MEET THE 2025 CFE JURORS
TERRON BANNER
Urban Arts Space, Manager of Community Learning and Experience
Dr. Terron Banner received his Ph.D in Arts Administration, Education, and Policy from The Ohio State University. As an artist, he advocates for open access, just resource allocation, and culturally relevant decisions made in the arts administration and arts management process. As an educator, he supports culturally responsive teaching that accounts for the lived experiences of students and as a researcher he seeks to encourage more education reform discussions that are grounded in issues covering cultural diversity and socioeconomics.
MORGAN ROSE FREE
Dream Clinic Project Space, Cofounder
Morgan Rose Free is a Canadian artist predominantly working in sculptural assemblage. Her conceptual interests lie in human engagement with the outside world, often grappling with ideas around our current climate crisis, loss, desire, and our preoccupation with consumption.
Based in Columbus, OH, she is a cofounder of Dream Clinic Project Space and currently holds the title of Assistant Professor of 3D Art and Interim Gallery Director at Muskingum University. She has participated in exhibitions and residencies across North America and has been awarded grants from The Canada Council for the Arts, MyMA and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. She received her MFA in Sculpture/Dimensional Studies at Alfred University and her BFA in Fibre from the Alberta College of Art and Design with honors.
JULIE RAE POWERS
Artist and writer
Julie Rae Powers received their MFA in Photography from The Ohio State University and their BFA in Photography from James Madison University. Their photographic and written work has focused on family history, coal, Appalachia, the queer “female” gaze, the butch body, and queer chosen families. Their work is collected by the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan, have been awarded the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in 2016 and 2020 and was selected in Critical Mass’ Top 200 for 2021. Julie Rae is a part of “Y’all Means All: Queering Appalachian Voices” edited by Z. Zane McNeil. Soft Lightning Studio, an inclusive photo book publisher created and ran by Julie Rae published “The Home We Know” by Ben Willis which was featured in the Washington Post and is collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Watson Library. Additionally, they are the author and editor of a forthcoming collection of Queer Appalachian photographers. For their day job they work as an Instructional Designer.
JSTN CLMN
Denison University, Assistant Professor of Studio Art
Jstn Clmn is Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Denison University, and a practicing artist working in sculpture and ceramics. Clmn is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA ‘05) and the University of Delaware (MFA ‘17). His experience starts from a base in studio craft and has developed into a more conceptual practice around cultural relationships to objects and a theoretical redefinition of craft. His work includes experience as an arts educator, professional studio assistant, and a practicing artist. His work has been shown in galleries and exhibitions, including the Occupy Museums “Debtfair” show at the 2017 Whitney Biennial. He most recently created an installation for the 2018 Brickscape Residency and is the recipient of a 2018 individual artist grant from The Pittsburgh Foundation.
LAYLA BENALI
Wexner Center for the Arts, Film & Video Curatorial Assistant
Layla Benali (she/they) has worked as a Curatorial Assistant in the Film/Video Department at the Wexner Center for the Arts since January 2020. Their programming interests include the overlap between film and anti-colonial & political movements, Third Cinema, and cinema of the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region. Layla is also a union steward in Wex Workers United (WWU) with AFSCME Ohio Council 8.