Meet the Juror

Ray Hassard was born and raised in the New York area. Growing up, he attended Saturday classes at the Museum of Modern Art, and took community education art classes at local schools and art organizations. He studied at Pratt Institute, and, more importantly, spent hours and hours at New York’s wonderful museums and galleries. Ray moved to Buffalo NY in 1977, where he was awarded several commissions, including one for a 45 foot long wall piece in the subway system the city was building. In 1985, he and his husband came to Cincinnati and became co-owners and publishers of  American Record Guide, a classical music CD review magazine.

Ray has been a prominent painter on the Plein Air competition circuit for more than a decade, traveling around the country with destinations including Hawaii, Texas, Arkansas, Maryland, Virginia, New York and more. He has won top awards in Indiana, Virginia, Maryland and Texas for his plein air pastels. He has also been invited to judge at many events, including Cape Ann Plein Air, 2021 IAPS Chicago Exhibition and Kekionga Plein Air, Ft Wayne Indiana, and recently the art exhibited at the Indiana State Fair.

Ray has been involved with the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati in their program Artists Reaching Classrooms for over 5 years. He also leads the monthly Signature Member critique sessions at the Cincinnati Art Club.