Meet the Jurors
Joseph Sweeney
ENTRIES JUROR​
To create a high-quality show, the entries juror reviews your digital images and selects artists based on creativity and use of materials. They also curate the exhibition to ensure a diverse range of mediums and styles.
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Notification of acceptance May 1, 2026
Acceptance into this show allows the Pottstown Area Artists Guild to use your artwork images for promotion and education. The accepted entry is what’s required to be in the show. Please set it aside. NO SUBSTITUTIONS.
MEET THE ENTRIES JUROR
Joseph Sweeney earned his BFA in Painting and Drawing from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1976 and his MFA in Printmaking from Penn State University in 1980.
A landscape painter and Ardmore, PA resident, he has taught at PAFA, the University of the Arts, Wayne Art Center, Woodmere Art Museum, and Chester Springs Studio.
His many honors include multiple Best in Show awards, Fellowship at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, participation in the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program, and numerous prestigious residencies.
He is represented by Cerulean Gallery and Arts Gallery in Philadelphia and has served as Artist in Residence at Undine Barge Club for over 40 years.
Michele Colonna
AWARDS JUROR​
After the exhibition is installed, the awards juror visits the gallery to select the award recipients.
They provide written statements explaining their selections.
These statements will be read at the ceremony, along with being typed and given to the artist.​
MEET THE AWARDS JUROR
Michele Colonna is a curator and cultural strategist exploring the fault line between tradition and technology.
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As founder of Colonna Contemporary, he has positioned the gallery as an early bridge between physical and digital art, championing artists working at the edge of generative systems and new media.
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His curatorial approach is rooted in conviction, favoring artists deeply committed to their practice over trend-driven cycles.
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Colonna writes and speaks on the cultural implications of AI and blockchain in the arts and is committed to building thoughtful, future-facing art ecosystems.
What about Generative AI?
After much thoughtful discussion, the guild's board voted, with a majority opposing the inclusion of Generative AI in this year’s Juried Fine Art Show.
ONE DEFINITION OF GENERATIVE AI: creates new, original content (images, text, music) by learning patterns from massive datasets, often acting as an independent creator. AI in art refers to using these models—or traditional, rule-based algorithms—as tools for assistance, ideation, or to create art based on human-defined constraints.