TBBCA Awards 2023 Charlie Hounchell Arts Schloarships

Tampa Bay BCA Awards $15,000 to the 2023 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarship Winners
Tampa, Fla. (May 12, 2023) – Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts (TBBCA) is pleased to announce the 2023 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarship winners.
Since the Art Stars Scholarship Program was founded in 2008 by Tampa Bay BCA’s past Board President, the late Charlie Hounchell, the non-profit has awarded over $240,000 to more than 95 students, most of whom have come from public high schools. This year’s awardees will each receive $2,500 for tuition or other student support.
“It is Tampa Bay BCA’s hope that these high-impact scholarships enable area students to continue to thrive while honing their talents,” said Leslie Wager Hudock, Tampa Bay BCA Board President. “We are so proud of the talent that has been fostered here in the Tampa Bay area and thrilled to be able to honor these deserving students.”

The 2023 scholarships were awarded in six artistic categories to the following exceptional students:
• Dance – Lauren Scotch, Steinbrenner High School
• Theatre – Alana Hogan, Gibbs High School
• Instrumental Music – Myra Sexton, Howard W. Blake High School
• Vocal Music – Kaia Owens, Tampa Preparatory School
• Visual Arts – Phillip Woodside, Howard W. Blake High School
• Literary Arts – Kennedy Engasser, Land O’Lakes High School
The scholarship winners were selected based on their talent and merit by judges renowned in their fields:
• Lisa Unger, award-winning New York Times and internationally best-selling author
• Joanna Robotham, Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art, Tampa Museum of Art
• Helen Hansen French, Juilliard graduate, choreographer/dancer/educator, and founder of Dance Collectives
• Eugenie Bondurant, acclaimed film and television actor, singer, and educator
• Paul Wilborn, Director of The Palladium, bandleader and musician, author of the recently published
Cigar City: Tales From a 1980’s Creative Ghetto
• Dawne Eubanks, classical soloist and voice instructor at Eckerd College and Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School
The awards will be presented at a reception hosted by Dr. Ronald Vaughn and Renée Vaughn, University of Tampa, at the Ferman Center for the Arts on May 17, 2023 at 5:30PM.
The annual Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships are made possible by the vision and contributions of our many generous community business pARTners, private foundations, and individual donors. Their support of these exceptional students exemplifies their commitment to the importance of the arts in our community as they pursue advanced education in their respective crafts.

Tampa Bay BCA welcomes voluntary donations in support of The Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships online at https://www.tbbca.org/programs-events/art-stars-scholarships. For further information, contact Executive Director Zora Carrier at 813-221-2787.

The Winners of the 2023 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships

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