2015 Mayor’s Arts Awards

Congratulations to the 2015 MAA Recipients!

Artist in the Community:

Jim Faulkner

Jim Faulkner prefers to paint on location of different Midwest scenes, leading to the creation of several watercolor paintings that have won local and national awards. The educator and mentor continues to make a positive impact on the community as he’s focused on providing a visual escape for patients at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. Faulkner’s works can also be found in museum and corporate collections.

Arts Advocate:

Ann Johnson

Ann Johnson, also known as “Ms. F.B. Fogg,” opened the House of Fogg in 1984, 20 years after she began making her famous sculptural clock line. Johnson currently teaches art at Ivy Tech and has taught at all grade levels. The Arts Advocate Award is one of many awards she has received, and her work can be found in many homes, from Muncie to the White house.

Arts Educator:

Bob Hartley

A mentor and former art teacher at Southside High School, Bob Hartley retired after 35 years. One year later, he opened The Artist Within gallery and studio with his wife Vicki, in downtown Muncie. This allows Bob Hartley to help people discover art while continuing to pursue his passion. Many of his students have gone on to pursue careers in art.

Arts Leader:

Cornerstone Center for the Arts

Cornerstone has provided access to art programs to thousands in the Muncie community since its 1999 founding. The center’s “access to all” policy helps them serve those who may not have the chance to experience any form of art. The Arts Leader Award follows Cornerstone’s “Arts Engagement in American Communities” award in 2013 by the National Endowment of the Arts and Indiana Minority Business Magazine’s Champion of Diversity Award in 2015..

Corporate Arts:

AEP/Indiana Michigan Power, Jim Riggle

AEP/Indiana Michigan Power has been a major supporter of Muncie and Delaware County’s arts and culture community. Through IMP community relations manager Jim Riggle they have been firm believers and advocates of several education and non-profit organizations that provide art activities to the Muncie community.

Maker:

Jonathan Becker

As a teaching artist, mask maker and performer, Jonathan Becker knows art and theatre. His work as a mask maker sets him apart as his website Theater-Masks.com produces and creates masks for artists, theaters and educational institutions for noted clients in 46 countries. Becker is an assistant professor of theatre at Ball State University while his massive collection of masks plays a big role in Muncie’s creative economy.

Next Generation Artist:

Braydee Euliss

As an advocate for arts in all areas, Braydee Euliss is a leader in the Muncie arts community and is still under 30. Euliss won several awards while at Ball State University as her jewelry and sculptures challenge folks’ original views of art. She is committed to improving the local arts community and co-curates a monthly program at the Davis Owsley Museum of Art. She is the gallery manager of “Monkey Thunder 5” debuting during Thursday’s ArtsWalk in downtown Muncie.

Lifetime Achievement:

Ned Griner

As a teacher, mentor, artist and arts advocate whose real passion is spreading an appreciation of the arts, Ned Griner’s impact on the Muncie and Delaware County community cannot be compared. He believes art can have an impact on all of us and continues to stay in touch with his students around the country. After completing his doctorate in education at The Pennsylvania State University, Ned returned home to his native Delaware County in 1961 to teach at Ball State University. Griner retired from BSU in 1994 and continues to speak at events across the U.S., sharing his pride in his students.

Each of the winners received a piece of artwork as their award: Six-layered, sandblasted, hand-blown glass vases in honor of Muncie’s glass heritage. The MACC selected artist Andrew Schultz to create the pieces. Schultz is an MFA student at Ball State and is studying at the Glick Center for Glass.