2022 Members of the Jury

Vivian Zavataro is the Director of The Lilley Museum of Art, at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a museologist who specializes in contemporary art, transhistoricity, and art mediation. She has traveled widely working for museums, galleries, and contemporary art exhibitions in order to broaden her knowledge and experience of the art world. Her goal is to facilitate interaction between art and the public. Diversity, inclusion, and creativity are essential aspects of her practice.

Kolin Perry is a scholar-practitioner whose primary research interests are related to photography, performance, myth, and how these intersect and unfold within contemporary art practices. Kolin's recent research has explored queer life in the 1970s Castro District, as well as the history of Native American basket weaving in California. As a museum professional, he is interested in exploring mindfulness-based stress reduction in museums and gallery settings. Currently, Kolin is a curatorial assistant at the Nevada Museum of Art. He has previously worked at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA, the Boston Children's Museum, and Artown in Reno, NV. He received a bachelors in art history and photography, and a masters in art education from Lesley University

Dr. Prisca Gayles is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Gender, Race, and Identity Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. She joined the University and the Reno community in June of 2020. Dr. Gayles is an interdisciplinary scholar who investigates how emotions matter in understanding transnational Black social movements. The creation, cultivation, and empowerment of marginalized communities is a part of Dr. Gayles’ personal and professional ethos. When not doing research or teaching about social movements, Dr. Gayles loves to get outdoors to hike and camp in the Sierras, volunteer at local farms, and explore Reno’s culinary and performing arts offerings.

Dr. Lydia Huerta Moreno (Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin) is an Assistant Professor of Gender, Race, and Identity and Communication Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a feminist anti-colonial interdisciplinary scholar. Her work focuses on the ethics of representation in cultural narratives centered on migration, human rights, violence, race and gender in film and social media. Dr. Huerta Moreno is the co-editor and author of Introduction to Latinx Studies: A Social Science & Cultural Studies Reader, author of the forthcoming “Locating the (Dis)located Voices,” in Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies, and author of a number of transnational feminist articles and chapters, including the forthcoming chapter “Alighting on the Digital: Trans Migrant Testimonios.” She is the winner of the 2021 Dean’s Award for Accomplishment in the Areas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for outstanding engaged work bridging the academy and community.

The art of Scott Forrest has graced the pages of Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Spin Magazine, Tahoe Quarterly and Tahoe Magazine to name a few. His work is part of the permanent collection at The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. His most current series at the Lisa Maloff Center is officially the largest show by one artist within a public building in the region. Mr. Forrest’s work with top interior designers and architects has created quite a buzz within the design community from Mid Century to Mountain Modern. Each monumental painting from the Forrest Collection takes on its own unique voice, some rhythmic and textural, others featuring Forrest’s signature bold and sweeping brush strokes as seen in ancient Japanese Ink Painting. Each features an unexpected visceral and multi-dimensional visual experience for the viewer in 3D. Passionate about building alliances in the arts throughout the region, Forrest is former president of the Tahoe Art League, co-founder of Tahoe Art Walk, a board member of the Tahoe Art Alliance and is one of five Arts, Culture and Tourism commissioners for the city of South Lake Tahoe.

Megan Berner is a visual artist and arts professional living and working in Reno, NV. Coming from a multi-disciplinary and non-traditional art background, Megan is interested in innovative ways to activate public space and create opportunities for citizens and artists to engage with the community and connect people to their environment. Her personal practice is centered around place and the psychological experience of the environment. Megan holds an MFA from the University of Iowa in Intermedia. She currently works as the Arts & Culture Manager for the City of Reno.