CELEBRATE JAPAN IN DUBLIN, OHIO

Dublin Arts Council's Celebration of Japan Festival, February 24 at Dublin High School, includes Japanese performances, workshops and activities. Hear the sounds of traditional Taiko or traditional Japanese flute. Learn how to participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Delight in demonstrations by martial arts experts. Enjoy Japanese food and storytelling as well as family activities including kite making and fish printing. The festival is free and open to the public. For more information call 614/889-7444 or visit www.dublinarts.org.

GOVERNOR APPOINTS OHIO ARTS COUNCIL BOARD MEMBERS

Governor Bob Taft has named Susan R. Sofia of Bexley as chair of the Ohio Arts Council Board. Barbara Robinson, previous chair, has been appointed chair emeritus, and Sheila Markley has been named vice chair. Martha MacDonell of Lima also has been appointed to the board.

"I am honored to be appointed chair of the most successful and innovative state arts council in the country," said Susan Sofia. "Our number one priority for the Ohio Arts Council is education." Sofia has been a board member since 1995. She is past chairman of Twig III of Children's Hospital and founder and past chairman of Popcorn Pops at Children's as well as past chairman of the board of Marburn Academy. Sofia has served in other community organizations including Action for Children, Ballet Met, the Central Ohio Lung Association, Columbus School for Girls, the Columbus Academy, Boy Scouts of America, and The Junior League.

Barbara Robinson from Bratenahl had been chair of the Ohio Arts Council since 1987 and served four terms as chair of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. In 1996 she was elected chair of Arts Midwest, a regional organization serving nine states including Ohio. She serves on the boards of Cleveland Institute of Music, Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau and Young Audiences, Inc. in New York City.

Martha MacDonell of Lima was a founding member of the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima and has held leadership roles in community organizations in Lima for nearly 30 years. She is director of American House, which has presented hundreds of public programs that integrate local traditions of work, culture and ethnicity with contemporary life.

The Ohio Arts Council Board consists of 15 gubernatorial appointees and four non-voting members from the Ohio legislature. Speaker of the House Larry Householder appointed Representatives Patricia Clancy (District 35, Cincinnati) and Barbara Sykes (District 44, Akron) and Senate President Richard Finan appointed Senator Priscilla Mead (District 16, Columbus) and reappointed Senator Robert Hagan (District 33, Youngstown) to the Council Board. 

GOVERNOR'S AWARDS
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development of state funding for the arts in Ohio.

A silent auction will be held for the centerpieces, flowers made from recycled metal, wood and acrylic paint by Passion Works Studio artists. Passion Works gives people with developmental disabilities opportunities to work with artists and community members to create unique works of art.

Glenda Hatchett chaired the National Forum on Youth Violence for the U.S. Justice Department and was the first African American chief presiding judge of a state court in Georgia. She has won honors for her work with children's issues and she is an authority on juvenile and social issues. She hosts the Columbia Tristar television series Judge Hatchett, which presents court cases involving young adults.

For information on the 2001 Awards call 614/466-2613 or visit our website www.oac.state.oh.us.