Mayor Mike McGinn today announced the recipients of the 2012 Mayor’s Arts Awards. To mark the 10th anniversary of the award, 10 recipients will be honored this year.
The honorees include three individuals and seven organizations: two dancer/choreographers, a public artist, a producer of theatrical wonders, a nonprofit acting studio, an all-ages arts venue, an alternative radio station, a cinema with a focus on LGBT film, a nonprofit literary organization and a performance group of youth from the Duwamish Tribe.
The Seattle Arts Commission recommended the recipients from a pool of more than 500 public nominations. The Mayor’s Arts Awards recognize the contributions made by artists, arts and cultural organizations and community members who make a difference through arts and cultural activities.
“Seattle’s creative energy is one of the many qualities that make it a great city. The arts inspire and connect. They are also good for our economy, creating jobs and generating revenue.” said McGinn. “This year’s award recipients reflect the diversity of arts and culture in our city and together demonstrate a commitment to access for all to enjoy and participate in the arts.”
The honorees are:
- Freehold Theatre Lab/Studio
- KEXP 90.3 FM
- Li Hengda, choreographer, dancer and artistic director
- Lucia Neare’s Theatrical Wonders
- Seattle Arts & Lectures
- Buster Simpson, public artist
- Three Dollar Bill Cinema
- TilibSedeb (Singing Feet), Duwamish Tribe youth performance group
- The Vera Project, all-ages arts venue
- Olivier Wevers, dancer, choreographer and artistic director
The recipients will be honored at the Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony, noon, Friday, Aug. 31 at Seattle Center on the North Fountain Lawn. Presented in partnership with Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival, the outdoor, public awards ceremony will also mark the official opening of Bumbershoot’s 2012 Visual Arts Exhibits. The free public preview of the exhibits will follow the ceremony and take place from 1 to 9 p.m. in the Seattle Pavilion and the Fisher Pavilion. The broader festival gets underway Sept. 1.
Bumbershoot’s Visual Arts & Spectacle program will celebrate “The Past, The Present and The Future” of Bumbershoot’s home, Seattle Center, which is in the midst of a Next 50 celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.
The exhibits will include “Skyward!”, contemporary artwork and installations inspired by the 1960s futuristic theme of life in the sky, curated by Shelly Leavens and Jana Brevick; “This is Glass,” glass art depicting the experimental nature of the studio glass movement in the Pacific Northwest, curated by Sarah Traver and Grace Meils; and “NOW,” a large-scale, suspended neon sculpture designed by Dylan Neuwirth. Curator Beth Sellars will present a tribute exhibition to the late, urban plein-air painter Christopher Martin Hoff, who died earlier this year; Elvis experts and curators Marlow Harris and JoDavid will present an “ELVIStravaganza” of art, music and performance; and Seattle Art Museum and Olson Kundig Architects will present “SAM Record Store,” a vinyl record collection intended to serve as a “storefront of ideas.”
Bumbershoot’s Visual Arts Exhibits and the 2012 Fine Arts Poster, featuring artwork by Seattle artist James Martin, are presented with support from the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
The Mayor’s Arts Awards are nonmonetary. To reflect the diversity of artistic achievement throughout the city, the awards do not have set categories. For more information about the Mayor’s Arts Awards, including past recipients, go here.
The Mayor’s Arts Awards are presented in partnership with media sponsor City Arts, a free monthly magazine that covers art, music, film and everything creative in the Puget Sound region, and awards sponsor Chihuly Garden and Glass, a new art experience showcasing the most significant works of internationally acclaimed artist and pioneer Dale Chihuly.
