Registration Opens for the 40th Annual Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio & Arts Day Luncheon
by Stephanie Dawson

Registration is now open for the 2011 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio luncheon. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the luncheon, which will be held at noon on May 11, 2011 at the Columbus Athenaeum in downtown Columbus. The luncheon is hosted by the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. Single tickets, which must be purchased online at the Ohio Arts Council website, are $50 and include lunch and a dessert reception. Table sponsorships are also available through the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. Registration closes on April 11, 2011.

Seven winners, selected from 73 nominations submitted by individuals and organizations across Ohio, will receive the 2011 Governor’s Awards for the Arts during the luncheon ceremony. Winners also will receive an original work of art by Dayton photographer Francis Schanberger.

The seven award categories and recipients are: Arts Administration, Art Falco, PlayhouseSquare (Cleveland); Arts Education, Michael Kenwood Lippert (Dayton); Arts Patron, Mary Wolfe (Perrysburg); Business Support of the Arts, Freund, Freeze & Arnold (Dayton); Community Development & Participation, Lancaster Festival (Lancaster); Individual Artist, James Friedman, photographer (Columbus); Irma Lazarus Award, Dr. Wayne Lawson (Columbus).

Registration information is available on the Ohio Arts Council website at www.oac.ohio.gov/events/GovAwards. Additionally, advertisements may be purchased for the Governor’s Awards program by visiting http://www.oac.ohio.gov/Events/GovAwards/Default.asp?strStaticPage=Advertising. Placing an advertisement in the luncheon program is an excellent way to congratulate a winner, promote an upcoming season, exhibition or performance, highlight a tourism venue or thank legislators for their support of the arts.

The 2011 Governor’s Awards ceremony and luncheon will be held in conjunction with Arts Day on May 11, 2011. Arts Day, which was created to foster a greater awareness of the value of the arts in Ohio, is a daylong event focused on advocating for the arts. It will feature tours of the Ohio Statehouse, legislative visits and exhibits and performances by students. Citizens are encouraged to participate in Arts Day by visiting with state legislators and communicating the need for public support of the arts and arts education.

Every year on Arts Day, Columbus is filled with arts supporters who share the importance of the arts in their communities. For more information on how to participate, or how to purchase table sponsorships for the luncheon, contact the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation at info@ohiocitizensforthearts.org or 614/221-4064.

The 2011 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon are presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Ohio Government Telecommunications. Media sponsors include The Blade, The Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, Ohio Magazine, WCBE-90.5 FM and CD101@102.5 FM.

About the Ohio Arts Council:
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.

About the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation:
The 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.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE LUNCHEON!