THIS HAS BEEN a year of change for Carroll County Arts Council: eyeing a new location, hiring a visual arts coordinator and, recently, unveiling a logo.
Artists Tom Holder of Westminster and Kimberly Lomax of Sykesville shared the $500 prize for contributing elements that form the logo. They also share the pride of knowing that their logo will be printed on business cards, letterhead, T-shirts, coffee mugs and other items for Carroll County Arts Council.
Just as a work of art can be interpreted in a variety of ways, people see the logo in different ways. Some people see an "a," some see a "c." Some see a dancer, and a few people have noticed a resemblance to Mary cradling baby Jesus.
"I like the fact that the logo can't be interpreted as just one thing," said arts council board member Beth Tevis. "The logo flows gracefully."
Tevis' assessment pleases the artists. They said that when they worked on the design, they wanted lines that were soothing and a design that was easily recognizable. Simple, yet complex.
"The logo is like poetry," Holder said, "It needs to convey the best characteristics of the arts council in a condensed form. It needed to convey a celebration of the arts."
Lomax created the "c" portion of the logo, and Holder created the side of the "a." The arts council's designer, Jackie Leister of Leister Design in Westminster, melded elements of both entries to form the logo.
Lomax worked for six years as a graphic designer and now stays home with her daughter Anna. The logo contest offered her the chance to stay involved in her field, she said, adding, "It's great knowing that my work is part of something that is lasting and that will be used in a variety of ways."
Holder, known in the Westminster area for his creative chalkboard murals in the lobby of Harry's Main Street Grille, said he submitted a logo similar to this back in the early 1980s, but "this time, with the joint effort, the logo made it further than my personal filing cabinet."
Residents and local businesses submitted more than 100 entries.
"I was so amazed, and so appreciative of the fact that many people submitted entries of high quality," said Sandy Oxx, the council's executive director. "Narrowing it down to one was daunting, but the fact that the logo we ultimately selected is elegant and imaginative helped it rise to the top.
"We believe that the new logo exemplifies the spirit of freshness and change that our move to the new Carroll Arts Center represents," Oxx added. "It should serve us well for years to come."
Living Treasure
Westminster resident Mary Jo Evelius honors her mother, Ginny Harreld, also of Westminster, as her Living Treasure this week.
"Her family is her accomplishment in life," said Mary Jo. "She was a stay-home mom who at one time wanted to be a nurse, but chose her family as her first priority. The road hasn't always been smooth, but she never calls attention to the bumps. Her optimism always prevails."
Brighten the day of someone who has made a positive difference in your life. Submit a name and specific reasons why that person has been your Living Treasure to Lisa Breslin, 35 Ridge Road, Westminster 21157, or 410-848-4703.
Lisa Breslin's Central Carroll neighborhood column appears each Monday in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.