Date:

December 28, 2007

For More Information Contact:

Diane Gonzolas, Citizen Information Center, 441-7831

Deb Weber, Lincoln Arts Council, 434-2787

Nominations are now being accepted for the 30th annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. The awards will be presented by the Lincoln Arts Council (LAC) the evening of Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The Mayor’s Arts Awards program formally recognizes artistic contributions and achievements in the Lincoln area. Union Bank and Trust Company will again be the presenting sponsor.

“Over the past three decades, the Mayor’s Arts Awards has become a very significant event in our community,” said Mayor Chris Beutler. “I am pleased to continue this tradition of honoring those artists and supporters who keep the arts thriving in our City.”

Nomination forms are available by calling the LAC at 434-2787or printing a form from the LAC Web site: www.artscene.org. A list of previous winners also is available at that Web site. The nomination deadline is February 15, 2008.

The award categories are:

• The Arts Organization Award recognizes an arts group that has made significant contributions to Lincoln’s arts community over a period of years.
• The Artistic Achievement Award - Visual Arts recognizes excellence and accomplishment in any of the visual arts.
• The Artistic Achievement Award - Youth recognizes excellence and accomplishment in any arts discipline by a young person age 18 or younger.
• The Artistic Achievement Award - Performing Arts recognizes excellence and accomplishment in any of the performing arts.
• The Gladys Lux Education Award recognizes special initiatives or dedication to arts education.
• The Heart of the Arts Award recognizes an individual or organization for outstanding volunteer dedication to the arts or for making a major overall impact on the arts in Lincoln.
• The Cultural Celebration Award will now be presented in even-numbered years. It recognizes artistic work that has fostered an appreciation of a specific culture or cultures through the arts. (The Outstanding Event Award will now be presented in odd-numbered years.)
• The Halcyon Allsman Benefactor of the Arts Award honors an individual, family, organization or business making significant financial contributions to the arts in Lincoln.
• The Oliva “Arts for Kids” Award honors an individual from outside of the arts professions whose leadership has enhanced arts activities and experiences for children.
• The Literary Heritage Award recognizes a writer or individual who promotes excellence in writing and literature in Nebraska.
• The Larry Enersen Award recognizes outstanding urban design in Lincoln.

A Mayor’s Choice Award will also be presented.

The year’s award will be created by jewelry artist Sydney Lynch, who won the 2007 Mayor’s Arts Award for Artistic Achievement - Visual Arts.

The public also is encouraged to submit names of members of the Lincoln arts community who have died since the last awards ceremony in June 2007 for memorial recognition at the event.