Governor Strickland Presents Welcome Address at 2008 Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon
by Jami Goldstein
Governor Ted Strickland and First Lady Frances Strickland attended the 2008 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon on Wednesday, April 16 at 12 p.m. The governor presented the welcome address at the luncheon hosted by the Ohio Arts Council and Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. The event was held at the Columbus Athenaeum in downtown Columbus and once again combined the popular luncheon format with the awards ceremony. Senate President Bill Harris and Speaker of the House Jon Husted presented the awards to each of the 2008 Governor’s Award recipients.
Award categories and recipients include: Arts Administration, Marcie Goodman, Cleveland International Film Festival (Cleveland); Arts in Education, Michael Huffman, Lima City Schools (Lima); Arts Patron, Susan Reams (Perrysburg); Business Support of the Arts, Limited Brands (Columbus); Community Development and Participation, Dr. Catherine Roma, MUSE, Cincinnati Women’s Choir, Umoja Men’s Chorus and Voices of Freedom Choir (Cincinnati); and Individual Artists, Dr. Burton Beerman, composer/musician (Bowling Green) and Steve Free, singer/songwriter (McDermott). Winners will receive an original work of art by Ohio painter Betsy DeFusco.
The 2008 Governor’s Awards ceremony and luncheon was held in conjunction with Arts Day, Wednesday, April 16. This daylong event demonstrating public value and support for the arts was sponsored by Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. Arts Day included an arts advocacy briefing, legislative visits and student exhibitions.
The 2008 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon were made possible by The National Endowment for the Arts and Ohio Government Telecommunications. Media sponsors include Cincinnati Enquirer, The Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, Ohio Magazine, Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association, The Plain Dealer, The Blade and Time Warner Cable.
More information about the Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon, including a full list of past winners, is available on the Ohio Arts Council Web site at www.oac.state.oh.us/events/GovAwards.
Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation provides education about the arts in Ohio and educates citizens about ways to participate effectively in their government. The OCA Foundation partners with the Ohio Arts Council in the annual presentation of Arts Day and the Governor Arts Awards for the Arts in Ohio ceremony.
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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