Tom Pfannerstill (born 1951) is renowned for his meticulous recreations of found objects that transform everyday, often overlooked materials—trash, food, clothing, paintbrushes, and waste—into striking works of art. His practice explores themes of consumerism and the byproducts of human consumption through sculptures so realistic they often require a second glance to distinguish art from object. Pfannerstill was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University in 1975. He has worked as a full-time studio artist since 1986 and received a prestigious Kentucky Arts Council fellowship in 2001. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States since 1990 and is held in significant collections including the Flint Institute of Arts, Bellarmine University, and the Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences. Pfannerstill lives and works in Louisville, Kentucky, where his enduring practice continues to influence generations of artists.

Robyn Gibson is an emerging artist, curator, and podcaster living and working in Louisville, Kentucky. She earned a BFA in Painting and a BSBA in Marketing from the University of Louisville in 2014, followed by an MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2018. Since then, Gibson has been developing a multidimensional art practice rooted in movement, embodiment, and self-possession. After beginning boxing in 2016, she incorporated the discipline into her work through larger-than-life gestural charcoal figures, lyrical writing meant to land with impact, and voluptuous ceramic vessels inspired by her own curves. Her work centers on the act of taking up space and claiming ownership of it. As a Black artist focused on self-portraiture and the exploration of personal trauma, Gibson grapples with Black identity, the perception and value of Black bodies, and the pursuit of authenticity. She is also the host of Louisville’s first art-centered podcast, Art by Volume, produced by WheelHouse Art and presented by the Wine Room, which highlights artists and art professionals shaping Louisville’s creative community.

Ying Kit Chan is a Chinese-American artist and educator whose work has been exhibited in over 200 exhibitions worldwide and recognized with numerous public awards. During the 1970s, he studied art at Hong Kong Baptist College, Hong Kong Buddhist College, Hong Kong Polytechnic, and Studio 11 before relocating to the United States in 1979. Chan earned a BFA from the University of Oklahoma in 1981 and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati in 1983. Since 2003, he has continued his intellectual and artistic inquiry at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and Paris, attending seminars with influential thinkers including Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard. Chan currently serves as Chair of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Louisville and is affiliated with the Asian Studies Program, the Social Change Program, the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research, and the Humanities PhD Program Steering Committee. His work as an educator reflects a deep commitment to critical thinking, interdisciplinary dialogue, and mentorship.

Julien Robson is Director of Great Meadows Foundation and Director of the Mary and Al Shands Art Preserve, where his work centers on stewardship, access, and long-term cultural impact. Trained as an artist at Bath Academy of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art, Robson has held major curatorial positions at the John Hansard Gallery at the University of Southampton, the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum. During the 1990s, he worked in the commercial gallery sector in Vienna, Austria, and later held teaching appointments at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Louisville. Robson currently serves on the board of the International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art (IKT). From 2012 to 2022, he was curator of the collection of the late Alfred R. Shands in Louisville, Kentucky, further solidifying his legacy of shaping institutions, collections, and communities through sustained curatorial leadership.