Annoucements

Frederick County Arts Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations

July 13, 2011

Last October, the inaugural class of the Frederick County Arts Hall of Fame was announced by the Frederick Arts Council, which included such names as Francis Scott Key, Helen Smith, Joyce Michaud, Richard Troxell, and Bobby Steggert. These individuals represent Frederick’s past and present who have excelled and contributed significantly to the artistic ethos of Frederick County.

Frederick County has a healthy and thriving arts community. In 2010, Downtown Frederick’s Arts and Entertainment District was recognized with the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. In addition, the City of Frederick has been ranked as a Top 25 Small Arts City by American Style Magazine for the past two years. However, since Frederick’s founding, creativity and craftsmanship has been at the forefront of Frederick’s existence. Artists of all disciplines have contributed to Frederick’s success as a center of creativity and arts destination for many decades. It is for this reason the Frederick Arts Council launched the Hall of Fame last year.

The Frederick Arts Council is seeking nominations for persons who have reached significant accomplishments in the arts field, including performing, visual, and literary arts. Inductees will be selected by a diverse committee of community and arts leaders in Frederick County. The Frederick County Arts Hall of Fame honors persons, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions to the arts in Frederick County either as performing or practicing artists in individual disciplines. The next group of individuals will be inaugurated into the Hall of Fame in October, as part of National Arts and Humanities Month. The Frederick Arts Council has designated a committee that will review all nominations from the general public. The inaugural class will be announced on Wednesday, October 19th at the annual Celebration of the Arts Dinner.

The Frederick Arts Council has an open nomination process, which allows any individual to submit a nomination for consideration. The Frederick Arts Council will review and recommend nominations based on the following standards:

-Individuals must have been born or raised in Frederick County, or have adopted Frederick County as their home and base of operations for a period of at least five years. Preference will be given to persons who have maintained strong affiliation with Frederick County while achieving prominence.

-Individuals must be able to demonstrate that they have made a significant contribution to the enhancement of the arts at the local level and/or beyond. For example, the individual has received national or international recognition through achievements in an artistic discipline, including, but not limited to, music, dance, theatre, literature, film, architecture, visual arts and crafts, folklife/traditional arts, fashion, photography, and the execution or exhibition of other such allied, major art forms. An artist is defined as one who creates, performs, or interprets works of art. Recognition should also be a reflection of accomplishments over a period of time.

-Must be or must have been involved in the arts community in Frederick County and/or received artistic training/education in Frederick County.

The Frederick County Arts Hall of Fame is physically located at the Cultural Arts Center, a 14,000 square foot arts incubator and community arts space. At the Cultural Arts Center, a plaque with the names of each year’s inductees will be placed on the wall, providing an interactive educational opportunity for the general public. Each inductee will also receive a commemorative plaque in recognition of his or her recognition.

The Frederick Arts Council will name no more than four members to the Hall of Fame in any one year. Nominations must be postmarked on or before August 15, 2011 and nomination forms are available on the Hall of Fame page of our website, under “Programs.”