Thank you to the following individuals for volunteering to be part of the judging panel for the 2022 Youth Art Contest. They will be reviewing all of the artwork and awarding a Grand Prize as well as prizes in four age categories.
Yashira Lopez Davalos (Yashi Davalos) b.1995 is an emerging artist and curator based in New Orleans as a current member of The Front Gallery collective. Her upbringing as an Atlanta native has shaped the way her identity intersects hyper-capitalism, not only in her world view’s perception of Tokenism, but in expressing the many non-monolithic aspects of identity. As an artist she uses photography to explore narrative, challenging the social intersections of the femme aesthetic, class, and stigma, that trivializes mobility and connection. Yashira’s objective as a curator is to capture and research culture, with intersections included because they leave out a lot of stuff when they tell it. Her past curations include Past, Present, and Afro-Futurism also featuring her works at The Front Gallery and serving as the Gallery Curator for The Front's Donde Se Despierta Mi Risa Latinx Group show. Her art has also been featured at Tulane's Carroll Gallery in New Orleans, In Partnership with Elevate ATL, and Mint Gallery in Atlanta.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana where he studied Art with a focus in Graphic Design. After graduating from Xavier in 2003, Ayo Scott entered graduate school at The Institute of Design in Chicago. With one year left in the program, he took a year off to create a series of paintings inspired by the people affected by the tsunami of 2004. The next year Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans the day he was supposed to return to complete his last year of graduate study. He withdrew from the program and returned to the city as soon as people were allowed back. While living in my parents gutted house in the Gentilly neighborhood he began renovating homes and started NOYO Designs Inc. (A design company and clothing line). Over the next several years, he began to shift from commercial graphic design to creating fine art and incorporating elements of his digital design work into my process.
Tom Friel is and artist and educator living and working in New Orleans. He received his BFA in Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and an MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI. He has exhibited his work in the US and abroad, including ACRE Projects and DFBRL8R, in Chicago, IL; Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Los Angeles, CA; and Art Basel 2011, Basel, Switzerland as part of Agency of Unrealized Projects presented by Serpentine Gallery, London. He has written art for badatsports.com, as well as print publications and artist books. From 2018 - 2020 he was a member of The Front, a New Orleans artist collective. As an educator, he has worked with students throughout K- 12, college, adults and senior citizens, teaching numerous art techniques and art appreciation. Since 2016, he has served as the Interpretation and Public Engagement Coordinator at the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University, providing museum visitors, Tulane classes, and local schools opportunities to include art in their daily lives.
