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Artist Dahlov Ipcar, UMaine’s Research Associate Professor Joyce Longcore, and Maine Rep. Lillian O’Brien were honored this year for their accomplishments in the arts, education and women’s advocacy. They were joined by University of Maine at Farmington student Mallory Cyr, who received the Young Women’s Social Justice Award for her achievement in community service.
“Women statewide are eligible for the awards, and the committee tries to achieve a balance of geographical, interest area, and age,” said Mazie Hough, Associate Director of Women in the Curriculum and member of the Maryann Hartman Awards Committee.
UMaine’s Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program sponsor the awards. Created in 1984, the Maryann Hartman Awards Ceremony is an annual event celebrating the significant contributions of Maine women in a variety of fields. Named for the late professor of speech communications, the awards honor the spirit and achievement that Hartman epitomized.
“I have been part of the celebration for the past 11 years, and it never fails to surprise and delight how warm the women are and how inspiring it is to read each year’s applicants,” said Hough.
Dahlov Ipcar is a nationally recognized artist best known for her colorful collages featuring jungle and farm animals and has exhibited her paintings at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She has also written and illustrated more than 40 children’s books, and her work was featured in the Maine Masters Series on Maine PBS.
Joyce Longcore is world-renowned for her chytrid research. After raising her family, she returned to graduate school to earn her Ph.D., she discovered a fungus that threatened to destroy the global amphibian population. In addition to sharing her research with other scholars, she passes along her enthusiasm of science to others.
“She radiated contentment and enthusiasm for fungi. Her excitement makes me want to learn more about fungi,” said Andrea Carlson, UMaine sophomore majoring in theater.
Lillian O’Brien is a member of the Maine State House of Representatives and an advocate for women and children. She has served as the first woman regional manager of the Welfare-to-Work Program, co-founded the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project and started a tenant’s union. She continues her work to improve the lives of women.
The Young Women’s Social Justice Award is in its third year. “There is so much taking place in high schools and colleges that the committee wanted to recognize students making a difference in an unusual way,” said Hough.
This year’s recipient of the Young Women’s Social Justice Award is Mallory Cyr, a first-year student at the University of Maine at Farmington. Through her experience with a chronic health condition, she is out spoken in her work to enhance accessibility through architectural design and education. In 2002, she was a founding member of the Youth Advisory Committee to the Children with Special Needs Program of the Maine Department of Human Services.
“It is easy to overlook the small things that affect other people every day,” said Cyr. “We need to increase awareness, so people will know how important these issues are in life.”
Bangor Daily News