COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) has selected works of art from central Ohio artists to present to winners in the employer and individual award categories at the Community Arts Partnership (CAP) Awards luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Hosted by the Arts Council each year in October, the CAP awards celebrate outstanding contributions to the arts by individuals and businesses. Winners are selected in six categories: Arts Educator, Emerging Arts Leader, Michael B. Coleman Arts Partner, Large Employer, Medium Employer and Small Employer.
The CAP awards recognize the community’s important 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.
This year artwork purchased for awards for the business categories are DeAndre’s Book by Richard Duarte Brown, In the Flow by Renate Fackler and Circle by Willis Shively.
Richard Duarte Brown is a master artist with the TRANSIT ARTS Youth Arts Program and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education’s Art in the House program. For more than 30 years, Brown has dedicated his talents to helping young people in Columbus through countless programs including CAPACITY (CAPA’s Youth Arts Program), Short Stop Youth Center, King Arts Complex, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education’s Artists-in-Schools program, the Arts Council’s Children of the Future, Ebony Boys, Art Safe and VSA Ohio. His murals can be seen throughout the city, bringing comfort and inspiration to countless viewers.
Renate Fackler is drawn to the tactile medium of sculpture. By communicating through both figurative and impressionistic styles, she strives to bring her sculptures to life, engaging her audience in an emotionally uplifting experience. Fackler’s most popular sculpture is a life-size bronze of Brutus on a bench at the Ohio Union. In addition to Brutus, a life-size bronze of Jerrie Mock, the first woman to fly around the world, can be seen at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, as well as at The Works Museum in Newark, OH. Fackler has done work for The White House, Museum of Women in the Arts, Wendy’s International, The Ohio State University and The Herb Society of America.
Willis Shively is a photographer best known for his immense body of creative work, captured over a career of four decades. After getting his BFA in painting from The Ohio State University in the early 1970s, Shively become one of the most respected commercial photographers in the field, with clients including Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, Express, DSW, BalletMet, MTV, Cole Haan, Simon and Schuster, Abbott Labs, The Ohio State University, Eli Lilly and Sports Authority. In the early 1990s, he transitioned to a career as an art photographer, primarily using film development and layering of 35mm slides to create impressionistic “paintings” and expand the boundaries of what defines conventional photography.
Artwork for the employer awardees goes through a selection process. Artists and galleries are invited to submit images of work for consideration. The CAP committee reviews submissions and narrows the selection pool down to two works each from 10 artists. Those 20 pieces are hung for a one-night private exhibition during which past and present Arts Council board members are invited to vote on the works to select for purchase.
This year’s winners in the three individual CAP award categories will each be honored with an original piece created by Columbus artist Dimonde “Monde” Hale. Hale has been painting since he was 12 years old, and focuses on new ways of viewing the world through painting cityscapes infused with rich and vibrant color, gritty street textures and nostalgic skies. Hale attended Denison University where he studied communication and fine art. He made his festival debut this past June in the Emerging Artist program at the Columbus Arts Festival, where he was awarded a Jurors’ Choice award for 2D Mixed Media.
The event, presented this year by PNC, will take place 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in the Short North Ballroom. Sponsors include L Brands Foundation; American Electric Power; Ron & Ann Pizzuti; The Ohio State University; Easton Town Center; Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease; Cardinal Health; Crabbe, Brown & James LLP. Media sponsors include CityScene Magazine and WOSU Public Media. Tickets to attend are available online at gcac.org.
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 is supported by the city of Columbus, the Ohio Arts Council, and individuals and businesses throughout the community. www.gcac.org
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
