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Governor's Message
About the Governor's Awards
Arts Administration
Arts Education
Arts Patron
Business Support of the Arts
Community Development
and Participation
Individual Artist
Irma Lazarus
About the Artist
Award Artwork
About Arts Day
Acknowledgements
Kokorodza Marimba Ensemble
Event Sponsors
Media Sponsors
Table Sponsors
Additional Support
Award Selection Committee
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2012 Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio
Irma Lazarus Award
Barbara S. Robinson, Cleveland
Many Ohioans are wonderful proponents of the arts, but only a handful have dedicated their lives to promoting and supporting the arts and culture of this great state. Barbara S. Robinson of Cleveland is one of the devoted few, possessing an extraordinary record of leadership in the arts on the local, state, national and even international levels.
During her unprecedented four terms as chair of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Robinson coordinated the nationwide lobbying campaign that ultimately helped to save the National Endowment for the Arts from elimination, as proposed in the U.S. Senate. Her impressive arts advocacy work led to her being named to the advisory council for the U.S. Department of Education and elected to the board of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
Robinson served for 12 years as chair (and continues to serve as chair emeritus) of the Arts Midwest board, a nonprofit organization that serves audiences, arts organizations and artists throughout the nine-state Midwest region. She also serves as chair emeritus of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). From August 1983 through February 2001, Robinson served a record 18 years on the OAC board. In Cleveland, Robinson’s advocacy leadership as co-chair of a ballot issue to create local public funds to support the arts resulted in funding to create Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, which has supported 117 organizations and distributed more than $65 million since it began in 2007. Additionally, as a trustee of the College of Wooster, she chaired the committee that raised $5.1 million for the Scheide Music Center. And, under her chairmanship, the Cleveland Institute of Music completed a $43 million campaign.
Known for her thoughtful dedication to her work, Robinson has applied her keen understanding of the arts to her service on a variety of boards, including: Americans for the Arts, Musical Arts Association (governing board of the Cleveland Orchestra), Cleveland Museum of Art, Board of Overseers of Harvard University, National Board of Young Audiences and Cleveland Ballet. In 2001, Robinson received the Cleveland Arts Prize Special Citation for Distinguished Service to the Arts.
Barbara S. Robinson's video tribute (9:02 minutes)
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