MARTINSVILLE, Va. (June 23, 2025) – Piedmont Arts presented Marty Gardner and VisitMartinsville with the Clyde Hooker Award at a ceremony on June 18 at the museum.
The award was established in 2003 by the Piedmont Arts Board of Directors to recognize individuals and businesses in Martinsville-Henry County who have made significant contributions to Piedmont Arts and the arts and culture in our area. It is named in honor of J. Clyde Hooker Jr. for his generous support of the arts.
Gardner has been a dedicated supporter, tireless volunteer and vocal ambassador for Piedmont Arts for more than 50 years. She served as project chair of the Shared Vision Campaign in the late 1990s, acting as a key liaison between the expansion of the building and its ongoing operations during a critical time in the museum's history. More recently, she co-chaired the Growth and Restoration Campaign, which funded urgent facility needs and strengthened Piedmont Arts' foundation for years to come. She and the campaign committee continue to work on major projects, like outfitting the museum with solar panels. Her fingerprints and name are all over Piedmont Arts from its day-to-day efforts to the major projects that have shaped the museum into the cultural icon it is today.
VisitMartinsville plays an indispensable role in shaping how people experience and appreciate the community. As the official tourism office for Martinsville and Henry County, operating under the umbrella of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation, the organization has become an invaluable partner to Piedmont Arts, consistently promoting museum events through its website and interactive calendar. The organization's support ensures that both locals and travelers are aware of the vibrant arts offerings in our community. Its mission perfectly aligns with Piedmont Arts’ vision of connecting the community through the arts and reinforces the essential role that the arts play in our economy and daily lives.
The museum also recognized Arts in Education Award recipient Charity League of Martinsville and Henry County and the recipients of the Nicodemus Hufford and Harold Knowlton Work Memorial Art Scholarships.
Charity League is a service organization of more than 400 active and sustainer women in Martinsville and Henry County. Members of Charity League coordinate the Foster Gallery at Piedmont Arts, which provides a space for students attending local schools to show their work throughout the year. The organization has also supported major Piedmont Arts educational programs like Minds in Motion. The group has helped fund educational scholarships, Missoula Theatre and programs by Patriot Players, Boys & Girls Club, Girls on the Run, 4H Summer Camps, YMCA, Brighter Christmas, Grace Network, Smart Beginnings and the Martinsville Library.
Breanna Boyd and Scarlett Norman were the recipients of the Nicodemus Hufford Memorial Arts Scholarship.
Boyd is a senior at Bassett High School who has been accepted into the School of Music at James Madison University. She is first chair clarinet, drum major, section leader, a two-time member of All State Band, a finalist for All-American Band and was chosen by her peers to receive the Best of Bassett award. She is currently taking part in an internship program with an elementary music teacher and middle school band director. She hopes to inspire and nurture young musicians just as her teachers have done for her.
Norman is a senior at Carlisle School. She has been accepted at High Point University where she will double major in musical theatre and marketing. She loves acting and performed the role of Dorothy in the Children’s Theater of Greensboro production of “The Wizard of Oz.” She plans to use her education and experience to continue performing and eventually become an executive producer for a community theatre company.
Nathan Hopkins, Ainsley Jones and Onyinye Ugbomah-Otunuya were the recipients of the Harold Knowlton Work Memorial Arts Scholarship.
Hopkins is a rising junior at Longwood University. He is a first-generation college student pursuing a degree in music education. He has taken part in many music ensembles at Longwood, including Wind Symphony, University Band, Jazz Band and the Camerate Singers. He is a member of the National Association for Music Educators, the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Student Council, the Cormier Honors College and the Honors Student Association.
Jones is a rising senior at Radford University pursuing a degree in dance with a concentration in dance entrepreneurship. She hopes to perform in the entertainment industry after graduating. She plans to return to school to obtain a Masters degree and eventually become a dance professor or run her own studio where she can offer scholarships to students in need.
Ugbomah-Otunuya is a rising senior at Longwood University pursuing a double major in graphic design and psychology. For her senior thesis project she illustrated a motion piece detailing the varying ethnicities of her native Africa. Her goal is to use her education for a career in art therapy.
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