Competitive Art Juror
Brooke Cassady is Assistant Professor of Studio Art and the School of Design Gallery Director at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. Brooke is an interdisciplinary artist working predominantly with ceramics, fibers, metals, and other materials to portray the intimate, visceral experiences of touch, the human condition, and interpersonal dynamics. She graduated from Boston University in 2003 with a BA in Art History and received her MFA in Ceramics from Louisiana State University in 2011. Her thesis work focused on community engagement and self-actualization through impromptu interactions with clay in public spaces. Her work has been exhibited nationally in solo, invitational, and juried shows.
Guest Minister
Rev. John Cannon serves as the senior pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette, Louisiana. Incorporating creative writing and painting into his own spiritual practice, John is passionate about helping people discover their natural creativity as a doorway into the heart of God’s presence and into a life of growing, living, and sharing the love of Christ. Originally from Shreveport, he is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, LSU Law School, and Saint Paul School of Theology. John is married to Erin, and together they have four children and one delightfully chaotic dog.
2026 Special Exhibit Artist: WangLing Chou
WangLing Chou is an artist and Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Louisiana State University of Alexandria. She received her MFA in Ceramics from Kent State University, Ohio. Chou’s work centers on transforming discarded materials into ceramic vessels that evoke animated animal forms, merging playfulness with conceptual depth. Using recycled trash as molds, she develops a graphic-novel–influenced visual language to explore themes of transformation and love.
Her practice is deeply informed by lived experience, particularly her intimate encounters with the cycles of life and death on her small farm. These experiences shape works that reflect both joy and sorrow through her role as an animal caretaker. Chou’s work has been exhibited nationally in over 80 exhibitions and has received numerous awards, including Best in Show at the 55th Tom Peyton Memorial Art Festival. Her work is included in the permanent collection of First United Methodist Church, Alexandria, Louisiana.
Rev. Tom Peyton
The Festival was renamed in 1980 to honor the memory of The Rev. Tom Peyton, a former associate minister whose ministry to the entire community’s arts and educational efforts was especially significant.