To hear excerpts from interviews with the honorees click on their name.

Artist. In 1981 Helen Frederick came from New York to Baltimore to be a part of the city’s artistic renaissance. Using her zeal for collaboration, Ms. Frederick began workshops to meet the unique physical needs of paper-based artists. One of these, Pyramid Atlantic Center for Printmaking, 20 years old next year, is among the nation’s foremost workshops for hand-papermaking, printmaking and artist’s books. As the founder and artistic director of this artist-run center, Ms. Frederick curates exhibitions, manages the internationally renowned Book Arts Fair and interdisciplinary public art programs. She also coordinated several cultural exchanges including a six- year, international traveling exhibit during the 1990s, Crossing Over/ Changing Places. Currently she is an Associate Professor of Art at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Her artwork is in American and International museum collections, including the National Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden and the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum in Yokahama, Japan. Ms. Frederick received her M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 1973.

Arts Educator. For 25 years Matthew Fullerton has introduced generations of Talbot County public school students to the musical arts, the past 13 at Eastern Middle School. Under his direction, the Easton Middle School band has consistently earned ‘superior’ ratings at statewide competitions. For the past two years, EMS students have accounted for almost one-half of the Junior All-Shore Band performers; and Mr. Fullerton received the Outstanding Arts Educator Award from the Talbot County Arts Council this past year,. A fellow performing arts teacher describes him as a "door opener that with quiet, unassuming resolve has broken through the prejudice and indifference of others to make an indelible mark on students." Combining the performing arts with civic responsibility, Mr. Fullerton and his band volunteer for local Memorial and Veteran’s Day services and hold benefit concerts for charity during the holidays. He is currently collaborating with Talbot County Recreation and Parks to start a community band open to adult and young musicians, and is serving his fourth term as president of the Eastern Shore Band Directors Association. A performer as well as a teacher, Mr. Fullerton regularly plays trombone with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony.

Arts Patron. Thurmont native and former president of the Frederick Arts Foundation, Clement Gardiner brought an arts center to downtown Frederick and led a fundraising campaign that exceeded all expectations. Fifteen years in the making, the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center--formerly the Mountain City Mill--houses two floors of renovated classroom space, a reference library and a gallery with monthly changing exhibitions. Mr. Gardiner volunteers at the Center and ensures ongoing expansion of educational programs as one of its main financial patrons. Praised as one of the regions most "far-sighted and energetic leaders," Mr. Gardiner also pioneered projects at the Community Foundation of Frederick County and the Frederick and Hagerstown Chambers of Commerce. He is the retired director of Public Affairs for Potomac Edison.

Arts Patron. Former president and CEO of Tristate Electrical & Electronics Supply Co., John Waltersdorf combined his roles as a business and community leader in establishing a home for the arts in western Maryland. In his own words, "the fabric...of our families and communities is stimulated by all the arts." Mr. Waltersdorf made the very first contribution to the proposed Maryland Symphony Orchestra (MSO) eighteen years ago. He has served on the board every year since and remains the largest single contributor to the Hagerstown organization. As a member of the photographic team of Admiral Bird’s 1948 expedition to the South Pole, Mr. Waltersdorf developed a lifelong interest in photography. His pictures were part of the documentary film, The Secret Land, which won an Academy Award in 1949. Mr. Waltersdorf also served as chairman of the Community Foundation of Washington County and is a trustee of both Maryland Citizens for the Arts and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.

Large Business Supporter. Described as a "driving force" behind the Arts-in-Education program of the Cultural Arts Foundation of Anne Arundel County by the foundation’s director, Northrop Grumman ESSS has sponsored a wide-ranging number of arts events, primarily in the Baltimore and Annapolis area. In addition to their focus on bringing arts into the classroom, Northrop Grumman has contributed planning and volunteer help for First Night Annapolis. It also has underwritten ticket sales for its employees and one-of-a-kind events by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Annapolis. The Baltimore-based company makes a wide variety of defense electronics and systems, from airspace management and marine systems to radar and military information systems.

Small Business Supporter. As founding members of the Cecil County Arts Council (CCAC), nurturing the arts on the Eastern Shore came as naturally for Peter and Theresa Wood as promoting local seafood at their family-owned restaurant, Woody’s Crab House, in historic North East, MD. For the past eight years, the Woods have routinely sponsored and played host for numerous Arts Council events, including the annual member’s meeting and juried exhibition. The Wood’s promote the local arts scene by showcasing and selling hundred’s of works by regional artists at their restaurant, returning all profits to the artists. "Customers may have to wait hours for a table in Woody’s," says Erin Murphy, director of the CCAC, "the arts community has never had to wait for support from Peter and Theresa Wood."

Lifetime Achievement. In 1966 at the age of 27, Peter Culman returned to his hometown to become managing director of a newly established theater called Center Stage. Thirty-three years, 200 productions, and one fire later, Center Stage and Peter Culman are both Baltimore institutions, recognized nationally for excellence in the theatre arts. During Mr. Culman’s tenure, Center Stage has become known for innovative and risk-taking programming, producing plays that raise the bar for non-traditional casting and engage broader segments of the community. In nominating Mr. Culman, the Center Stage staff wrote that, "Peter himself is a cultural treasure. No one that has ever been treated to one of his fables can doubt it... because (they) connect to the reality of the human condition." Mr. Culman served two terms as president of the League of Resident Theater(LORT), and as a board member of Theater Communications Group(TCG) and American Arts Alliance. He also served on the National Endowment for the Arts Theater Overview. In 1991, TCG gave him the Zeisler Award for distinguished service in non-profit professional theater.