Greater Columbus Arts Council Announces Columbus Makes Art Excellence Award Nominees

Columbus (Ohio)—The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) today announced 10 nominees for the Columbus Makes Art Excellence Awards (formerly Artistic Excellence Awards), recognizing outstanding achievements in innovation, risk and artistic excellence in a performance, exhibition, program or project.

The name change reflects the Arts Council’s emphasis on the new Art Makes Columbus/Columbus Makes Art marketing campaign. In addition, the Arts Council board voted this fall to increase the number of awards given to two, recognizing that organization budget size plays a role in the ability to manifest the criteria of the award.   One $10,000 award will be given in each category of organizations with budgets of $1 million and over and those with budgets of under $1 million.

The awards will be presented at the annual Community Arts Partnership awards luncheon on Oct. 15 at COSI.  The winner will be announced at the event on October 15 at COSI.  Networking begins at 11:30 a.m. The presentation/luncheon starts promptly at noon and runs through 1:15 p.m.

The 2015 Nominees are:

Organizations with budgets of $1 million and over

BalletMet, American Masters

CATCO, The Final Table

Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Opera Columbus and BalletMet, Twisted

Wexner Center for the Arts, the theater is a blank page by Ann Hamilton and SITI

Organizations with budgets of under $1 million

Columbus Dance Theatre, Claudel

Creative Arts of Women (CAW), Remnants

Evolution Theatre, YANK! The Musical

Harmony Project, All Together Now

The Sequentialist, “The Sequentialist”

Xclaim, BLUE

Nominees for the Artistic Excellence Award are chosen by the Arts Council staff and Board of Trustees, and the winners are selected by the board and announced at the event.

The Arts Council’s Community Arts Partnership awards program, now in its 32nd year, recognizes the community’s crucial contributions to the arts including financial support, non-cash contributions, volunteer involvement and board participation.  Strong partnerships between businesses, community members and the arts stimulate economic growth, promote the city’s revitalization, encourage tourism and enhance Columbus’ cultural image.

To register to attend this year’s event go to:  http://www.gcac.org/events/community-arts-partnership-awards/register-to-attend/

About the Greater Columbus Arts Council:  Through vision and leadership, advocacy and collaboration, the Greater Columbus Arts Council supports art and advances the culture of the region. A catalyst for excellence and innovation, the Arts Council funds exemplary artists and arts organizations and provides programs, events and services of public value that educate and engage all audiences in our community. The Arts Council thanks the City of Columbus and the Ohio Arts Council for their continued support.