

Angel Bellaran
Director, Gray Gallery, East Carolina University School of Art and Design
Visit Website

Merit Award Judges
On May 18, judges select six artists to receive $3,500 in merit awards.

Marisa J. Pascucci
Lead Judge, Curator-in-Residence, McColl Center for Art + Innovation, Charlotte
An experienced museum curator and noted art historian, writer, speaker, and educator with a progressive career at renowned museums and non-profit arts organizations. A strong initiator and innovator with well-honed communication and leadership skills. Ability to identify and leverage the collaborations in process and people to realize net gain for organizations and the community. A resolute focus on quality, value creation and on-time results delivery. Specialties: American art, Contemporary art.

Renee Cagnina Haynes
Exhibitions & Publications Manager, Nasher Museum of Art, Durham
A designer living and working in Durham, NC with a background in museum publishing and arts administration. Until late 2018, she was the Exhibitions and Publications Manager with the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. She joined the museum’s curatorial team in 2009, and managed and designed a number of touring exhibitions and catalogs. She has since taken a position with Viget, a Durham-based design company comprised of designers, engineers and strategists.

Jennifer Dasal
Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh
Jennifer Dasal is Curator of Contemporary Art at the North Carolina Museum of Art, where she has been employed since 2008. She holds an MA in art history from the University of Notre Dame as well as a BA in art history from the University of California, Davis. She has also completed PhD coursework in art history at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research expertise includes contemporary art with a particular interest in women artists and Asian art. Prior to joining the NCMA, she held positions as assistant to the curator of Western art at the Snite Museum, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, and at the Richard L. Nelson Art Gallery, University of California, Davis. Jennifer is also the creator and host of the very cool Arts Curious Podcast.