Press Release- Aug 23, 2007
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, AUG. 23, 2007
CONTACTS:
Elaine Mariner, 303.892.3802, elaine.mariner@state.co.us
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER TO PRESENT ARTS AWARD IN GRAND JUNCTION ON FRIDAY
Gov. Bill Ritter will be in Grand Junction on Friday to present the 2007 Governor's Arts Award to Grand Junction Mayor Jim Doody and the citizens of Grand Junction at a special luncheon at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts.
The award presentation is scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m., 1803 N. 7th St., Grand Junction
The Governor announced in May that the city of Grand Junction is the recipient of the 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, 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 this year with a new focus on the role of the arts in community development, and Grand Junction is the first municipality selected for this recognition.
The Colorado Council on the Arts, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, convened the panel that reviewed the nominations and selected the recipient. The Western Colorado Center for the Arts nominated Grand Junction for this year's award. In selecting Grand Junction as the recipient, the review panel cited several factors:
- The city's financial commitment to the arts through the Commission on Arts and Culture, including the city's "1% for the Arts Program," artist showcases at City Hall and the Convention Center, the Artist Directory and Event Calendar, grants to local cultural organizations, support for artist-in-residence programs in the schools, business development workshops for artists, and the Economic Impact of the Arts report every five years;
- The breadth of populations served by the variety of arts events and activities offered by the city and the regions' 20-25 cultural organizations, including the Art on the Corner exhibit, the annual Art & Jazz Festival, the First Friday Art Hop, Thursday Night Farmers Markets, the Art Mobile traveling art exhibits and lessons, the Art Center's Summer Art Camp, the college's Business Training for Artists program, and much more;
- The vision and commitment to using the arts as a tool for community enhancement as reflected in the Grand Junction Strategic Cultural Plan;
- The diversity of groups that support and participate in the arts, including the Downtown Development Authority and member businesses, the city's economic development and tourism agencies, Mesa State College, elected officials, arts organizations, and individual artists; and
- The long term commitment by all of these groups to integrating arts and cultural activities into the community.
The award will be a large painting by Joellyn Duesberry, a Colorado artist nationally recognized for her landscape paintings. Duesberry's work has been shown widely around the country, including a recent retrospective at the Denver Art Museum. She is represented by galleries coast to coast and several private collections.
Mayor Jim Doody will be accepting the city's award and the presentation ceremony will include remarks by the Governor; Elaine Mariner, executive director of the Colorado Council on the Arts; Stephen Seifert, co-chairman of Colorado Citizens for Culture; Robbie Breaux, president of the Art Center board; and Doug Clary, chairman of the Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture. The award painting will be hung on the first floor of the City Hall for the public to enjoy.