The Cleveland Arts Prize is pleased to announce the winners for 2007. They are:
Emerging Artist (awarded to an artist living in Northeast Ohio who shows remarkable promise and has created a significant work or project):
- Eric Coble, playwright, in the category of literature
Mid-Career Artists (awarded to mid-career artists who have received national recognition in addition to regional and local acclaim and have resided in Northeast Ohio):
- Lewis Nielson, composer, in the category of music and dance
- Christopher Pekoc, visual artist, in the category of visual arts
Lifetime Achievement Award (awarded to an artist who has worked in Northeast Ohio over several decades and whose career and achievements have brought great distinction to himself and the region):
- Norman Krumholz, urban planner, in the category of design
Robert P. Bergman Prize (awarded annually to an exceptional individual who has shown passionate leadership and opened his or her field more broadly, and whose life and activities communicate the joys, excitement and deep human relevance of the arts; this prize is open to national/international candidates):
- Thomas Schorgl, CEO of Community Partnership on Arts and Culture
Martha Joseph Special Citations (awarded annually to an individual or an organization that because of exceptional commitment, vision, leadership or philanthropy has made a significant contribution to the vitality and stature of the arts in Northeast Ohio. This contribution may be made through the conception and implementation of innovative arts events and programs; through the demonstration of visionary and/or strategic arts leadership; through extraordinary acts of arts patronage or arts advocacy; through dedicated and inspiring teaching; through the sensitive and effective nurturing of artistic talent; or through superb performance and/or mastery in an arts discipline:
- Brendan Ring, owner of Nighttown
- Cindy Barber, owner of Beachland Ballroom
- Susan Channing, Director of SPACES
- Toby Devan Lewis, arts patron and philanthropist
All of the winners have made significant contributions to the arts in numerous ways. They were nominated through an open online process by the public and juried by a group of their peers. Jurors [1] For a list of past Arts Prize winners [2] visit to learn about the illustrious group of artists already awarded to whose ranks this year’s winners are added. Biographical materials on this year’s winners accompany this release.
About the Arts Prize: In 1960, the Women’s City Club sponsored a series of talks to assess the cultural scene in Cleveland. In the final lecture of the series, composer Klaus George Roy suggested that Cleveland begin a tradition of identifying and honoring its own outstanding artists on an annual basis. Martha Joseph accepted Roy’s challenge and assembled the first Cleveland Arts Prize committee. For 30 years, Martha Joseph guided the Arts Prize within the Women’s City Club and led a drive to establish an endowment. The oldest award of its kind in the United States, the Arts Prize is a testament to the standard of excellence and quality of artists in Northeast Ohio. In addition to artists, the Arts Prize honors individuals who have expanded the community’s participation in the arts and helped make the region more hospitable to creative artistic expression.
The Cleveland Arts Prize Mission: The Cleveland Arts Prize identifies, selects and publicly honors those creative artists whose original work has made Northeast Ohio a more exciting place to live, and whose accomplishments have set a standard of excellence to which other artists can aspire. Artists are essential to a healthy community, and the arts need a supportive environment and an engaged public. Therefore, it is also the mission of The Cleveland Arts Prize to recognize the contributions of individuals and organizations that have expanded the community’s participation in the arts and helped make the region more hospitable to creative artistic expression.
An artist reception and awards ceremony will be held at the Cleveland Play House June 28, 2007, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets for the event may be purchased here [3].
For more information please contact the Cleveland Arts Prize at info [at] clevelandartsprize [dot] org.