Press Release - Governor's Arts Award
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 16, 2008
CONTACT:
Elaine Mariner, 303.892.3802, elaine.mariner@state.co.us
LOVELAND WINS GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARD
Gov. Bill Ritter is pleased to announce that the city of Loveland is the recipient of the 2008 Governor's Art Award, which recognizes a Colorado city or town that effectively employs the arts to enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of their community. From 1969 to 2002, the Governor's Arts Awards honored artists and organizations, as well as corporate and civic leaders, for their significant contributions to Colorado's cultural environment. The award was reinstated in 2007 with a new focus on the role of the arts in community development, and was presented to the city of Grand Junction.
The Colorado Council on the Arts, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, annually convenes a panel to review the nominations and select the recipient. In selecting Loveland as the recipient, the review panel cited several factors:
- The city's longtime commitment to the arts as a vital part of their economy and the high level of excellence of arts programming.
- The commercial opportunities created by the city's artistic activity, including the development of specialized industries to aide artists, the establishment of student apprenticeships, and the growth of arts-related tourism.
- The city's forward-thinking commitment to public art as evidenced by the establishment of the state’s first Art in Public Places program, which designates 1% of all City capital projects over $50,000 for the acquisition, maintenance and preservation of artwork.
- The city's strong and thriving local artist community, and the national attention garnered by the city as one of the top artist destinations in the United States.
- The vision and commitment to using the arts as a tool for community enhancement as reflected in the restoration of the historic Rialto Theatre, by the relationship between the Loveland Museum and the Thompson School District, and by the creation of a public sculpture park on land owned by a local business.
The award will be a large painting by Denver artist Duke Beardsley, a fifth generation Coloradan. Beardsley was selected from among 57 Colorado artists for his contemporary perspective on life in the West, as well as for his bold color palette and strong sense of design. Featured in numerous exhibitions including the Coors Western Art Show and the Colorado Governor's Invitational Art Show, Beardsley's work is represented by several regional galleries, and appears in many notable private and public collections worldwide including the Denver Art Museum and the Forbes Collection in New York.
This year, an Honorable Mention award will also be presented to the town of Telluride. The committee was impressed by the high level of support given to Telluride's locally grown arts programs, by their commitment to youth arts, including their ongoing integration of the arts into the school curriculum, and by their focus on professional development activities for local artists.
The Governor plans to present the award to Loveland Mayor Gene Pielin and the citizens of Loveland at a celebratory event later this summer.
The Colorado Council on the Arts combines state funds with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and invests in communities across the state to ensure that the cultural, educational and economic benefits of the arts are enjoyed by thousands of Colorado youth and millions of Colorado citizens and visitors every day.