2011 Mayor's Arts Awards Recipients Announced
Today Mayor McGinn announced the recipients of the 2011 Mayor's Arts Awards. Selected by the fine people of the Seattle Arts Commmission from a nomination pool 300 large, these six recipients cover the gammut of the Seattle arts and culture landscape. Represented in the awards are dance, theater, audio arts, a classical musician, a large arts organization and a cultural festival.
McGinn glowingly says “The arts are an essential part of a great city. While the collective achievements of this year’s award recipients are impressive, what’s truly inspiring is their commitment to making a difference in our community through the arts,” said McGinn. “They engage our youth, connect different cultures, give artists a place to grow and create access for all people to participate in the arts and tap their own creativity.”
The recipients of the 2011 Mayor's Arts Awards are..
- Donald Byrd- Choreographer and artistic director at Spectrum Dance Theater.
- Jack Straw Productions- Non-profit mutlidiscplinary audio arts center working in radio, theater, film, video, music and literature.
- Quinton Morris, DMA- concert violinist, chamber musician, teacher, founder of The Young Eight String Octet and Director of Chamber and Instrumental Music and Assistant Professor of Music at Seattle University.
- On the Boards- Local theater specialized in presenting international innovators in contemporary dance, theater and music while developing and presenting new work by Northwest performing artists.
- Pratt Fine Arts Center- Provides opportunities to learn, make, and experience the visual arts through equal access to free and subsidized classes, a low-cost studio rental program, and free exhibitions, lectures and events in glass, sculpture, jewelry, printmaking, painting, and drawing.
- Tet in Seattle- Free community celebration held annually as part of Festál at Seattle Center, celebrates the Vietnamese Lunar New Year and Vietnamese culture through the visual and performing arts and cuisine unique to Vietnam.
You can celebrate the dedicated and invaluable work of these people and organizations on September 1 at Seattle Center on the North Fountain Lawn. The ceremony is free and open to the public and features a lot of talking, deserved back-patting and all around accolades. It also marks the opening of the Bumbershoot's 2011 Visual Arts Exhibits.
This is the ninth annual awards recognition. The prize is non-monetary. A full list of past recipients is here.
Congratulations and gratitude to all. Thanks for doing what you do. And thanks to the city for recognizing the importance of this kind of institutional and public support for the arts. Kudos!
