Winners Announced for 2006 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio
by Jami Goldstein
Seven winners have been selected for the 2006 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio. Winners were selected from 57 nominations submitted by individuals and organizations from around the state. Awards will be presented at a ceremony honoring winners and members of the Ohio Legislature hosted by the Ohio Arts Council and Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation on March 29, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. at The Capitol Theatre in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts in Columbus. Winners will receive an original work of art by Ohio fabric artist Sue Cavanaugh.
Award categories and recipients are: Arts in Education, Jack Louiso (Cincinnati); Community Development and Participation, Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center (Portsmouth); Arts Administration, Nannette Maciejunes (Columbus); Arts Patron, David and Georgia Welles (Toledo); Individual Artist, Steven Bognar (Yellow Springs); Business Support of the Arts, Park National Bank (Newark).
The Irma Lazarus Award will be given to Erich Kunzel, Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops. The award honors the memory of Irma Lazarus, who made countless contributions as an arts patron, advocate and leader in the development of state funding for the arts in Ohio. It goes to an organization or individual who has helped shape public support for the arts through their work as advocates and have brought statewide, national and international recognition to Ohio through sustained dedication to artistic excellence. The Irma Lazarus Award is presented at the discretion of the Ohio Arts Council Board.
The 2006 Governor’s Awards Selection Committee, made up of Ohio Arts Council Board members, included committee chair Martha Burton (Portsmouth), Nancy Fernandez (Springboro), Charlotte Kessler (New Albany), Michael Radcliffe (Columbus), Susan Sofia (Columbus), Peggy Walter (Columbus) and Ginger Warner (Cincinnati).
More information about the Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio, including a full list of past winners, is available on the Ohio Arts Council Web site at http://www.oac.state.oh.us/events/GovAwards/.
The Governor’s Awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with Arts Day, March 29, 2006. This daylong event demonstrating public value and support for the arts is sponsored by Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. Arts Day will include an arts advocacy briefing, legislative visits, workshops, Statehouse tours and student exhibitions.
Arts Day was created to foster a greater awareness of the value of the arts in Ohio. Citizens are encouraged to participate in Arts Day by visiting with their state legislators and communicating the need for public support of the arts and arts education. Each year on Arts Day Columbus is filled with arts supporters sharing the importance of the arts in their communities. For more information or to learn how you can participate in Arts Day contact Ohio Citizens for the Arts at http://www.ohiocitizensforthearts.org/ or 614/221-4064.
The 2006 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day are made possible by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Cinergy Foundation, and Ohio Government Telecommunications. Media sponsors include the Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, Ohio Cable Telecommunications, The Plain Dealer and Time Warner Cable.
Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation was formed in 1990 as a companion organization of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts, which was established in 1976. OCA is a volunteer, nonprofit grass roots organization working to increase public support of the arts in Ohio. Through the efforts of hundreds of individuals and arts and education organizations, Ohio Citizens for the Arts advocates on behalf of the Ohio Arts Council and the arts throughout the state.
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
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To view winner biographies, please click here:
http://www.oac.state.oh.us/events/GovAwards/StaticPages/2006GovAwardBios.pdf
To view a list of nominees by city, please click here:
http://www.oac.state.oh.us/events/GovAwards/StaticPages/2006Nomineesbycity.pdf
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