OC Arts Awards Mark 25 Years of Creativity and Community
- Richard Chang
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
Representatives from dozens of local arts organizations gather to honor Jorg Dubin, Jared Mathis, Rick Stein and other influential arts figures and organizations.
The 25th OC Arts Awards, recognizing outstanding local achievements in the arts, were held Tuesday night at Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa, in the heart of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Arts Orange County, the county’s nonprofit arts council, produced and hosted the event, which was attended by current and former ArtsOC board members, sponsors, artists and others affiliated with the local arts scene.
A new pair of emcees helmed the ceremony Tuesday – Tiffany Ana López, dean of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UC Irvine, and Patrick Brien, the relatively new (since July 1) president and CEO of Arts Orange County. Brien took the podium in the spot where former president and CEO Rick Stein had presided over the proceedings for about 17 years, minus a year when nearly everything shut down because of the COVID pandemic.
“It’s always difficult following an act like Rick Stein, who has a 17-year legacy doing the arts awards,” Brien said. “To a certain extent, I was following his format, but also trying to breathe a little bit of freshness to it. I think that it went well. We had a great group of honorees.”
PHOTO 1: Jorg Dubin, the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Visionary Artist honoree, gave his acceptance speech at the OC Arts Awards. Photo by Laila Freeman, Culture OC. PHOTO 2: Jorg Dubin, right, with his presenter Dan Faltz, senior cultural arts supervisor for the Huntington Beach Arts Center. Photo courtesy of ArtsOC
The 2025 Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Awards went to Jorg Dubin for Visionary Artist, and Jared Mathis and the Moulton Family for Visionary Arts Patrons. Dubin has been an important figure in Orange County’s artistic landscape for over five decades, maintaining a prolific career as a painter, sculptor and mentor. His artistic oeuvre includes painting, ceramics and site-specific sculpture, as well as film production design.
A series of Dubin’s paintings illustrated the transition of the former El Toro Marine Air Station after its closing, and a site-specific memorial, “Semper Memento,” recognizes Sept. 11 for the city of Laguna Beach. A more recent sculpture, the 60-foot-high “Mercury Falling,” can be found on the corner of the Skyloft apartment complex at the intersection of Main Street and Jamboree Road in Irvine.
“I want to thank my folks, who dragged me here to Orange County from Eugene, Oregon, back in 1969. They always supported my life as an artist,” said Dubin, whose name was incorrectly projected and announced as “Durbin” during the awards presentation. “Being an artist is not an easy path, and so to be recognized after almost 50 years of creating art here in Orange County was a big deal to me.”
Dubin also acknowledged real estate developer and arts champion Henry Segerstrom for elevating the arts in Orange County during his illustrious life. Segerstrom died at age 91 in February 2015.
PHOTO 1: Jared Mathis, CEO of the Moulton Company, right, stands with his presenter, Rick Smetanka, partner-in-charge of the Audit & Business Advisory Services Group of Haskell & White LLP. Photo courtesy of ArtsOC. PHOTO 2: Jared Mathis gives his acceptance speech for the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Visionary Arts Patrons award at the OC Arts Awards. Photo by Laila Freeman, Culture OC
Jared Mathis, CEO of the Moulton Company, has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Laguna College of Art + Design (as chair), Chapman University’s Board of Governors, Laguna Playhouse and Laguna Art Museum (on the Director’s Circle). Mathis and the Moulton family helped found the Mouton Museum in 2022, where he serves as president. Mathis was also elected to the Laguna Hills City Council in 2024.
“It’s truly a wonderful honor,” Mathis said. “Helena Modjeska was a friend of my great-grandmother, Nellie Gail Moulton, so it’s particularly unique and special for me to receive this award tonight.”
PHOTO 1: Richard Stein, former president and CEO of Arts Orange County, accepts his Special Recognition award for his lifetime of service to the arts in Orange County. PHOTO 2: Richard Stein with his two presenters, founding Arts Orange County board members Susan Hori, left, and Mary Lyons. Photos courtesy of ArtsOC. PHOTO 3: A sweet moment with presenters Susan Hori, left, and Mary Lyons as they present Rick Stein. Photo by Laila Freeman, Culture OC
A Special Recognition award went to Stein, the former head of Arts Orange County for 17 years. He retired in June 2025, but has since joined the California Arts Council.
“I’m deeply moved and honored that ArtsOC has chosen to recognize me tonight,” Stein said. “I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to its board of directors, who have supported me throughout my time leading the organization. What makes Arts Orange County great is that all of you artists, and arts leaders and arts patrons and arts educators, you are the foundation for the cultural life we enjoy here. Our community thrives because of your efforts. Please, keep up the good work!”
Annual Achievement award winners, from left: Bin He, conductor for South Coast Chinese Orchestra, honored as Outstanding Artist; Arnold Holland, dean of the California State University, Fullerton College of the Arts, accepts on the behalf of the college for Outstanding Contribution to the Built Environment; Ana Jimenez-Hami, founder and executive director of Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center, accepts on behalf of the center for Outstanding Arts Organization; and Genevieve Williams, curator and gallery owner of GW Contemporary, honored as an Emerging Arts Leader. Photos courtesy of ArtsOC
Annual achievement awards were also given out Tuesday night:
Bin He, the conductor for South Coast Chinese Orchestra, won the achievement award for Outstanding Artist. Among his many accomplishments, he composed the original music to “Legends,” which made its world premiere at Segerstrom Hall in October 2024.
Cal State Fullerton and its College of the Arts won the achievement award for Outstanding Contribution to the Built Environment for completing and opening its $65 million Visual Arts Complex in October 2024. Arnold Holland, the dean of CSUF’s College of the Arts, was on hand to receive the award.
The Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Center (OCCTAC) won the award for Outstanding Arts Organization. Founder and executive director Ana Jimenez-Hami received the award on behalf of the nonprofit that provides artistic, educational and therapeutic programs to children, at-risk youth and their families.
Curator Genevieve Williams won the award for Emerging Arts Leader. She served as director of Peter Blake Gallery from 2015 to 2022, and was director and curator of the Honarkar Foundation in Laguna Beach. In July, she launched GW Contemporary, a curator-led gallery in Laguna Beach.
PHOTO 1: OC Arts Award hosts Patrick Brien, president and CEO of Arts Orange County, and Tiffany Ana López, Claire Trevor Dean of the Arts, UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts. PHOTO 2: Hannah (left) and Ruby Huntington perform “I Will Never Leave You” from the musical “Sideshow.” PHOTO 3: Ella He (right) on the guzheng, along with Emma He on the bamboo flute and Emily Chien on cello, members of the South Coast Chinese Orchestra, perform at the ceremony. Photos courtesy of ArtsOC
Tuesday night’s program also featured performances by musicians in Bin He’s “Legends”; dancer Katherine Lingle and pianist Gialan Tonthat; and musical theater singers Hanna and Ruby Huntington. The evening’s music director was Daniel Nathan Spector.
The awards ceremony featured a special “In Memoriam” tribute to those who have passed away in the last year. Among those recognized were television broadcaster Ed Arnold, glass artist and longtime Sawdust Art Festival participant John Barber, South Coast Repertory founding artistic director Martin Benson, arts journalist and Culture OC contributor Lawrence Christon, sculptor Fred Eversley, playwright Richard Greenberg and Hilbert Museum co-founder and arts philanthropist Jan Hilbert.
Jazz guitarist Ron Eschete performed at the VIP reception, and the after-party band was the Ron Kobayashi Trio.
Patrick Brien, quoted in this story, is chair of the advisory board for Culture OC.
More photos from the 25th OC Arts Awards
PHOTO 1: Bob Davis and Susan K. Hori, Arts Orange County secretary at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP reception.
PHOTO 2: Debora Wondercheck, founder and CEO of the Arts and Learning Conservatory at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP reception.
PHOTO 3: From left, PBS SoCal producer Maria Hall-Brown, Barbara Kingsbury, past chair of Arts Orange County Board of Directors Mary Lyons, Patricia Dreyfus and Bobbi Purcell at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP reception.
PHOTO 4: Guests visit with Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Special Recognition honoree Richard Stein (center) at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP reception.
PHOTO 5: Playwright and Performer Jeyna Lynn Gonzales and Irvine Barclay Theatre donor relations manager Elizabeth Sun at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP reception.
PHOTO 6: Cheri Smetanka, Rick Smetanka, Susan K. Hori and Bob Davis at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP reception.
PHOTO 7: Michelle Brouwer, Irvine Barclay Theatre director of programming, Michelle Merker, PBS SoCal producer, and Chris Ahola at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP reception.
PHOTO 8: Attendees at the Orange County Arts Awards VIP dinner, held in the lobby of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
PHOTO 9: Inside Samueli Theater. At the Orange County Arts Awards ceremony, guests are seated at tables complete with an assortment of desserts.
PHOTO 10: The Orange County Arts Awards ceremony audience.
Photos by Laila Freeman, Culture OC
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