The Akron Area Arts Alliance (AAAA) invites the public to nominate deserving people for the 2011 Arts Alive! Awards Celebration, which honors outstanding achievement in dance, music, theatre and visual arts as well as outstanding leadership and generous support of our arts and culture community. This gala event will be held Sunday, November 20 at E. J. Thomas Hall’s Stage Door. The group will also be celebrating its 20th Anniversary that evening and honoring its founders Ann Amer Brennan and Mary Ann Jackson.
Arts award categories include: Outstanding Visual Artist, Outstanding Artist in Music, Outstanding Artist in Dance, Outstanding Artist in Theatre, Arts Volunteer, Arts Patron, Arts Outreach, Arts Business Support, Arts Educator, Rising Young Star-Artist, Rising Young Star-Leadership and Collaborative Projects. Candidates from Summit, Portage and Medina Counties are eligible.
Nomination forms are available by calling the AAAA office at 330-376-8480 or online at www.akronareaarts.org. Deadline for submissions is June 15. A list of past winners is on the nomination form and the www.akronareaarts.org web site.
The Arts Alive! Awards, which were founded in 2001, are a biennial fundraiser featuring entertainment, food, an awards presentation plus the unique Out-of-the-Box Auction of decorative boxes designed by top local artists. Artists interested in donating an auction box can call AAAA at 330-376-8480.Their creations will be featured in a special exhibition at Summit Artspace Gallery in October. Proceeds from Arts Alive! go to support AAAA operations and projects, such as Summit Artspace, a downtown Akron art center, and ArtCetera, an arts appreciation group for young professionals.
AAAA, a non-profit advocacy group, was founded in 1991 by community leaders Ann Brennan and Mary Ann Jackson, who recognized that area arts and cultural organizations were struggling with similar problems. They brought together 12 organizations to form a collaboration that could cooperatively meet common challenges. Today AAAA represents 47 organizations and 70 artists and arts supporters. Its mission is to promote the value of a strong, diverse and vibrant arts and culture community to Greater Akron. Our area’s arts and cultural assets enhance quality of life, education and economic development.
Planning this year’s event are Chairman Andrea Wlaszyn, Nomination Chairman Pat Sargent and Out-of-the-Box Auction Chairman Joan Colbert. E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall is an event sponsor.
