Meet the Jurors
Hector Dionicio Mendoza
Mixed-Media Artist, Curator, and Educator
Hector Dionicio Mendoza’s mixed-media practice includes sculpture, installation and two-dimensional works that combine natural, organic and synthetic materials. Mendoza’s work explores a wide range of themes, including the relationship between history, race and nature. Mendoza obtained his MFA in Painting from Yale University and a BFA in Sculpture from the California College of the Arts.
Recently he was awarded the 2022 Louis Confort Tiffany Foundation Award. Some of his past fellowships include the Eureka Fellowship by the Fleishhacker Foundation as well as the Sally and Don Lucas, artist in residency fellowship at Montalvo Art Center. Mendoza’s work is currently on view at the Orange County Museum of Art’s California biennial 2022. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Mexico. Mendoza is currently an associate professor of Sculpture and Installation at the Visual and Public Art Department at CSUMB.
Laurie Kersey
Professional Artist
Laurie Kersey is a nationally known professional artist working in oils. Her work has been included in many museum exhibitions and national juried shows across the country. She has been honored with numerous awards and has been featured in several books and magazines. She is a former faculty member at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has been represented by art galleries across the country for 30 years.
Angelica Muro
Associate Professor and Department Chair, of Visual and Public Art, California State University, Monterey Bay
Angelica Muro holds an MFA degree from Mills College and a BA in Photography from San Jose State University. Recent exhibitions include Photo ID, Santa Cruz Museum of Art, Chico & Chang: A Look at the Impact of Latino and Asian Cultures on California's Visual Landscape, Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, Chica\Chic: La Nueva Onda/The New Wave of Chicana Art, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, You’re Breathing in It: Exploring the Studio and Alternative Art Strategies, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA, Domestic Disobedience, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, CA, and Better to Die on My Feet, Self-Help Graphics, Los Angeles, CA. She is the recipient of the Herringer Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Art, Trefethen Merit Award, and the Champion of the Arts Award, Arts Council for Monterey County. Muro’s curatorial projects have been awarded grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation through the Creative Capacity Fund, the James Irvine Foundation for Intersections, Adobe Youth Voices, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Walter and Elise Creative Work Fund. Muro is an Associate Professor of Integrated Media and Photography, and Chair of the Visual and Public Art Department at California State University, Monterey Bay. Muro teaches photography, media analysis courses, and community engaged practices.