2012 Business Support of the Arts Awards
United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Inc. and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce have named recipients of the annual Business Support of the Arts Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to the arts in our area by businesses, organizations, and individuals. Awards are given in four categories: small business, large business, individual and arts education.
The Business Support of the Arts Awards were presented on January 12, at the "State of Arts and Culture in Wake County" event at the North Carolina Art Museum.
(l-r: Tom Looney, Government Relations Chair, Boar of Directors of Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce; Marty Clayton, Manager, Community Relations-Northern Region, Progress Energy, Award Winner- Large Business category; Eleanor Oakley, President & CEO, United Arts Council; Tim Stevens, Award Winner - Individual category; Linda Bamford, Award Winner - Arts Education category; Mike Strickland, Stained Glass Associates, Award Winner - Small Business category; Woody Dicus, Manager, Corporate Community Relations, Progress Energy; Drew Moretz, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce)
AWARD RECIPIENTS BY CATEGORY
Small Business: Stained Glass Associates, Inc., Knightdale, NC
Recipient of the award in the Small Business category, Stained Glass Associates, Inc. in Knightdale, is cited for their dedication and support of the arts through opening an art gallery at their business location, for their commitment to showcasing works of art by local artisans, and for supporting these efforts with their time, space and resources. Mike Strickland is the owner of Stained Glass Associates, which was founded in 1958. Mike worked there as a draftsman in 1983, an arrangement that continued while he pursued a degree at NC State. After years of working in management at Burlington Industries, as well as owning his own creative glass business, he was able to purchase half interest in the stained glass studio and later to become sole owner. He realized another dream in 2010 when he opened an art gallery by converting an office in the front of his building and added to it by opening up space on his second floor, as well. He has made the space available to artists from Eastern Wake to display and sell their works of art and has promoted it through Business After Hours for the local chamber, encouraging newspaper reviews and by hosting open house evenings. His nominator, Lorrie Hargreaves, a Knightdale resident,notes that East Wake residents are deeply grateful to Mike and wife Angie for helping grow their community and for promoting the arts.
Large Business: Progress Energy
Progress Energy is the recipient of the Large Business category award for reaffirming their commitment to the arts in Raleigh in the midst of their merger with Duke Energy through funding of the five non-profit arts groups resident in the Progress Energy Center in downtown Raleigh: the NC Symphony, NC Theatre, Carolina Ballet, NC Opera and PineCone. Progress Energy's commitment over a three-year period is $1.5 million. In October, this funding supported an ARTStober open house at the Center, which will continue for at least two more years, helping the resident groups work together to make their unique arts programs more visible. Progress Energy representatives Woody Dicus and Scott Sutton have also actively participated in multiple meetings as the groups worked to present ARTStober, making Progress Energy a partner as well as a funder. Pinecone's Executive Director William Lewis submitted this nomination, noting that Progress Energy has long been a leading and consistent sponsor of the NC Theatre, NC Symphony and Carolina Ballet. Current and retired senior executives have been active on the boards of major performing arts institutions here, often in key leadership positions. Their philanthropy has helped create some hallmark cultural events in Raleigh. For example, in 2001 Progress Energy donated $1 million to Carolina Ballet to mount the classic, Nutcracker, now a staple holiday production here. The company is presented this award for its support of all of this and for helping so many area arts organizations, including the United Arts Council, to provide quality arts programming.
Arts Education: Linda S. Bamford
The Arts Education awardee is Linda S. Bamford, cited for being "a champion for arts education practicing under the belief that every person benefits from and deserves access to the arts throughout his or her lifetime." Nominated by Elizabeth Grimes-Droessler, Arts Supervisor for the Wake County Public School System, Linda is recognized for a long tenure in the arts: managing director at Raleigh Little Theatre; Arts Education Director at the United Arts Council; and most recently as Arts Education Director for the NC Arts Council. At Raleigh Little Theatre, under her guidance, an award-winning Youth Education program was born and nurtured. Her tenacity, creativity and charisma convinced the Kennedy Center in 1993 to allow a new team—United Arts and the Wake County Schools Arts Education Department—to become members of their elite partnership program. Previously, their criteria had specified that only presenting organizations could partner with school systems. Linda made a compelling case for the comprehensive nature of United Arts programming within Wake schools, and Wake County has enjoyed Kennedy Center support ever since. At the NC Arts Council, she initiated and supported a wide variety of programs including unique artist residencies. Wake benefitted from her expertise when implementing a North Carolina Arts Council public art residency grant with Thomas Sayre at Moore Square Middle School. Students had the opportunity to study and create with an exceptional artist and under his guidance created the work entitled Trio that still stands as a reflection for the past, present and future school community there. In retirement, Linda has served on community panels to review grants and has recently served on a personnel search committee for a local arts group. To each activity, she brings deep commitment to excellence in the arts and arts education. She has created a legacy worthy of recognition.
Individual: Tim Stevens
The honoree in the Individual Category is longtime Garner resident Tim Stevens, who is recognized for being greatly responsible for championing local interest in the awareness and significance of arts programming in the Garner community. Known as a theatre aficionado, Tim realized Garner was ready for new cultural experiences and presented and promoted the idea of bringing internationally known Broadway performers to Garner: the concert series, "Broadway Voices," was born. Launched in 2010, the series consists of three full-length shows featuring memorable songs from beloved Broadway shows and is performed in the 471-seat Garner Performing Arts Center with only a baby grand piano for accompaniment. The series was created to offer Garner Broadway voices on their doorstep at an accessible price and was made possible through a collaborative effort of the Town of Garner, Garner Chamber of Commerce and local partners and businesses. Tim worked to bring together this collaboration and found sponsors for the first series. Businesses contributed cash and in-kind donations in the amount of $85,000, which was joined by the municipality's contribution of $23,000. Best known as an award-winning sports writer for The News and Observer, Tim Stevens has also written a musical about the life of hymn writer Fanny Crosby, which he has taken as a play to several different states and to Ireland. Nominated by Sonya Shaw, the Garner Parks, Recreation & Cultural Department Director, Tim Stevens is given this award for his dedicated efforts to advocate for performing arts in Garner.