Kenn Erroll Backhaus is a Master Level Artist in Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society, painting from Bucks County, PA. He is also a past president of the Plein Air Painters of America, and holds Signature Member status in the California Art Club. His paintings have won awards including Best in Show, Collector’s Choice, Master’s Award of Excellence and Artists’ Choice awards, and his work has been included in several museum shows. Mr. Backhaus was an artist-host in APT series ‘Passport and Pallette, and PBS series ‘Plein Air; Painting the American Landscape.’ Kenn has been cover artist and featured in Plein Air Magazine, and included in Art of the National Parks and 100 Plein Air Painters of the MidAtlantic. He was invited to China on a respected 10-artist, China-America project in 2014. Kenn is passionate about the historic traditions of representational art and teaches online educational programs.

Seth Hopkins, Executive Director of the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia and President of the Georgia Museums, Inc., has grown the Booth from a 30K square foot regional art center to a world-class 120K square foot, Smithsonian-affiliated museum, now the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country. He preformed similar magic on the Tellus Science museum. Prior to entering the museum profession Mr. Hopkins worked in fields of journalism, public relations and telecommunications management. Southwest Art Magazineincluded him on its’ list of 10 prominent people who are “making noteworthy contributions to the art world.”

Tim Newton is the Chairman of the Board of the Salmagundi Club in New York City, and Founder and Curator of the Club’s American Masters show since 2007. As a patron and businessman, Mr. Newton’s knowledge and understanding of the art community, along with his creativity and innovation has made for a return to the glory days of the Club. The American Masters show attracts prominent artists from across the country. Tim has judged many prestigious art competitions and holds seats on the boards of several important artists’ foundations.