Howard County Arts Council Honors Howie Award Winners

The Howard County Arts Council will honor its 2017 Howie Award winners at the 21st Annual Celebration of the Arts on Saturday, March 24, 2018, at the Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, Howard Community College, Columbia, MD. The Celebration gala provides an opportunity for members of Howard County's arts, education, government, and business communities to gather to honor individuals and businesses that have made meaningful contributions to the arts in Howard County.

The Howie Awards are presented annually by the Arts Council to an Outstanding Artist who has contributed a high level of talent and vision to the artistic life of the community; an Outstanding Arts Educator who has made an exceptional contribution to arts education in Howard County; and an Outstanding Business or Community Supporter that has made a significant impact on the arts in Howard County.

This year's honoree for Outstanding Artist is Ric Ryder. A Howard County native, Ric began his acting career starring in The Tortoise and the Hare at Northfield Elementary School under the tutelage of Frank Lyman. His music career began in the Junior Choir at St. John's Episcopal Church under the direction of Dorothy Lang. Ric studied music at Peabody Conservatory under Fred Petrich and received a BFA in Vocal Performance from UMBC. Bolstered by extensive Howard County theatre and music training, including participation in the Young Columbians since just after the group's inception, Ric landed in NYC and received his first union card starring on Broadway. He has since appeared on Broadway six more times. Ric has toured the country and the world, lent his singing voice to feature films, TV, radio and on the concert and cabaret stage. Also a teacher, he began teaching at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts musical theatre program and for five years simultaneously maintained a vocal studio in Columbia teaching local Baltimore/Washington talent. Today, his NYC private voice clientele includes mostly working actors on Broadway, Tony Award winners, top college conservatory graduates, and pop singers on the rise.

Tolly Rumbaugh Peddicord is the 2017 honoree for Outstanding Arts Educator. A graduate of Towson University, Tolly has taught at the elementary and middle school levels within the Howard County Public School System for 30 years, spending the last 21 years at St. John's Lane Elementary. Tolly has promoted art education throughout Maryland, winning national and county level awards for her work as a member of the Executive Board of the Maryland Art Education Association. She was nominated for HCPSS Teacher of The Year in 2017 and for the last nine years has been a teacher at the HCPSS Summer Institute of Talent Development.

A leader amongst educators in our state, Tolly has written curriculum, illustrated texts and curriculum guides for various subjects, and mentored 15 interns from various higher level institutions. In the classroom, Tolly designs challenging lessons to inspire growth and teaches children to connect to one another through art. Her high expectations for herself and students make powerful connections between art and general curriculums. Tolly's dedication to the development of every student as an individual has never wavered; each of her students has been featured in a school-wide art show each year for 30 years.

The honoree for Outstanding Community Supporter of the Arts is Michael J. Clark. Mike spent much of his career reporting the news during the golden years of the Baltimore Sun, primarily in Howard and Anne Arundel counties. Upon retirement, he helped found Christ Church Link, a phone referral service and outreach ministry of Christ Episcopal Church which assists Howard County neighbors in need. That broadened into a holiday gift project for low-income families; a program offering supportive services to Hispanic immigrants; and the initiation of a county-wide backpack and school supply program known as Prepare for Success. Mike is a past recipient of the Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Volunteer of the Year and Casey and Pebble Willis Making a Difference awards.

About ten years ago Mike helped revive the Little Patuxent Review (LPR) literary and art journal started by Ralph and Margot Treitel in the 1980s and served as publisher for its first ten years. The journal's bi-annual launch draws up to a hundred or so literary enthusiasts for public readings in January and June. LPR has also collaborated with the Columbia Art Center for the past ten years to present monthly salon events featuring presentations by musicians, artists, poets, fiction writers and even a Nobel Prize astronomer talking about the Big Bang. Join us and Celebrate! The evening begins at 6pm with a 2-hour reception where partygoers will sample delectable edibles from distinctive local restaurants and bid on wonderful works of art by local artists during the silent auction. At 8pm, guests will enjoy the much anticipated presentation of the 2017 Howie Awards as well as performances from the finalists of Rising Star Performing Arts Competition!

Tickets are $50 and $100 and are available for purchase online at hocoarts.org or by calling 410-313-ARTS(2787).

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