Award Honoree's:


Manuel Barrueco, Artist
Manuel Barrueco is a leading figure in the guitar world. His artistry has been continuously described as that of "a superb instrumentalist and an elegant musician, possessing a seductive sound and uncommon lyrical gifts." A versatile classical guitarist, he also performs Jazz, composes and teaches at his alma mater, the Peabody Conservatory of Music. The Hague Courant deemed him "the undisputed crown prince of the present guitar dynasty." Making over a dozen acclaimed recordings, including his compositions, with EMI, Mr. Barrueco has collaborated with numerous distinguished composers such as Michael Daugherty, Toru Takemitso and Roberto Sierra. His recordings have reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Classical Music Charts multiple times. One of his compositions, "Taking a Chance on Love," climbed to number one on Billboard's Jazz Charts. Mr. Barrueco has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, A&E Breakfast with the Arts, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and in a national television commercial for Lexus. Mr. Barrueco began studying the guitar at the age of eight and attended the Esteban Selas Conservatory in his native Santiago de Cuba. A virtuoso, he has toured extensively and performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony and the Auckland Philharmonic in New Zealand among others.

Gary Beauchamp, Arts Educator
As the Supervisor of Fine and Performing Arts and Special Instructional Activities for the Board of Education of Wicomico County Schools since 1996, Gary Beauchamp has had a tremendous impact on the quality of arts education for all students in his community. Under his direction, the music and arts faculty of Wicomico County was able to construct and implement countywide music and art curricula aligned with the Maryland Essential Learner Outcomes and Expectations. Approved by the Wicomico County Board of Education, the arts curricula have been the guide for reconstructing curricula in other subject areas. An exemplary leader and advocate for the arts, Mr. Beauchamp is said to have "advanced Wicomico County Public Schools to the forefront of Arts Education." Mr. Beauchamp innovatively spearheaded an earlier focus on arts education by training elementary level teachers to introduce students to an integrated arts curriculum at an early age. He reinvigorated the passion and dedication of the faculty in Wicomico County, and whole-heartedly encouraged excellence. Instructors under his leadership have received accolades including awards for Excellence in Music Education (2004), the 2005 Maryland Music Educator's Award, and the 2004 and 2005 Maryland Art Teacher of the Year Award. Under Mr. Beauchamp's leadership, Wicomico County was named one of the Top 100 School Systems in the United States for Music Education by the American Music Conference.

Coale, Pripstein & Associates, P.A., Small Business
Founded by partners Edmund Coale and Eric Pripstein in 1991, the Columbia based Coale, Pripstein & Associates believes that professional, personalized and quality accounting services should be provided to every business, no matter how large or small. Priding themselves on personal and creative touch, this firm specializes in a wide range of accounting and financial services. Coale, Pripstein & Associates' long-standing commitment to the arts, is evidenced by the contribution of their expertise, financial resources, and time to improving the financial operations of non-profit organizations. The firm has dedicated financial support to Young Audiences of Maryland, subsidizing artists' fees that allow children to experience Maryland's best performing artists. Currently, Eric Pripstein is the President of the Board for Young Audiences of Maryland. Both principals have devoted thousands of hours in volunteering on non-profits boards. They have educated the arts community by serving as a resource for organizations such as Maryland Lawyers for the Arts. Under twenty years of Mr. Coale's leadership, the Rotary Club of Columbia Patuxent contributed thousands to community arts organizations including the Columbia Festival of the Arts.

Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc.,Large Business
Standing today as one of Maryland's largest businesses, Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc. (EMA) works alongside its community leaders and area residents in support of Southern Maryland cultural and educational initiatives. Co-founded in 1984 by Rex Eagan and John McAllister, the company initially made its mark providing enhanced business and program management analysis services for Defense-related programs. Quickly earning a reputation for top-quality solutions and exceptional customer support, EMA evolved to become the world-class provider of information technology, engineering and integrated logistics that it is today. With more than 1,300 employees and annual sales of more than $150 million, EMA is a leading technology company serving a wide range of clients in government and industry. EMA places a high priority on its contributions to the Southern Maryland community. Its annual partnership with St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) has made a significant impact not only on the college, but also on the community at large. In 1999, EMA was the first and only corporate sponsor of the SMCM River Concert Series. The concert series has become one of Maryland's premier music events, and EMA's support has significantly attributed to the growth of the series' audience and to the quality of the program. Today, the seven-week series remains free and has 19 concert sponsors and the financial support of numerous individual contributors. EMA has also been a strong advocate among its corporate peers, encouraging their financial support of local arts organizations and cultural programs. EMA supports other cultural programs as well, including Calvert Artists Showcase, the Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland in Concert (COSMIC), the Women's Club of St. Mary's County's Performing Arts Series and the Sanford Concert Series.

Grace Hartigan, Lifetime Achievement
Grace Hartigan has an international reputation for her significance in the history of American Modern Art and is recognized as a key figure in the second generation of Abstract Expressionist painters. Included in numerous permanent museum collections around the world, featured in leading publications such as Life and Newsweek, Ms. Hartigan also holds the distinction of being the only woman among seventeen artists chosen to participate in 1958 Museum of Modern Art's prestigious first international exhibit "The New American Painting." While living in New York City in the 1940s, Ms. Hartigan began to visit galleries where she became inspired by the work of other artists, namely Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. These artists became both her inspiration and her friends, launching her career as a renowned artist. Her vibrant artistic vision has steadily evolved throughout her lengthy career. Her work transitioned from Modern Abstraction, to printmaking, to a figuratively expressionistic style deriving from a culmination of artistic eras. Ms. Hartigan invented the watercolor collage and continues to create abstract canvases enveloped in color and dynamic composition. Since arriving in Baltimore in the early 1960s, Ms. Hartigan, has earned a reputation as an amazing teacher, mentor, and leader in the arts community. She has served as Director of the Hoffberger School of Painting at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) since its inception in 1965 and is credited with its graduate program becoming one of the most competitive in the United States.

Eddie & Sylvia Brown, Arts Patrons
Married for 43 years, Eddie and Sylvia Brown are among the country's leading philanthropists. Together they are considered two of the top patrons in the Baltimore metropolitan area, with significant donations to arts and cultural initiatives. They are responsible for the largest contribution in the history of Maryland Institute College of Art, creating Brown Center, the striking glass building predominantly poised on Mount Royal Avenue in Baltimore. Other notable contributions include gifts to the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Their major donation to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra established the unprecedented partnership with Soulful Symphony. Individually, they have each served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations including the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, The Woodbourne Center, The Ripkin Society of Baltimore Reads, and The Women's Network of the Enterprise Foundation. The Browns have not only made a name for themselves through their generous philanthropy over the years but almost as significantly, through their humility and true caring for others.

Award Nominees Included:


Individual Artist:
Eva Anderson
Manuel Barrueco
Larry Chapperlear
Gayle Danley
Lea Gilmore
Ruby Glover
J. Ernest Green
Les Harris
Grace Hartigan
Joseph Holston
David Keltz
Michael William Kirby
Baba Baile McKnight
Greg Mort
Floyd Roberts
Orlando Roman
Nancy Scheinman
Jeffery Silberschlag
Acrhana Srinivas
Leah Taylor
Delphine Siggers William
The Zionaires


Arts Educator:
D.H. Banker
Cecylia Barczyk
Gary Beauchamp
Deborah Bedwell
Alex Edward Brown
Dawnyelle Butler
Patricia Cruz
Rani David
Susan Diliberto
Mo Dutterer
Joseph Giordano
William Graham, Sr.
Carl Grubbs
Slim Harrison
Suzanna Henneman
Lenore Blank Kelner
Ernest Kromah
Pam Lennon
Teri O'Meara
Divane Sabiston
Vatsala Srinivas
Rebecca Yenawine


Arts Patron:
Eddie & Sylvia Brown
Shirley Brown
Kenneth Lundeen
Jean Moon
Ronald Roberson
Nancy Roche
Alice Waldschmit
Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Fund
Project Millennium
The Mainstay


Large Business Supporter:
Eagan, McAllister Associates
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP


Small Business Supporter:
Coale, Pripstein & Associates
Abigail Francisco
Joseph Leonard KroArt
Kids on the Block, Inc.