Howard County Arts Council Honors Howie Award Winners

The Howard County Arts Council will honor its 2018 Howie Award winners at the 22nd Annual Celebration of the Arts on Saturday, March 23, 2019 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 Brenda Kidera. A Howard County native, Brenda began her career in the arts as a self-employed designer/illustrator, producing advertising, design, and illustration work for a multitude clients while also painting commissioned portraits. Eventually the design work took a back seat to fine art. A classical realist, Brenda works primarily in oil and watercolor in a variety of subject matter. Her award-winning paintings have been exhibited extensively in juried group and solo exhibits across the U.S.

Brenda is an active member of the arts community. She is a juried signature artist member of Washington Society of Landscape Painters, Society of Animal Artists, Baltimore Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, International Guild of Realism, and Potomac Valley Watercolorists. She has also served as a juror and volunteered her time on the boards of several arts nonprofits. Brenda is also a teacher, offering classes and workshops at her studio and through local arts organizations and Howard County Recreation and Parks.

David Matchim, Director of Bands at Centennial High School, is the honoree for Outstanding Arts Educator. Born in Newfoundland, Canada and raised in Northern California, David began his musical studies with encouragement from music educators in the public school system who saw his potential and nurtured his musical growth. Since David's arrival at Centennial in 2011, the band program has doubled in size and added multiple performing ensembles. Under his leadership, Centennial's Wind Ensemble is the first Maryland high school concert band to be invited to perform at The Midwest Clinic in 45 years.

Earlier this year, David beat out more than one thousand candidates nationwide and was named Music & Arts' 2018 Music Educator of the Year. David is the recipient of the Howard County Parents for School Music 2016 Music Educator of the Year Award. In 2010, he was inducted into the National Music Honor Society Pi Kappa Lambda, Epsilon Omicron Chapter, recognizing outstanding achievement in scholarship, musicianship, collegiality, and service at The Peabody Institute of Music. David earned his bachelor's degree in trumpet performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and his master's degree in music education from The Peabody Institute of The John's Hopkins University.

The honoree for Outstanding Business Supporter of the Arts is HorseSpirit Arts Gallery, founded by Robin Holliday. After a 26-year career in national security, Robin chose to pursue her life-long dream of becoming an artist and owning an art gallery. She envisioned an eclectic, uplifting space displaying work by local artists that would be a sanctuary from the outside world, anchored by a community of artists supporting one another. Robin opened HorseSpirit Arts Gallery in 2013, displaying her own artwork and that of a few local artists. In 2015, she moved the gallery to Main Street in Old Ellicott City, where it continued to grow, eventually displaying the work of more than 40 artists.

After suffering significant losses from the floods that ravaged Ellicott City's historic district in 2016 and 2018, Robin made the decision to relocate, eventually reopening HorseSpirit Arts Gallery at Historic Savage Mill. The gallery now features paintings, sculpture, photography, glass, mosaics, jewelry, ceramics, woodworking, fiber, and wearable art. Robin hand-selects gallery artists based not just on their amazing talent, but also their kindness and integrity.

A special Legacy in the Arts Award will be presented to the late Fern Eisner. Fern and her husband Arie moved their family to Columbia, Maryland from New York early in the town's history, with Fern taking an active role in Columbia's arts community from the very beginning. She co-founded the Columbia Folk Dance Group, was a founding member of the Columbia Cooperative Gallery and the Women's Gallery, and helped kick off the first Columbia City Fair Festival of the Arts, which would later become the Columbia Festival of the Arts.

Professionally, Fern embarked on a career as a writer/photographer for the Columbia Flier and the Baltimore Sun. Her passion for photography eventually led her to explore portraiture. She began taking portraits of children and families, developing the black and white photos in her own darkroom. These soulful images adorn the walls of numerous homes around Columbia. Her series of photos taken of truckers at the truck stop in Jessup, Maryland was exhibited at Howard Community College and other locations. Fern died on June 1, 2018 and is much missed by her family and friends.

Theresa Colvin, Executive Director of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF), will receive the Coleen West Leadership in the Arts Award. Theresa comes to MAAF from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) where she was the Executive Director for 16 years. Under her leadership, MSAC greatly expanded its flagship programs and also spearheaded several new initiatives, including a statewide Arts & Entertainment District program, the Maryland Public Art program, the Maryland Traditions program and the Maryland Presenters Network and Touring Artist program. Theresa first joined MSAC as the Program Director for Community Arts Development Program.

Prior to her tenure at MSAC, Theresa served as Deputy Director and Acting Executive Director of the Howard County Arts Council. Theresa has also served on numerous boards and panels, including those of the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts. Theresa holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from LaSalle University and a master's in arts administration from Drexel University and is a longtime resident of Howard County.

Join us and Celebrate! The evening begins at 6pm with a 2-hour reception where guests will sample delectable edibles from distinctive local restaurants and bid on wonderful artwork by local artists during the art auction. At 8pm, guests will take their seats for the much anticipated presentation of the 2018 Howie Awards and the 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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