The Howard County Arts Council is honoring the 2011 Howie Award winners at the 15th Annual Celebration of the Arts on Saturday, March 24, 2012, at Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, Howard Community College, Columbia, MD.
The Celebration gala gives members of the arts, education, government and business communities of Howard County the opportunity to gather to honor individuals and businesses that have made significant contributions to the arts in Howard County.
The Howie Awards are presented annually by the Howard County 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 outstanding 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. A special 2011 Legacy in the Arts Award will also be presented. This award is presented at the discretion of the Howie Committee and recognizes an individual or group for their lifetime achievements in the arts in Howard County.
This year’s honoree for Outstanding Artist is Dr. Tom Benjamin. Composer, performer, and teacher Tom Benjamin has received degrees from Bard College, Harvard University, Brandeis University, and Eastman School of Music. He has composed works for all media, including concertos for violin, piano and viola, symphonies, oratorios, cantatas, six operas, and a great deal of choral and chamber music.
In 2011, Columbia Pro Cantare performed Old Brick Oratorio which he composed in honor of the 200th Anniversary of the Christ Episcopal Church, aka “The Old Brick.” Dr. Benjamin has been music director at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia for the past 21 years. As Choir Director, he actively encourages members of UUCC to compose choral music, giving many of the resulting compositions their world premiere performances.
An active clarinetist and choral conductor, he taught for many years at the National Music Camp, the University of Houston’s School of Music, and the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, where he was Chair of the Department of Music Theory.
Brooke Kuhl-McClelland is the 2011 honoree for Outstanding Arts Educator. Brooke Kuhl-McClelland has been teaching dance instruction for over 20 years. She began her career with the Howard County Gifted and Talented After School Dance Program after graduating from Towson University with a BFA in Dance Education, Performance, and Choreography. She went on to start dance programs at three different high schools: Howard, Mount Hebron and Hammond. Since 1988, Brooke has been the Lead Teacher for Dance Education in the Howard County Public School System. As designer and writer of the HCPSS high school curriculum and assessment guide for dance, she has created, implemented and organized the school system’s dance program. At Hammond, her current school, she has produced award-winning dance companies featured in performances at local and regional showcases. Brooke’s vision of a secondary dance program has been extended to every high school in Howard County.
Her performance credits include dancing with local professional jazz dance companies, launching the Baltimore Blast dancers, and even dancing in the dugout as a Baltimore Orioles Ballgirl. With a philosophy of teaching life through dance, she inspires and enhances the lives of students, teachers, parents, and an entire district with her passion for teaching.
Mays & Associates is the honoree for Outstanding Business Supporter of the Arts. Mays & Associates has been a contributor to the arts for more than two decades, offering design, rebranding, and website development services to arts organizations in Howard County. Since the company’s beginning over 25 years ago, founder and Creative Director Ken Mays has emphasized the importance of making a tangible contribution to the local community through pro bono projects. One of Mays’ most significant contributions has been the sustained design and branding services to the Columbia Festival of the Arts for over 15 years. Other Mays projects include the website for Columbia’s 40th Birthday Celebration, and branding and design projects for the Howard County Arts Council, The Columbia Foundation, the Howard County Historical Society, and the Patapsco Heritage Greenway Foundation. Ken has also taken an active role in and served on the board of many Howard County nonprofit organizations, including the Board of Directors for the Howard County Chamber of Commerce.
Mays & Associates is a website design & development, online marketing, advertising, and graphic design company located in Columbia, Maryland. Mays specializes in responsive web design, social marketing and SEO, advertising, and graphic design.
John Taylor, “The Kinderman”, will be honored with a special Legacy in the Arts Award. Three-time National Capital Region Emmy Award winner John Taylor “The Kinderman” is nationally recognized for his innovations in educating, entertaining, and inspiring the imaginations of thousands of children, teachers, and parents over the past five decades. As a Master Teacher-Artist, Kinderman's approach is incorporating movement, dance, rhyme, song, story-telling adventures, learning games, and stunning visuals into an interactive experience.
In October 2011, he received the Executive’s Award for Excellence in Education from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that have significantly contributed to the enhancement of surrounding communities through the arts and humanities. Kinderman has also been honored by numerous organizations including the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Head Start Association, the Griots’ Circle of Maryland, and the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. He is a teaching artist listed with the Maryland State Arts Council as well as regional arts councils, and is a certified early childcare trainer with the Maryland State Department of Education and graduate of the Maryland Teaching Artist Institute.
Kinderman has been a Columbia resident since 1971 and presents many of his programs and workshops in Howard County.
Come Celebrate with us! The evening will begin at 6pm with a reception and silent auction of artwork in various media and styles by Howard County artists. During the reception, partygoers will be treated to an array of delicacies from distinctive local restaurants and caterers. At 8pm, guests will enjoy the much anticipated presentations of the 2011 Howie Awards andperformances from the finalists of the Rising Star Performing Artist Competition!
Tickets are $50 and $100 and are available for purchase online at
www.hocoarts.org or by calling 410-313-ARTS(2787).
