Judges
Meet our 2026 Apopka Art judges.
Carla Connelly
Handmade Arts & Seamstress | Creative Crafts Judge
Carla Connelly is honored to serve as a craft judge for the Apopka Foliage Festival. She has had a lifelong passion for handmade arts and began crocheting at the age of five. Over the years, she has expanded her skills and is now an avid seamstress specializing in memory quilts and pillows, along with custom home pieces such as curtains and tailored bench cushions.
Carla has a deep appreciation for the time, creativity, and craftsmanship that goes into handmade work. She especially values pieces that combine technical skill, durability, and artistic expression, while honoring the personal stories often woven into handcrafted items.
A former resident of Apopka for more than 10 years, Carla has strong ties to the community. In the early 2000s, she served as a Little League Player Agent and was honored as Volunteer of the Year in 2008.
Carla is grateful for the opportunity to support and celebrate the talented artisans who make theApopka Foliage Festival such a special community tradition.
Diane Moore
Pine Needle Artist | Creative Crafts Judge
For more than 23 years, Diane has exhibited her work at fine art and craft festivals throughout Florida, earning numerous awards and serving as a craft judge at several respected events.
She describes her work as a contemporary evolution of a timeless craft, blending traditional coiling techniques with modern design sensibilities.
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At her Lake Helen studio, she teaches beginning, intermediate, and advanced pine needle basketry, sharing both her expertise and her love for the craft with students from across the region. She looks forward to returning to the Apopka Art and Foliage Festival, a favorite event in her artistic journey.
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You can view her work at www.SouthernPineStudio.com.
Deborah Hildinger
Artist & Arts Administrator | Fine Arts Judge
Artist and arts administrator Deborah Hildinger (MFA, Stephen F. Austin State University) has woven a career across printmaking, painting, pastel, digital imagery, mixed media, public art, and cultural leadership.
In Central Florida, she served as a finishing artist for the WED Show Production during the construction of EPCOT. She later managed Orlando International Airport’s permanent art collection, overseeing works by Doris Leeper, Miriam Schapiro, Jacob Lawrence, Duane Hanson, and Dale Chihuly. After relocating to California, Hildinger coordinated visual arts programs and galleries for the City of Santa Maria and taught at Allan Hancock College.
She is widely exhibited on both coasts and is recognized for technical versatility and a collaborative spirit. Hildinger’s work and leadership reflect a career dedicated to expanding access to the visual arts and fine crafts.
Michaella Palumbo
Art Teacher | School Arts Judge
Michaella Palumbo has been teaching art for eighteen years. Fourteen years have been in Seminole County.
She is certified to teach art K-12. She is a graduate of Jacksonville University. Before teaching in Seminole County she spent four years teaching in Duval County. She has had her own art on display at the Sanford Welcome Center, the Casselberry Art House, the Orlando Museum of Art, the Scott Laurent Gallery on Park Ave. and Café Tu Tu Tango.
She displays her student’s artwork at the Maitland Art Festival, the Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts and the Seminole Town Center Mall every year. Michaella is a member of the Orlando Museum of Art, the Menello Museum of Folk Art, The Morse Museum & the Maitland Art Center.