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 Volunteer Awarded: Lorrie Heagy |
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Six patrons and participants of the Juneau arts community will be honored for their tireless contributions to Southeast Alaska humanities, during a gala fundraising lunch at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, aboard the cruise ship Island Princess.
The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council has created the Mayor's Arts Awards, a spin-off of the popular statewide Governor's Arts Awards.
"The goal is to recognize how much work people do and to draw attention to the fact that so much gets done through volunteerism in the community," said Nancy DeCherney, executive director of the JAHC. "I think this community is remarkable in that regard."
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| Volunteer Awarded: Susan Fitzgerald |
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Tickets for the lunch are $25 and are available at the JAHC office, 206 N. Franklin St., or by calling the office at 586-ARTS.
All tickets must be purchased by Tuesday, July 31, to complete the security process needed to board the Island Princess.
The six winners and their respective five categories are:
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| Volunteer Awarded: Antonio Diaz |
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• Volunteer/Patron of the Arts: Susan Fitzgerald, longtime KTOO personality, longtime volunteer for Juneau Jazz & Classics, longtime arts supporter and leader in public radio arts support and advocacy.
• Business Leadership in the Arts: Annie Geselle, director of The Canvas Community Art Studio & Gallery, who had the vision and wherewithal to expand the REACH Day Habilitation art program into The Canvas, a community-wide fine arts studio and arts center.
• Artists: Heather Haugland and Antonio Diaz, for their contributions to the dance community, including teaching, working with young people, performances, formation of dance groups and creation of the annual DanceFest in collaboration with International Folkdancers.
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| Volunteer Awarded: Heather Haugland |
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• Innovative Application of the Arts: Alberta Aspen, who developed "Our Auntie's House," an arts and crafts program started as part of a wellness program through Tlingit & Haida Central Council.
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Arts Awards
What: Mayor's Arts Awards luncheon.
When: 11:45 a.m.
Where: Cruise ship Island Princess.
Tickets: $25, must be purchased by Tuesday, July 31.
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• Arts in Education: Lorrie Heagy, for her dedication, vision and work to develop art programs in the schools, including ballroom dance programs for elementary children.
The idea for the mayor's awards arose during a panel discussion on "Volunteering for the Arts," at this spring's Cabin Fever Arts Fest.
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| Volunteer Awarded: Annie Geselle |
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"We started talking about how each organization recognizes their different volunteers, and we thought it would be nice to do something as a community to recognize those people," DeCherney said.
The JAHC collected nominations for the awards through June 23, and the winners were announced June 27. The six winners will be nominated for the statewide Governor's Arts Awards, sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Those winners will be announced in late September and honored Oct. 26 at the Governor's Awards for the Arts and Humanities banquet during the Alaska Federation of Natives convention. For more, visit www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca.
• Korry Keeker can be reached at 523-2268 or korry.keeker@juneauempire.com.
