We’ve wrapped up another Community Arts Partnership Awards event. We had a record-high attendance at this year’s awards, and I find myself filled with pride and love for our wonderful city, which embraces arts and culture and truly understands its value and impact.
Tom Katzenmeyer, president of the Greater Columbus Arts Council
I want to take a moment to personally congratulate all of our winners: Big Lots (large business), Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (medium business), DesignGroup (small business), Catherine Willis (arts educator), Patrick Losinski (arts partner), Alexis Perrone (emerging arts leader) and the Columbus Makes Arts Excellence award winners Past Productions & Short North Stage and the Columbus Museum of Art.
I want to publically thank everyone involved, in particular our sponsors and partners. Each year a portion of the proceeds from this event are donated to the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. This would not be possible (there would be no proceeds) without sponsors. This year we thank: presenting sponsor PNC; supporting sponsors AEP, Cardinal Health, The Crane Group, L Brands Foundation, Nationwide and The Ohio State University; media sponsors CityScene Media Group, Dispatch Media Group and WOSU Public Media; COSI, Markey’s Audio Visual and WOSU for being our hosts and producers.
I also want to thank the artists who helped make this event extraordinary. Arts & College Prepatory Academy, Columbus Children’s Theatre, Columbus Dance Theatre, Barbara Fant, Harmony Project, Momentum, Evan Smith, Nina West and Shadowbox Live brought us inspiring performances. I have to give a special kudos to emcee Angela Pace (aka Ariel the Little Mermaid) and to Nina West, Columbus Children’s Theatre and Momentum for doing an amazing job performing our take on The Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea.”
I hope our 500-plus guests left COSI feeling as energized by the afternoon as I did. I’m still humming our version of “Under the Sea” … “Art makes it better, A plus is the letter. YAH we in luck here, Gold we have struck here, GCAC! … .”
— Tom Katzenmeyer, connect with Tom on LinkedIn.
