2011-2012 Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival Jurors
With space for 200 exhibitors in the festival, we ask a panel of seven experienced art industry professionals and the festival director to be responsible for making the final determination of artists that will participate in the show, including an alternate list. Jurors are encouraged to participate in an open and interactive dialogue with one another throughout the blind jury process and to recognize that while consensus is often reached quickly among panel members, a process of compromise inevitably takes place to reach the final selection. The identities of the artists are not disclosed to the jurors but the process, materials and dimensions for each image as well as artist information statements will be made available to the jury. Artistic excellence and a well balanced show are the criteria for selection of exhibitors. Thank you to these professionals for making the 2012 WWAF the best fine arts festival in Texas!
Kristy Peet
Kristy Peet is an artist living and working in Houston, Texas. She completed her undergraduate work at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and graduated with an MFA in photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her large format photographic work deals with psychological issues and has been shown in solo and group exhibitions across the country, including a solo exhibition at the Dallas Contemporary. She is currently teaching photography at College of the Mainland in Texas City, and is a resident artist at Box 13 Artspace, an artist-run nonprofit space devoted to creation and advancement of experimental art in Houston.
John Runnels
Born near Hot Coffee, Mississippi, the son of an Army officer, John Runnels had a nomadic childhood wandering the world as a playground. In 1975 he obtained his B.F.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi and in 1979 he was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study painting in Cortona, Italy with the University of Georgia. Runnels has received grants from the Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County (CACHH), National Parks Service and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership for his work which integrates the written language with painting and sculpture. He has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions all over the United States. In 1985 Runnels co-founded Mother Dog Studios, an expansive alternative studio and exhibition space in downtown Houston, Texas. Currently, he has been commissioned by the City of Houston to design public artworks which will be installed at entry points along Buffalo Bayou as part of the city's renovation and enhancement of the downtown district.
Gika Rector
Coach, fiber artist, and consultant; Gika Rector weaves her education in psychology and her fascination with textiles into a rich tapestry of life. She received her B.S. degree at Louisiana State University in 1977. Gika has been a fiber artist for more than 20 years, teaches felt-making at the Jung Center of Houston, and was the President of Houston Area Fiber Artists after chairing workshop and program committees. She served on the Advisory Committee for The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival from 2006 - 2010, and was in charge of Artist Management for the Festival from 2008 - 2010. Gika joined the Board of Directors of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in 2007, and has served on several committees with HCCC. She is also an experienced mediator and trainer, and since 2006 has been a personal development coach, facilitating change and development in individuals and organizations.
Robby Wood
Robby Wood is a ceramics professor at Lone Star College-Montgomery where he has taught for ten years . He received his MFA in Ceramics from California State University at Fullerton. Robby performs many demonstrations locally and abroad, including recently on an invitational trip to China. He led a workshop in Jingdezhen, the "Porcelain Capital," where quality pottery has been produced for more than 1700 years. Robby works from his studio in Pasadena, Texas and fires in his wood kiln in Weimar. Robby is a prolific potter and donates many pieces to the college and surrounding community for scholarships and fundraisers .
René Wiley
Painter René Wiley lives in Galveston, Texas, where the island landscape and light inspire her work. After her studio was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008, she and her husband Ben opened René Wiley Gallery in 2009. Since opening, René Wiley Gallery has been voted "Best Gallery" in 2009 and 2010 by the readers of both The Galveston Daily News and The Islander Magazine. René’s work has recently been featured on the covers of Coast Magazine, Galveston Monthly Magazine and The Islander Magazine.
After receiving her B.A. in Studio Art from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, René studied with several master painters in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Her work has been shown in numerous venues around the state, and she has had more than ten solo shows exhibiting her beautiful paintings. She serves on the Advisory Board at the Galveston Art Center, where she also teaches, and is involved with Big Brothers and Sisters of the Gulf Coast.
Mary Ploegsma
Although artist Mary Ploegsma has been a resident of Houston for 32 years, her nationality is British. She began painting 25 years ago, and at that time studied with Texas artist Dick Turner. Since then she has sought new influences and techniques through attending numerous workshops with notable artists, including Carolyn Anderson and Scott Burdick. Fifteen years ago she began to do commissioned portraits, and her portraits have been in demand and much admired ever since. Mary's art is owned by private collectors in England, Belgium, Holland, Canada, and the United States. Mary is married with two grown sons.
Anonymous
The 7th juror wishes to stay anonymous
