First Lady Judge Rendell Announces Governor's Arts Awards Honorees

April 8 Awards Ceremony Slated for York's Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First Lady Judge Marjorie O. Rendell today announced the honorees of the prestigious Governor's Awards for the Arts, which will be presented on April 8 in York.

The annual awards are a 29-year gubernatorial tradition honoring outstanding Pennsylvania artists, arts organizations and patrons who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the arts.

"The achievements of these honorees exemplify the transformative power of the arts in Pennsylvania," said First Lady Rendell, who was joined by Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Chairman Diane Dalto and Executive Director Philip Horn. "Each recipient has been a 'game changer' in their community or in their own art form, making lasting contributions to the growth and development of arts and culture."

The honorees were selected from a field of more than 70 nominations submitted by arts organizations, artists, arts patrons, elected officials and the public.

Governor Rendell will present the awards at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York to the following recipients:

• Distinguished Arts Award – Jeff Koons, internationally acclaimed visual artist and York native;
• Artist of the Year –Del McCoury, legendary bluegrass artist of Nashville, TN, and raised on a dairy farm in York County;
• Patron Award (1st of 2) – Louis J. Appell of York;
• Patron Award (2nd of 2) – Arthur J. Glatfelter of York;
• Outstanding Arts Leadership & Service to Youth Award – Caroline S. Nunan of Lancaster; and
• Pennsylvania Creative Community Award – Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous, the world's largest event of its kind, drawing more than 200 carvers and 25,000 people to the Pennsylvania Wilds, Elk County.

The awards ceremony in April will be free, open to the public and followed by a ticketed reception.

The ceremony moves to a different community each year to enable more citizens to share in this celebration of the arts. It also provides the opportunity for the host region to showcase its unique cultural assets to an audience that draws cultural leaders from across the state. Past host cities have included Greensburg, Wilkes-Barre, Reading, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Harrisburg, Altoona, Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and Williamsport.

The Governor's Awards for the Arts are administered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency under the Office of the Governor that works to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania, and to broaden the availability and appreciation of the arts throughout the state.

Media contacts:

Heather Doughty, PA Council on the Arts; 717-787-1517 or 717-512-8730 (cell)

Mia DeVane, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

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