“My love affair with the Arts Center began in 1993 when it was still in the original building on 7th Street South. It was there that I met Margaret Steward in the upstairs studio which housed a tiny press. Margie became a lifelong friend along with other magnificent artist allies and creators whose visions, insight and encouragement I continue to draw upon today. “I entered the Arts Center’s Spring Juried Show in 1993 and won the top award, which entitled me to a solo exhibition the following year. That early recognition was a powerful gift and key to my endurance as an artist—reinforcing and sustaining my true identity for the next three decades while I continued to hold a work-a-day job. “The Arts Center remained a model for me in 1999, when I joined the staff of the Dunedin Fine Art Center. I honor and marvel at the Arts Center’s evolution. I celebrate its present incarnation and the vibrant hearts who’ve made it so.”