Frederick Community College will hold An Artful Evening and the Distinguished Artist Awards on Saturday, November 3 to showcase the talent of art, music, and theater faculty members and recognize alumni for their impressive artist careers.
 
As part of An Artful Evening, the event will include an opening reception with live music, an art faculty exhibition, a music faculty concert, and a Theatre FCC production.
 
Distinguished Artist Awards will be presented by faculty members to honorees in the areas of art, drama, film, graphic design, and music. There will also be a Patron of the Arts award, presented by FCC President Elizabeth Burmaster.
 
Honorees are outstanding alumni who have excelled in the visual or performing arts and contributed to their community. They have each been nominated by program managers from the FCC Communications, Humanities, and Arts Department.
 
“This is a wonderful event that we hold every three years to celebrate all the arts at FCC,” Wendell Poindexter, Visual Arts Program Manager and Arts Center Director, said. “It is inspiring to see our art, music, and theater faculty come together to share their talents and passion with our community, and to have the chance to celebrate our wonderful alumni who are making a difference in their communities through art.” 
 
All events are open to the public. Tickets for the theater performance can be purchased at the door and will be $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. All other events are free.
 
For more information, contact Wendell Poindexter at 301.846.2513 or [email protected].
 

Schedule of events:

 
5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Mary Condon Hodgson Art Gallery
Opening reception with the Howard Burns Trio
FCC Art Faculty Exhibition
 
7 p.m., Mary Condon Hodgson Art Gallery
Presentation of Distinguished Artist Awards
Award honorees listed below
 
7:30 p.m., JBK Theater
Music Faculty Showcase
Talented FCC music faculty will be featured in solos and ensembles in this popular visual and performing arts celebration
 
8 p.m., Studio Theater (F142)
Theater performance – “The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde”
 

2018 Distinguished Artist Award Honorees:

 
Jennifer Finley, Art

• Founder of the ArtistAngle Gallery in downtown Frederick
• Directed Artomatic Frederick in 2011, 2013, and 2016
• Currently working with Frederick Memorial Hospital to exhibit artists’ work throughout the newly renovated hospital and offsite locations 
   

Joshua Schmidt, Drama

• Filmmaker with multiple international film festival screenings and installations since 2012
• Served as stage manager, assistant director, and music supervisor on every theater production during his time at FCC, where he majored in television production and theater
• Works as a studio operations associate for Amazon corporate in Seattle, Washington where he manages, maintains, and deploys audio/visual equipment throughout the Amazon campus  
   

Melissa Sly, Film

• Runs her own video production and photography business, Visual Sly
• Earned a television production certificate at FCC after completing her bachelor’s degree in digital art and design from Towson University.
• Became interested in filmmaking and photography after a stop-motion animation course at FCC 
   

Aynex Mercado, Graphic Design

• Web and graphic designer at Aynex Designs
• Teaches advanced design courses at FCC
• Social Outreach Chair for the American Institute for Graphic Arts Blue Ridge Chapter 
   

Kayla Lyles, Music

• Works as a music therapist at Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville, Maryland
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in music-vocal performance from the University of Maryland, College Park and a graduate equivalency degree in music therapy from the Shenandoah Conservatory
• Has sung in operas and performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center  
   

Joseph and Ruth Campbell, Patron of the Arts
FCC Professor Emeritus Joseph Campbell and wife Ruth Campbell have been strong supporters of the arts and advocates of education for many years. Their connection to education and community has been a continuous part of their lives and they have been involved with regional education institutions including FCC, Frostburg State University, Hood College, and Shepherd University.
 
Joseph and Ruth Campbell believe in the power of arts education and started the Arts and Visual Communications Scholarship Fund in 2002. Joseph began his 30-plus year career at FCC as an art faculty member in 1982, and retired as a Professor in 2013. The strength, success, and legacy of the arts program at FCC would not be what it is today without the support of Joseph and Ruth Campbell.