Media Alert: 2012 Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio & Arts Day Luncheon
by Amy McKay

The 2012 Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio & Arts Day Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 12 p.m. Watch the ceremony live online by visiting www.ohiochannel.org.

The awards will be presented by Senate President Tom Niehaus and Speaker of the House Bill Batchelder at a luncheon honoring the winners and members of the Ohio Legislature at the Columbus Athenaeum, located at 32 N. 4th St. in downtown Columbus. The event is hosted by the Ohio Arts Council and Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation.

The Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio celebrate artists, arts organizations, arts patrons and businesses that have made significant contributions to the arts in Ohio. The 2012 winners are: Arts Administration, Ed Stern & Buzz Ward, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (Cincinnati); Arts Education, Toledo School for the Arts (Toledo); Arts Patron, Louise D. Nippert (Cincinnati); Business Support of the Arts, Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio (Dayton); Community Development & Participation, ArtsinStark (Canton); and Individual Artist, Michael Jerome Bashaw (Kettering). This year, the Irma Lazarus Award will be given to Barbara S. Robinson (Cleveland) for recognition of her lifetime achievement in the arts.

The 2012 Governor's Awards ceremony and luncheon will be held in conjunction with Arts Day on May 9. This daylong event demonstrating public value and support for the arts is sponsored by the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation and will include an arts advocacy briefing, legislative visits and student exhibitions. For more information, call 614/221-4064.

The 2012 Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio & Arts Day Luncheon are made possible by the Ohio Channel and the Puffin Foundation West. Media sponsors include The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Magazine, Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association, The Blade, Time Warner Cable, CD101 @ 102.5 FM and WCBE 90.5 FM.

More information about the Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio & Arts Day Luncheon, including a full list of past winners, is available on the Ohio Arts Council website at www.oac.ohio.gov/events/GovAwards.

About the Ohio Arts Council:
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.

About the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation:
Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation provides information to all Ohioans about the arts and promotes their value to a high quality of life, a strong economy and the achievement of educational excellence. The foundation was formed in 1990 as a companion organization to Ohio Citizens for the Arts, which was established in 1976. Ohio Citizens for the Arts is a statewide, nonprofit grassroots membership organization focused on increasing public support for the arts in Ohio. Through the efforts of thousands of individuals and arts and education organizations, Ohio Citizens for the Arts advocates on behalf of the Ohio Arts Council and the arts throughout the state.

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