Winners of 2016 Farmington Area Arts Awards: The Full List

FARMINGTON, MI – For the first time in the four decade history an event celebrating the importance of the arts in Farmington and Farmington Hills, an outstanding high school art teacher is being recognized as part of the High School Student Art Competition Awards.

The winner is Kimmi Dukes, an art teacher at Harrison High High School since 1999. Dukes was selected for the honor by the Farmington Area Arts Commission based on student nominations.

“My job has afforded me the opportunity to get to know and work with so many amazing students over the years,” Dukes said. “I've loved art my whole life, but these kids have inspired me more than I could ever have imagined.”

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Dukes and other winners will be recognized at the Festival of the Arts Reception and Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 15, at the Costick Center, 28600 W. 11 Mile Road in Farmington Hills. The reception starts at 6 p.m. with the ceremony following at 7.

The event marks the 40th year of recognizing excellence in the arts in the Farmington community. Other awards to be presented include:

Watroba, who sings and writes about compassion, inner strength, humor and everyday living, was named the Best Overall Folk Performer at the Detroit Music Awards in 2000. He has shared the stage with famous performers including Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and has a passion for bringing people together through music.

The Distinguished Service to the Arts Award recognizes outstanding service to the community in the creative arts by a group or individual. The 2016 honoree is John Glick, artist and owner of Plum Tree Pottery Studio, established in Farmington Hills in 1965.

Glick’s comprehensive body of work, from experimental and abstract to beautiful and functional, speaks for itself. His pottery is displayed in museums and galleries throughout the country and internationally. The award is a well-deserved tribute to his contribution to the arts in the city where he resides, as well as throughout the world.

The 2016 High School Student Art Competition winners were chosen by juror Ted Hadfield, an accomplished artist and graduate of the Cranbrook Institute of Arts, who owns Artpack Services Inc. of Farmington Hills. The winners are:

Two-Dimensional

First Place: Jinghan Hu, Mercy High School (pictured)

Second Place: Julia Rhode, North Farmington High School

Third Place: Bianca Seely, Mercy High School

Three-Dimensional

First Place: Hannah Pascual, Mercy High School (pictured)

Second Place: Taylor Lombard, Mercy High School

Third Place: Haley Rashid, Farmington High School

Photography

First Place: Makayla Jennings, Mercy High School (pictured)

Second Place: Cleopatra Weeks, Mercy High School

Third Place: Danna Matson, Farmington High School

Honorable Mentions

Maranda Stano, Mercy High School: Jenna Bratke, High School; Olivia Gibaratz, Mercy High School; Elizabeth Leonard, High School; Hannah Pascual, High School; and Elizabeth Bartels, High School.

The work of winners of the Farmington Art Foundation’s juried show will be included in an April 14-16 exhibit at the Festival of the Arts.Those individuals are:

First place, Kitty Weaver; second place, Sue Malleck; third place, Richard Adams; fourth place, Dean Racke; honorable mentions, Marci Baker, Daria Fileta, Jan Hall, Sue Malleck, Linda Pelowski, Elaine Silk and Kitty Weaver.

Also to be honored are the Farmington Hills Arts Foundation, PTA Reflections, and Farmington Area High School Students.

About the Event

The reception and ceremony, which are open to all ages, features appetizers, a cash bar for those 21 and older and music by the Oakland Community College Jazz Band.

Also performing will be the Farmington Hills Youth Theatre’s “Seussical” cast, music by 2016 Artist in Residence winner Watroba; Armenian musician Ara Topouzia;, Nadanta Indian Dance; Farmington Hills vocal groups TruNorth and Northern Lights; dance by Farmington Public Schools PTA Reflections award winner Nina Kobayashi; and Susie Lee, violinist and scholarship awardee from the Farmington Musicale.

Tickets are only $10 per person when purchased by April 7, or $15 per person beginning April 8. Purchase tickets online at or in person at the Costick Center. For more information, call 248-473-1848.

The Festival of the Arts is produced annually by the Farmington Hills Special Services Department/Cultural Arts Division, the Farmington Community Arts Council, Farmington Public Schools, and the Farmington Area Arts Commission.

Financial support comes from the Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation and Mercedes Benz Financial Services.