An author, a musician and an art teacher are among the winners of this year's Annie awards.
In all, Annie awards were presented by the Cultural Arts Foundation of Anne Arundel County to six people who enrich the county's art scene, including Annapolis photographer Marion Warren, who won the lifetime achievement award.
"I feel honored to receive this award after putting all these years into photography," said Warren, whose camera has captured life in the county and state for more than 60 years. "It's nice to be rewarded by the community I live in."
Like the television industry's Emmy and the Broadway theater's Tony, the Annie is awarded for contributions to or excellence in the arts. The awards, which are in their second year, were to be presented last night at Key Auditorium at St. John's College.
Grants awarded
During the reception, the Cultural Arts Foundation also awarded grants to several nonprofit county arts and cultural institutions
Annies were awarded to county individuals who have made lasting contributions to visual arts, literary arts, performing arts, education and art patronage.
John B. Moore Jr. of Annapolis received the Arts Patron Annie for his contributions as a founder of the Mitchell Gallery at St. John's College and supporter of the Friends of St. John's, and for his service as vice president and chairman of long-range planning of the Annapolis Symphony. He has also served as a board member at Maryland Hall, is a member of the advisory board of First Night Annapolis and is a county representative to Maryland Arts Day.
An Annie for Literary Arts was awarded to Ann Jensen of Annapolis, author of numerous books about Anne Arundel County and Maryland, including Chesapeake Bay Schooners and Leonard Calvert and the Maryland Adventure. For more than 20 years, Jensen also wrote regularly for Annapolitan Magazine.
Jensen said she was "honored and thrilled" to receive the award.
"I really enjoy writing," she said. "It's something I've done for over 25 years and like to do so much that I would do it anyway."
A Visual Arts Annie was awarded to artist and teacher Cedric Egeli of Edgewater, who is a member of the American Portrait Society, grand prize recipient of the 1979 national portrait competition in New York and faculty member of the National Portrait Seminar and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. He has painted portraits of a president, admirals, generals, Cabinet members and numerous county residents during his long career.
