Awards program honors 107 Maryland artists

(L to R) Councilor Bill Mandicott, secretary/treasurer; Dominick Murray, DBED deputy secretary; Doreen Bolger, executive director at the BMA; and Councilor Scott Johnson, chair; gather for a photo at the Individual Artist Awards event.

The Maryland State Arts Council honored the 107 recipients of its 2009 Individual Artist Awards (IAA), June 24, during an awards program and reception at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The artists received a total of $251,000 in grants from the Arts Council.

DBED Deputy Secretary Dominick Murray spoke to the gathering and discussed how Maryland views individual artists as representative of a creative class – a group that injects vibrancy into the state’s economy and its quality of life.

Awarded artists, selected from a pool of 817 applicants, competed for grants in the amount of $1,000, $3,000 and $6,000. Out-of-state judges used an anonymous process to review the work of the artists in seven categories: choreography; music composition; playwriting; poetry; crafts; photography; and sculpture.

“The awards recognize the many talented artists in Maryland and the importance of artists to the vitality of our communities.” said Scott Johnson, chair of the Arts Council. “These awards distinguish artistic excellence and remind us that the work of Maryland artists is important for the health of our economy.”

The annual IAA program has categories that alternate yearly. Awards in 2010 will be made for: dance (solo performance); fiction; media; music (solo performance); theater (solo performance); and visual arts (digital/electronic arts, painting, works on paper). Applications are available at the Arts Council’s web site.

Satabdi Express provided musical entertainment during the reception.

July 30 deadline for FY2010 applications

The deadline for submitting applications to the Arts Council for fiscal year 2010 Individual Artist Awards is July 30. Awards will be made in these categories: dance (solo performance); fiction; media, music (solo performance); theater (solo performance); visual arts (digital/electronic arts); visual arts (painting); visual arts (works on paper). Applicants must use CueRate, a system for completing online applications.