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| Donna Baker is Monrovia Association of Fine Arts Renaissance Award Recipient! 2012 Photo by Ginger Van Hook©2012 |
Written
by Ginger Van Hook, Press Liaison, MAFA
(Monrovia, California)
Monrovia Association of Fine
Arts has
announced this year’s award recipients for their Acknowledge the Arts 2012 fundraiser to be held on Saturday evening March 24, 2012 at the RESTAURANT
DEVON 109 East Lemon Avenue Monrovia, 91016. The 2012 Renaissance Award
Recipient is Donna Baker and the Hearts in the Arts awards go to Betsy Matz! Solana Feldthouse & Theresa Lipps are the featured
Student Artist winners as well. Additionally, one of the most uniquely featured
ideas to come out of this year’s event will be the special handmade clocks to
be auctioned off as they invoke the theme “Take Time For Art”!
The public is
invited and encouraged to attend one of the most popularly celebrated events in
Monrovia where consistently Monrovia
Association of Fine Arts not only
honors those who have made incredible contributions to their community in the
arts, but additionally continue to inspire and support the development of local
artists. The Renaissance Award is given every year to honor and recognize a
special member of the community whose contributions to their fellow citizens
leads to the cultural enrichment of the community as a whole.
In an interview with the 2012 Renaissance winner, Donna Baker, she explained that her community is of utmost
importance to her and that she can rarely say no to great ideas in particular
those artistic values promoted by M.A.F.A., where she stated that President, Bill Beebe is a significant influence
on her. Donna Baker started real estate in 2001, after a career as an
administrative professional came to a sudden halt due the Internet bust, when
she found herself jobless. It was
then that Donna was prompted to get her real estate license by a friend who saw
her potential and fate created an opportunity for her to find her calling to be
enormously successful at what she does. But it’s not just that Baker does her
job, and does it well, it is more about what she does for her customers, her
clients, her neighbors and her friends that has earned her the recognition of
her community. Donna Baker is an
effective listener who gets involved and makes her special presence known that
she is there to help. Baker pays
close attention and seeks out solutions where she knows she can be of support.
Also known to flash her effervescent smile when talking about her family of
community, Baker states that this is because she feels great joy to invest in the success
of her community. Since 2002, Ms.
Baker has been the #1 agent in her office and in Monrovia. Donna attributes her
success to her administrative background, along with her personality, professionalism,
and ethics. Specializing in
architecturally significant properties, Donna presently serves as Director of
Heritage Homes for Podley Properties in Monrovia. When not selling homes, she is very involved in her
community. Donna serves as Historic Preservation Commissioner in Monrovia,
traveled to Thailand to work on the Jimmy Carter Work Project with Habitat for
Humanity, and supports many community organizations. Donna has been on the
Board of the Santa Anita Family YMCA for over seven years and served as
President from 2008 through 2009.
Ms.
Baker received the coveted Iris Award as 2008 Citizen of the Year from the
Monrovia Chamber of Commerce. That
same year she was recognized by the Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills as
the recipient of the Mary Wilcox Youth Advocacy & Community Leadership
Award, an honor Donna cherished because of her friendship with Mary Wilcox
while she was on the City Council.
In addition, Donna has always been a supporter of MAFA, a nonprofit
group that encourages awareness of the arts. In 2012, she is honored with the Renaissance Award from MAFA
for her contributions to the community. Donna Baker may be contacted on her
website: www.4SaleByDonna.com
M.A.F.A. is also pleased to announce The Hearts in the Arts award winner, Betsy Matz, the 2012 recipient for her
generous contributions to the Village Art After School program. A woman of a
great deal of enthusiasm for her responsibilities in MAFA, a professional
artist dedicated to the success of those around her, Betsy Matz also engages
her peers and her community members in challenging them all to find more ways
to be creative and to inspire those around her.
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| Betsy Matz is the 2012 recipient of the Hearts in the Arts award selected by Monrovia Association of Fine Arts 2012. Photo courtesy of Bill Beebe, MAFA president. |
Betsy
Matz was drawn to the arts at an early age and attended
high school at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, graduating in 1998
with an emphasis in set design. She was awarded a merit scholarship to
the Disney-founded California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA and
received her BFA in scenic painting and design from that school in 2002.
After a short stint as Art Department in the entertainment industry, during
which she worked on several feature films, music videos, commercials and
editorial photo shoots (including working for famed photographer David La
Chapelle), she discovered her love of teaching. With two parents in the
education field, Betsy had a natural ability to teach and relished the chance
to help young artists realize their visions. What started as a part time
job teaching art classes in the Los Angeles area soon became a real career when
she was offered a partnership with a local art studio and became a business
owner. For eight years Betsy taught 150-200 students each week in the
fine art technique of drawing and painting. During that tenure she chaired
local art events, curated student shows, organized charity art auctions and
became heavily involved with the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts, a non
profit local to Monrovia, CA-the location of her studio. Although she
chose to sell the studio business in 2009, moving on to other teaching
opportunities and a corporate job, she continued her relationship with MAFA as
a board member, volunteer and teacher in the MAFA sponsored Village After
School Art Program for Monrovia Unified School District. Betsy was the
chair of the MAFA Summer Art Walks and Acknowledge the Arts night for several
years, however she now devotes the majority of her MAFA hours to grant writing
and organizing and teaching the Village program. She is currently writing
her Master's thesis in the Art Education program at Boston University and will
be awarded an MA AE in May 2012. Through Boston University Betsy was awarded a
grant to study painting in Tuscany, Italy during the summer of 2011where she
spent two months living and painting in the company of her infant son and her
mother. Professionally, Betsy spends part time as a designer for Mattel, Inc.,
the international toy company, and part time teaching at Life Pacific College,
Mayflower Elementary and in the Village program. Betsy has been married
to Steve Matz for several years and they have one adorable, 18 month old son,
Rider.
********************
This year's theme for the Monrovia Association
of Fine Arts Annual "Acknowledge the Arts" fundraising celebration is
"Take Time for Art!" and
to emphasize that idea, local artists created unique works of art out of old
clocks. Adding a timely new twist to the theme, ten MAFA member artists
modified, decorated, and deconstructed traditional brass alarm clocks into
their own interpretations of this year's theme. The artist who originally
came up with this concept, Steve McCarthy, said he was inspired to do so
because these economic times require drastic measures to overcome and to “Take
Time For Art” is to provide the richly needed nourishment that the arts can
foster in a community. Together with Lisa Barrios, of Paint N Play, and
volunteer MAFA artists, the clocks were distributed to be re-created. "The
idea is to promote the concept that we all need to Take Time for Art…MAFA uses
projects like this one to raise money for arts education in Monrovia schools,
as well as elevating the profile of the arts in our community," added
McCarthy. mccarthypix.com
Please join us in celebrating
the generous accomplishments and inspiring leadership of Donna Baker, Betsy
Matz, student featured artists Solana
Feldthouse & Theresa Lipps on Saturday evening March 24th,
2012 at 7pm – 10pm by participating in all the exciting activities
planned for this commemorative day. Bid on a unique clock and ‘Take Time For
Art’ in your life! There will be the Fine Art Auction, organized by Rouzanna
Berberian, in addition to lively music, a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, hors
d’oeurves, wine and spirits. All proceeds go to benefit art programs in local
schools. Advance tickets may be purchased for $35 in advance or $50 at the door
and may be purchased on the website through paypal. For more information please
visit www.monroviafinearts.org.
The Monrovia
Association of Fine Arts,
otherwise known as MAFA, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the
cultivation and support of the arts in children’s after school programs as well
as educational awareness of the arts in the community at large. Regular MAFA
affiliated venues displaying artwork of MAFA member artists include the
following:
First City Credit Union
Gallery located at 404
Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016
(Contact:
Carol Curtis seeccgo@gmail.com)
Paint N’ Play Art
Gallery, (in OLD TOWN MONROVIA)
is located at 418 South Myrtle Avenue Monrovia, CA.
The
two biggest fundraising events sponsored by MAFA are “Acknowledge the Arts”, held in the Spring and the “OCTOBER
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS” held at the Monrovia Library Park every year.
MAFA also sponsor the SUMMER ART WALKS every year on Myrtle Avenue in Monrovia.
The 2012 summer art walks are scheduled in June, July and August.
Bill
Beebe, President, Monrovia Association
of Fine Arts PO Box 92 Monrovia, CA 91017 (626-256-3124) www.monroviafinearts.org
“Enhance the lives of those within our community
through interaction with the arts. Increase the opportunities of our
children through art education.”
The Monrovia Arts Festival Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For further information
regarding this press release, please contact Ginger Van Hook
Writer/Photographer at Email: gingervanhook@gmail.com
or visit www.gingervanhook.com ## END.
