PAUL ROUSSO
Paul Rousso is a Charlotte, N.C, native and perhaps the most well-known artist in Charlotte. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduate from California College of Arts in Oakland, Calif. His first assignment was designing the Tribeca loft home of Robert DeNiro. At Warner Bros. Studio, Paul worked as a scenic artist on many movies including Annie. He moved to New York and was the Staff Art Director for Grey Advertising, working on national accounts such as Revlon.
After a trip to Paris and seeing The Fife at the Muse d'Orsay, he decided to return home and become an artist. Paul is the only artist to be privately awarded a commission to produce six different pieces of art, each consisting of multiple panels, 15x16 each for the interior of the new state of the art Bobcats Basketball arena.
ERIC MOORE
As one of the top couture jewelry designers in the U.s., Eric Moore has been completely self-taught over the past 3 years. He has one and only jewelry show will be this December 8th, 2007 at the Pratt Mansions across from The Met in Manhattan - as 1 of 45 finalists chosen to attend the 2007 Couture Awards & Show. He has tried to create jewelry that evokes conversation, excitement and a degree of awe each time it is worn. Many of these designs are themselves thousands of years old, and will remain as attractive to the next hundred generations that come and go. "My work will always be done one at a time, by hand, right here in North Carolina:'
BILL PLYMPTON
His short films have been seen widely around the country, highlighting many animation festivals. His oblique, off-center sense of the ridiculous in everyday life has made the "Microtoons" and his other shorts a popular MTV offering. His distinctive style has even invaded the world of advertising. THE TUNE was animator Bill Plympton's first full-length feature. It made the rounds of the film festivals, garnering the prestigious Houston World Fest Gold Jury Special Award as well as a Spirit Award nomination for Best Film Score.
In 1987, he was nominated for an Academy Award for an animated short called "Vour Face:' In 2005, Plympton's "Guard Dog'; was nominated for an Academy Award. Bill's latest short, "Guide Dog" is a sequel to "Guard Dog'; and is already making waves in the festival circuit. Keep your eyes peeled for Bill's new feature, now in production, "Idiots and Angels".
K McCARTHY
K McCarthy is the owner of The Phoenix in Carytown and Pearl in Charlottesville on the Downtown Mall. She is currently celebrating 30 years in business. K began her career in Charlottesville, Va., after graduating from the University of Virginia in the first class of women graduates. She has owned shops in the Outer Banks, Richmond, and Charlottesville that focus on Wearable Art and unique clothing from around the world. She is proud to be a judge for such a talented group of individuals who are participating in Wearable Art X.
ALEX NYERGES
Alex Nyerges became director of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in August 2006. Since 1992, he had been director and CEO of the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio.
From 1985-92, Nyerges was executive director of the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Miss., where he created an managed branches in Tupelo and Biloxi and established a statewide presence for the museum; 1981-1985, Deland Museum of Art, in Deland, Fla., where he transformed a general museum into a respected and well-attended contemporary museum. He did archaeological field work at the Paleolithic sites in eastern Colorado for the Smithsonian Institution in 1977, as well as at Colonial sites in New Vork and St. Mary's City, Md.
A native of Rochester, N.V., he graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1981 with a master's degree in museum studies. His 1979 undergraduate degree is from the same school with a double major in American civilization and in anthropology/archaeology. He was elected Phi Beta Kappa as an undergraduate.
Nyerges has been a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors since 1989 and is currently a trustee of the organization. As a member of the American Association of Museums, he serves as an Accreditation Field Reviewer.
He is married to Jane Kathryn Gray with one son, Robert.
TINA A. WALLS
Ms. Tina A. Walls was appointed Philip Morris USA's senior vice president of External Affairs in April 2004. Tina's role is to lead PM USA in connecting with and contributing to communities important to its future. Prior to this appointment, Tina served as senior vice president of Corporate Affairs. Tina previously served as vice president of Corporate Affairs at Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee from January 2000 through 2002.
Tina joined Philip Morris USA in 1985 as the regional manager of Government Affairs for the West Coast and became director of Government Affairs West in July 1989. From 1993 to 1995, she worked in New York as vice president of Government Affairs for PM USA; after 1995, she went to Washington, D.C., to serve as vice president of State Government Affairs, Tobacco, for Philip Morris Management Corp. In March 1997, Tina moved to Brussels to become vice president of Public Affairs Programs for Philip Morris Corporate Services Inc., a position she held until November 1998. She then returned to New York to become vice president of External Affairs for Philip Morris Management Corp. throug h 1999.
Tina is currently serving as vice chairman of the Richmond Region 2007 initiative and chairman of the Philip Morris Employee Community Fund. She is also a member of the boards of directors of Executive Leadership Council Foundation, Partnership for the Future, Keep America Beautiful, James River Valley Chapter of the Links, Inc., the board of trustees of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and a life-time member of Delta Sigma Theta.