Roland Carter
Vic Oakes
Stan Townsend
Peggy Townsend
The Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award was created nine years ago to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts in Chattanooga and who are actively engaged in the cultural life of our community — so-called “arts builders'' who exemplify ArtsBuild’s mission to build a stronger community through the arts.
Today, the ArtsBuild board of directors announced this year’s recipients of this honor.
• Dr. Roland Carter. Roland M. Carter served as a music professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 24 years, and his undergraduate alma mater, Hampton University, for 25 years.
Both appointments included leadership roles and director of choirs. As a leading figure in the choral arts, his accomplishments include lectures, workshops, master classes and concerts with major choruses and orchestras in prestigious venues nationwide. He is especially noted as an authority on the performance and preservation of music of African American traditions and composers. Born in Chattanooga, he has a distinguished record of commitment and service to the arts, both locally and regionally.
• Vincent Oakes. Vincent Oakes holds a bachelor of music education degree from the University of Florida and a master of sacred music degree in choral conducting from Emory University. He is entering his 20th year as artistic director of the Chattanooga Boys Choir, a group which includes over 120 choristers aged eight-18 in five ensembles, and has performed and toured extensively. He is also the director of choral music at The Baylor School in Chattanooga. Under his direction, the choral program has more than tripled in size. He has received numerous awards for teaching and service. An advocate for arts education, choral and community partnerships, Vincent has founded several initiatives in the Tennessee Valley region.
• Peggy Wood Townsend. Peggy Wood Townsend holds a BA from Rhodes College and an MA in arts administration from the University of Cincinnati, and has had a long career and extensive volunteer service in the arts in Chattanooga. She has worked in the Education Department at the Hunter Museum of American Art, became the first full-time director of the Association for Visual Artists and was coordinator of the Department of Arts and Culture for Chattanooga Parks and Recreation. She oversaw the creation of the city’s first public art plan and served 10 years as director of Public Art Chattanooga. She and her husband, Stan Townsend, own Townsend Atelier, an independent visual art school in downtown Chattanooga.
• Stan Townsend. Stan Townsend holds a BA and MFA from East Tennessee State and is an accomplished working artist. He owned and operated Townsend Gallery, and was one of the founders of AVA. He was assistant director of the Hunter Museum of American Art and taught art there, as well as UTC and Chattanooga State, promoting and encouraging students to pursue careers as artists. His work has been integral to Chattanooga’s intentional efforts to include the arts at the forefront of community revitalization projects in the city since the 1990s.
These awards are named in memory of Ruth Holmberg, an iconic local business and civic leader and philanthropist for the arts and other causes during her life.
“Chattanooga is blessed to have many generous and visionary leaders who understand the many ways that the arts define our culture, support our youth, and enhance our economy,” says Board Chairwoman Rowena Belcher. “We are honored to recognize these exceptional community members this year and can’t wait to celebrate their many contributions.”
The Holmberg Awards will be presented as part of ArtsBuild’s inaugural InterMission, a fundraising event and celebration of Chattanooga’s arts community, benefiting ArtsBuild's support of community arts organizations and programming, as well as field trips for Hamilton County School's children. The inaugural event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. at the Roland Hayes Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Star of stage and screen Alan Cumming will be the featured guest at InterMission, where he will join local community leader and arts advocate Nicole Brown for a candid conversation about the impact of the arts on his life.
"Every person in every city deserves access to the arts, which is why ArtsBuild is so important to Chattanooga," said Mr. Cumming. "I'm excited to visit your city for the first time on Sept. 14 to celebrate with everyone at 'InterMission', and I can't wait to see you there."
Local artists and arts organizations, including dancers from CHA Ballet, musicians from the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Lon Eldridge, Emily Kate Boyd, Monica Ellison, Cherokee-Aaron Ellison, Iantha Newton, Charlie Newton and Scenic City Shakespeare will serve as a living showcase of Chattanooga’s arts community before and during the event.
“InterMission is going to be a celebration of the arts in our city, which means there are going to be plenty of surprises,” said Miles Huff, the event’s co-chair. “What we do know for certain is that you won’t want to miss a single second.”
InterMission is sponsored by TVA, EPB, Chattanooga Tourism Co., Chattanooga Times Free Press, LDG Development, U.S. Xpress and Coeo Media. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.
Tickets are $125. Visit
ArtsBuild.com/intermission to purchase tickets.