Maine College of Art will hold the 15th annual Art Honors gala celebration to recognize leaders in Maine’s creative sector on Thursday, May 19, 2011.

This year, the College presents the Award for Entrepreneurship in the Arts to businesswoman Roxanne Quimby, the Award for Leadership in Art Philanthropy to longtime arts supporters Betsy Evans Hunt and Christopher Hunt, and the Award for Leadership in Art Education to Janet Manyan, a painting faculty member in the Continuing Studies program.

The awards will be presented at the College’s Porteous Building at 522 Congress Street in downtown Portland. The evening begins at 5:30pm with a cocktail reception and ceremony followed by a formal dinner served in studios throughout the College as well as in the Joanne Waxman Library. Thesis artwork by graduating students in the undergraduate and graduate programs will be on display. Tables of eight at $1,500 and individual tickets at $150 are available by calling 207.775.5098.

About the Honorees
The Award for Leadership in Art Philanthropy goes to Betsy Evans Hunt and Christopher Hunt to honor their deep and far reaching support of cultural programs and institutions within Maine and beyond. Through their generosity and their leadership in the  encouragement of young and emerging artists, they have championed the role of visual arts in the state and in society.

The Award for Leadership in Art Education goes to Janet Manyan for her commitment as a teacher in MECA’s Continuing Studies program and the aspirations she encourages for her students to become practicing artists. A teacher at the College for more than 15 years, Manyan believes that the visual arts play an important role for individuals to find strength, clarity and purpose, values that directly support MECA’s educational philosophy.

The Award for Entrepreneurship in the Arts goes to Roxanne Quimby, founder of Burt’s Bees, for her deep commitment to creating access to the arts throughout the state and the aspirations she encourages for stewardship of Maine’s natural and cultural heritage.  This honor pays tribute to her personal belief that the arts play an important role in the prosperity of Maine communities and provide sustainable economic development through creative enterprise.

Art Honors recognizes artists, philanthropists and art educators with significant ties to Maine who offer MECA’s students, as well as the public, powerful examples of lives in the arts. Past honorees have included David Driskell, Bernarda Shahn, Beverly Hallam, Will Barnet, Neil Welliver, Alex Katz, Robert Indiana, Alison Hildreth, Angela Adams and Pandora Lacasse, among others.

More about Art Honors