Date:

April 9, 2007

For More Information Contact:

Diane Gonzolas, Citizen Information Center, 441-7831

Deb Weber, Lincoln Arts Council, 434-2787

Mayor Coleen J. Seng has announced the winners of the 29th annual Mayor’s Arts Awards to be presented the evening of Wednesday, June 6, 2007 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The event is sponsored by the Lincoln Arts Council (LAC), and this year’s presenting sponsor is Union Bank. The awards program formally recognizes artistic contributions and achievements in the Lincoln area. This year’s awards are being created by bead artist Marcia Laging Cummings, a 2006 Mayor’s Arts Award recipient.

The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the awards presentation will begin at 7:15 p.m. Tickets for the event are $50, and reservations are required. Checks can be sent to LAC at 920 “O” Street, Lincoln, NE 68508. More information is available by calling 434-ARTS (2787) or on the LAC Web site at www.artscene.org.

The honorees:

• Rose Ann Dowty and Peter Heckman, who led the LAC’s Stories of Home public art project, will receive the Mayor’s Choice Award (sponsored by Cline, Williams, Wright, Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.).
• Frameworks and owner Lynn Boyer will receive the Oliva Family "Arts for Kids" Award (sponsored by Jack and Dottie Oliva), which honors an individual or organization from outside of the arts professions whose leadership has enhanced arts activities and experiences for children.
• The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra will receive the Artistic Achievement Award for Performing Arts (sponsored by Farmers Mutual Insurance Company).
• Sydney Lynch, a studio jeweler with work in 70 galleries and shops in the U.S. will receive the Artistic Achievement Award for Visual Arts (sponsored by A to Z Printing).
• The Lincoln High School Theatre and its production, "This Unsafe Star: The Emmitt Till Story," will receive the Artistic Achievement Award for Youth (sponsored by Lincoln Benefit Life).
• The YWCA of Lincoln and its Star Art Project will receive the Event of the Year Award (sponsored by Union Bank).
• Walker and Diane Kennedy will receive the Halcyon Allsman Benefactor of the Arts Award (sponsored by TierOne Bank) for their significant financial contributions to the arts in Lincoln.
• The Nebraska Art Association, the support organization for the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, will receive the Arts Organization Award (sponsored by the Lincoln Arts Council).
• TierOne Bank will receive the Leadership Award (sponsored by Talent Plus).
• Gerry Cox, a retired teacher who has co-produced a map and books on Nebraska authors and literary figures, will receive the Literary Heritage Award (sponsored by the Nebraska Literary Heritage Association).
• Government Square Park at 9th and “O” streets, which includes the Acklie Fountain, will receive the Larry Enersen Urban Design Award (sponsored by The Clark Enersen Partners).
• David Buntain, an attorney and immediate past president of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra Board, will receive the Heart of the Arts Award (sponsored by Runza Restaurants) for outstanding volunteer service.
• Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra and its Young People’s Concerts will receive the Gladys Lux Education Award (endowed by the Gladys Lux Foundation).

This year’s award judges were Ruth Davidson Hahn, Bob Hall, Michael James, Dale Johnson, Lillie Larsen, Terry Nygren and Becky Van de Bogart. The judging was facilitated by David Landis. The judges selected the award winners in every category except Mayor’s Choice, Literary Heritage and Urban Design.

The Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony also will include a tribute to those members of the Lincoln arts community who have died since the last awards ceremony in June 2006 Names may be submitted to LAC.