Judges (Past and Present)

( Current Judge)

Catresa is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Criminal Justice Department. She is a graduate of Temple University School of Law, with a JD and MS in Counseling and Human Relations from Villanova University. She is also a member in good standing with the Pennsylvania bar. In addition, she clerked for the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia – Criminal Division. In her free time, Catresa has published four novels. She also enjoys painting, drawing and other forms of creative expression.

Learn more about her at: catmeyers.com ( Present Judge)

Community driven public art has the ability to provide a voice to those who feel disenfranchised and powerless. Eric has created multimedia projects tackling difficult subject matters, such as gambling, addiction, mass incarceration and overcoming the stigma of mental illness. Central to the process is conducting interviews in communities. Using art as a means to gather personal narratives, he is able to bring people’s stories to life and create a dialogue that is cathartic and promotes empathy and understanding. Additionally, the use of technology and social media platforms allow the conversation to continue beyond the completion of the physical work.

Eric has facilitated art and mural making workshops in a wide array of communities including teens and adults, incarcerated men, as well as people in recovery programs. These classes serve as a vehicle for skill building, leadership and teamwork exercises, which culminate in major mural projects. Eric has found that the process of mural making provides a sense of inclusion and accomplishment among its participants that in turn empower them to take ownership in their work.

Over the past few years institutions, city governments and organizations around the country have hired Eric to consult on projects in their cities. With over 20 years of experience in mural and mosaic making, and working with diverse populations, he brings an enormous technical skill set that help groups utilize art making as a process for community engagement and discovery.

Eric has over 150 public art commissions throughout the northeast United States as well as murals in Hawaii, Spain, Jordan and Norway. He is proud to have created public art with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, and multiple Percent for Art programs and other public art organizations throughout the US and the world. His work is featured in seven books about public art.

( Current Judge)

Hannah Steinman received her BA from the University of Arkansas in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Arabic language in 2014 and MA in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology in 2020. During her undergraduate studies she interned with the United States Marshals Service and the Terrorism Research Center. For her Masters she explored Risk Terrain Modeling in Little Rock, AR through an 80-20 framework, receiving her certification through Rutgers in Risk Terrain Modeling and presenting at ASC. Her thesis examined street profiles in St. Louis through conjunctive analysis. Her research interests include environmental criminology, crime and place, GIS, and policing. Hannah has participated in art contests in St. Louis Missouri, winning the Pasta House Competition in recreating works of art. She has participated in the Fulbright Language festival reciting poetry from Iraqi poet Badr Shakir al-Sayyab. Painting and poetry are a passion that are pursued alongside her studies.

( Current Judge)

Wendy Thompson is an Associate Professor of Instruction at Temple University in the Criminal Justice Department.  She has a wide range of teaching interests that touch on aspects of both criminal and social justice including victimology, restorative justice, and gender and justice. In her free time, Wendy enjoys spending time with her family, camping, hiking, and dancing with her girlfriends.  Although she is not an artist, she enjoys art in its many forms, frequenting art shows whenever possible.  She is particularly excited for the 2025 theme on environmental justice which brings to light not only the devastating effects of poor environmental conditions, but the inequality in healthy living environments throughout the U.S.

( Current Judge)

I am Steven Chen from Taiwan! I am a first-year PhD student in Criminal Justice at Temple University. After graduating from college, I started to be a corrections officer in Taiwan. From 2015 to 2016, I went to the United Kingdom to pursue my master’s degree in Human Rights and International Politics. At that time, I have travelled to several European countries. Apart from my work and study, I enjoy painting, photographing, hiking, and travelling. As to my interests in art, I do not define myself as a professional painter. I had attended a studio to learn watercolour painting for eight years since I was 7. After that, I do not receive any formal training. However, I started to paint due to anxiety disorder. Painting has become one of the most useful ways for me to destress. Since 2016, I have started to touch oil painting, and I realised I have a strong passion for it. My favourite artist is Vincent van Gogh, so in my oil painting works, he inspires me a lot. More information about myself can be found on the department’s website: https://liberalarts.temple.edu/academics/departments/criminal-justice/chen-yu-heng.

( Current Judge)

Sharon Ostrow.  I received my BA in Criminal Justice from Temple University in 1981, completed my Master of Arts in Criminal Justice at Rutgers University in 1983 and was a Doctoral Student there as well. My background in the Criminal Justice field includes working as a researcher in jails in New Jersey, as a Criminal Justice Assistant Planner in Morris County, NJ. and as a Consultant to the Executive Director at the Youth Study Center from 1983 through 1985. I have experience teaching at Rutgers University (1985-86 and Temple University (1984 to 1986, 2004 to 2018). In addition, I have been developing my practice as an artist since I was a very young child. I enjoyed teaching art to children as an attempt to understand the integration of visual images and learning. All of this led to my interest in the intersection of art and justice and how they impact each other.

I believe art can often be used as a means of healing and self-discovery for individuals who are working their way through the maze of victimization, pursuing catharsis through restorative/social justice, and obtaining treatment through creativity. The creative process encourages the pursuit of personal expression through self-reflection, observation, curiosity, imagination and problem solving. While some of the tasks involved are solitary endeavors, there are situations that encourage great collaborations between creative people with different strengths which results in a sense of community and accomplishment.

Kathy Mueller is an award-winning graphic designer and an associate professor of advertising art direction in Temple’s Klein College of Media & Communication. Her creative work focuses on feminist projects that range from an exploration of social inequality to commercial projects that support women-owned enterprises. Kathy received her MFA in graphic and interactive design from Temple’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture in 2014

( Current Judge)

Elizabeth Adams is an Assistant Professor in Criminal Justice at Temple University. In addition to her research and teaching in criminal justice, Dr. Adams has extensive experience in multiple artistic mediums including painting, mixed-media, photography, graphic design, and ceramics. She started her art career capturing photos and painting portraits and shifted to working on utilitarian pottery, sculptures, and ceramic installations. As a teenager, she took advanced art courses at Lahser High School, Model High School, and the Bloomfield Birmingham Art Center in Michigan. While attending Loyola University Chicago, she was the Clay Club President and she coordinated Empty Mugs and Empty Bowls fundraisers, where she donated the profit of over 100 of her handmade pieces to a Chicago food bank. She continued creating at Michigan State University’s Department of Ceramics and then as a Resident Artist at 4^th Culture Studios in Lansing Michigan. Throughout her ceramics career, she was involved in every step of the process from teaching ceramic techniques, making clay and glaze, and firing kilns using multiple techniques including raku, electric, gas, soda, salt, and wood firing. While in her senior year at Michigan State University, she created a short film providing a glimpse into a day in the studio entitled Ceramics: A Meditative Vessel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK18YLRp-YI. Elizabeth’s work has been displayed and sold in exhibitions and fundraisers in Chicago and across Michigan.

For more information about Dr. Adams’ criminal justice research visit her faculty page on CLA’s website https://liberalarts.temple.edu/about/faculty-staff/elizabeth-adams