window designer and head of the ecclesiastic department at Tiffany Studios. and co-curated the exhibition, “Louis C. Tiffany and the Art of Devotion” at the Museum of Biblical Art in 2012. Ms. Wright has taught
