betsey batchelor
Betsey Batchelor is an artist and teacher that lives and works in Philadelphia, and Associate Professor at Arcadia University heading the area of Painting and Drawing. She received her MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and her BFA in Painting at The University of the Arts (Philadelphia College of Art).
Her work has been shown at the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia, Dartmouth College, Swarthmore College, Arcadia University, and the Jessica Berwind Gallery, Jeffrey Fuller Fine Art, and the Matthews Hamilton Gallery in Philadelphia. She is the recipient of grants from both the Pennsylvania State Council on the Arts and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Betsey is a MacDowell Colony Fellow.
mikel elam
Mikel Elam is a visual artist working primarily as a painter. His work focuses on storytelling through memory and dreams using the fragments of face and figure to convey information and ideals about world culture.
Mikel attended the University of the Arts,Philadelphia. He received a Bachelor's degree in Studio Arts/Painting. He went on to study at School of the Visual Arts in New York City. Mikel's work has been featured in international publications and media. He also worked as an traveling assistant to Jazz musician Miles Davis. He also assisted Mr. Davis in achieving his visual arts aspirations as a painter.
MARIO ANDRES ROBINSON
Mario Andres Robinson was born in Altus, Oklahoma, where he resided with his family before relocating to New Jersey at the age of twelve. Robinson studied at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. In 2014, Robinson was chosen to be a Brand Ambassador for Winsor and Newton art materials. He is the author of "Lessons in Realistic Watercolor," a comprehensive guide of the artist's watercolor techniques (Monacelli Press).
The work of Mario Andres Robinson fits squarely within the tradition of American painting. Robinson's finished works bear a close affinity to the masters of the realist tradition, Andrew Wyeth and Thomas Eakins. Containing few references to modern life, Robinson's work has a timeless and universal quality, and exhibits a distinct turn-of-the-century stylistic aesthetic. The images he chooses, which refer to a bygone era where solitude and reflection were abundant, also provoke frequent allusions to the paintings of Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper.
Mario Andres Robinson is an Exhibiting Artist Member (EAM) of The National Arts Club, an Artist Member of The Salmagundi Club and a Signature Member of The Pastel Society of America. His work has been featured several times in The Artist's Magazine, The Pastel Journal, Watercolor Magic, American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur and on the cover of American Artist magazine. In the February, 2006 issue of The Artist's Magazine, Mario was selected as one of the top 20 realist artists under the age of 40.
Robinson is represented by Bernarducci Gallery in New York City.
Former Jurors
We have had the pleasure of having some incredible jurors who have served on our jury in the past. We have valued their insights for the duration of the time that they have participated in our project. Here are our past jurors.
nile livingston
Nile Livingston is a third-generation Philadelphian whose artwork often focuses on how bound our fates are to one another on a global level and how we co-create our realities. In 2017 Livingston founded Creative Repute, LLC, where she works with a deep bench of specialists in graphic design, website development, brand identity, and public art. Livingston’s work as an artist has been recognized by Rad Girls, an organization that celebrates women’s accomplishments; The Colored Girls Museum, the only institution in the US exclusively dedicated to the history of black girls in America; and Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program which honored Livingston with a Visionary Artist Award. In 2020 Livingston was ranked amongst Philly Magazine’s list of the 76 most influential people in the city. In 2021 Livingston was nominated for a Pew Fellowship. She enjoys eating plant-based meals (she’s vegan), meditating, lounging with her two cats, and gardening in her spare time. Livingston's mission is to produce life-affirming expressions that come from being present and awake to the world.