The Yocum Institute for Arts Education will present the 2014 Coggins Award to local artist Rich Houck on Thursday at the Stirling Guest Hotel, 1120 Centre Ave.

Houck has been heavily involved at the institute for many years as an outstanding faculty member who also teaches at Alvernia University.

His work with young and older students inspires their creative spirits.

He is a past judge of the annual Junior/Senior High School Art Exhibit.

Houck was nominated by members of the artistic community in Berks County for the Coggins Award for not only his talent but his giving spirit.

Houck holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and a certification for art education K-12 from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. He studied under Warren Rohrer and Steve Jaffee.

He has more than 15 years of teaching experience. H0uck was a founding artist at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts and had a personal studio there.

He is a lifelong artist and a native of Berks County. He has studied in Philadelphia and Rome. He has resided and worked in Manhattan, Lancaster and Rose Valley, Delaware County, and is well-traveled in the U.S. and internationally.
He is a husband and father who returned to Berks to raise and be near family.

Houck has been recognized as an inventive and versatile artist in a variety of media. Over the past 20 years, he has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the United States and in Rome.

The public is invited to attend the 2014 Coggins Award presentation and reception at Stirling Guest Hotel.

The Coggins Award, established in 2006, recognizes artists who embrace the values that the late artist Jack Coggins exhibited: creativity, innovation and service to the institute and the community.

Tickets to the event are $45 for members of the institute and $50 for nonmembers. Proceeds from this event will benefit the visual-arts department. To purchase tickets for the event or make a contribution in honor of Rich Houck, please call the institute at 610-376-1576, ext. 203.