Here’s the press release for the awards. Read down a graph or two for the Palladium’s nomination. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you at the awards gala tonight at The Coliseum in St. Pete. The press release follows:
TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2011) – Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts (TBBCA) announces the finalists for its annual Impact Awards that will be presented at the 17th Annual Awards Gala and Save the Arts Benefit on Nov. 9, at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg.
The Impact Award recipients will be selected based on involvement or support of the arts, impact of contribution, originality, quality, level and depth of service. Event host, Lissette Campos from ABC Action News will award six local businesses and individuals with an original TBBCA Impact Award in honor of those making a significant impact on Tampa Bay’s arts and cultural community.
The 2011 business Impact Awards finalists include: Brimmer, Burek & Keelan, LLP, nominated by Moving Current Dance Collective for providing valuable pro bono accounting services to the organization for the past 14 years. Dimmitt Automotive Group nominated by Ruth Eckerd Hall for contributing nearly $1.3 million in contributions to the arts and cultural community since 1979. Mercury Advisors nominated by Stageworks Theatre for donating an 8,000-square-foot space valued at $2.5 million in the Channel District property development as a permanent home for the theatre company. Morean Arts Center nominated by Charles A. Hounchell, P.A., Attorneys & Counselors at Law for its new Chihuly Collection and its economic impact on the Tampa Bay region. Office Dynamics nominated by Masque of Temple Terrace for providing cash and in-kind donations as well as fundraising assistance to the Masque Theatre. The Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College nominated by Charles A. Hounchell, P.A., Attorneys & Counselors at Law for providing affordable, discounted rental space to Tampa Bay’s nonprofit cultural organizations. Tampa Bay Lightning nominated by St. Petersburg Times for their support of arts and culture in the Tampa Bay area and partnership with the City of Tampa’s Art in Public Places program, The Florida Orchestra and the Tampa Bay History Center. University of South Florida School of Theatre and Dance nominated by Florida Dance Association for hosting the Florida Dance Festival at a reduced rate and generously donating studio space and creating a safe, accessible environment to young, aspiring dance students throughout the southeastern United States and Caribbean for an intense study and exchange in a noncompetitive atmosphere.
The 2011 individual Impact Awards finalists include: T. Hampton Dohrman nominated by Ybor City Chamber of Commerce for his establishment of Hampton Arts Management and several innovative programs that support the arts and artists in unique ways. Gladys Douglas Hackworth nominated by Ruth Eckerd Hall for her longstanding gifts of time, talent and financial contributions to numerous arts organizations in the Tampa Bay community. As a founding member of Ruth Eckerd Hall, Hackworth helped ensure that the world-class performing arts center was built in Clearwater, and her contributions to the organization have totaled more than six figures since 1980. Dr. Harold William Heller nominated by Great Explorations Children’s Museum for his long history of community involvement with multiple nonprofit arts organizations, including Great Explorations Children’s Museum, the Dunedin Fine Art Center, Mahaffey Theatre Foundation and The Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College. Kurt Klotz of the Tampa Bay Symphony nominated by the Tampa Bay Symphony for his tireless efforts to keep the organization alive and performing amid difficult leadership transitions and funding losses. Sonny LaRosa of America’s Youngest Jazz Band nominated by Gabrielle Lewis for his attentive devotion as a jazz musician and music teacher. LaRosa’s influence as an arts educator has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of young students in the Tampa Bay area for the past 30 years. Roger Robson of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts nominated by the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts for his support of the organization over the last several years, and for his visionary leadership that has raised the profile of the organization, led to increased outreach and accessibility, new partnerships and a new facility. Larry Wilder of Wilder Architecture Inc., nominated by City of Tampa Art Programs for his design, fabrication and installation of a 9/11 memorial sculpture for the City of Tampa. Wilder reached out and coordinated the efforts of 11 other companies to donate, services, labor and time to the project, which was dedicated by mayor Bob Buckhorn on Sept. 9, at its permanent location, the median of Bayshore Boulevard at Bay to Bay Boulevard, also known as Patriot’s Corner.
Winners of this year’s TBBCA Impact Awards will receive a commissioned work of art from a series based on “The Generosity Gene,” by Tampa Bay featured artist, Tracy Midulla Reller (www.tracymidullareller.com), whose work can be seen throughout the United States and in parts of Canada. Reller has been published in a number of art publications and has been commissioned for apparel design. She is also a founding member of the Tampa artist collective [5]art, and in late 2009, Reller opened an alternative space venue, Tempus Projects, in South Seminole Heights. Tempus Projects is an artist-run project space, dedicated to supporting artists through local exhibitions and community events promoting artists working in all visual arts media.
The TBBCA 17th Annual Awards Gala and Save the Arts Benefit is open to the public. Tickets are available at the door.
About the TBBCA:
Founded in 1989, Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts (TBBCA) is a nonprofit organization of businesses committed to supporting the arts. The TBBCA is an affiliate of the national Business Committee for the Arts, which in 2008 became a part of Americans for the Arts. The mission of the TBBCA is to help build a stronger arts and cultural community with the support of area businesses.
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