Governor Mike Pence and the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) announced today the selection of Carmel and the Center for the Performing Arts as hosts of the 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards.
“It will be my honor and privilege to carry on the tradition of sharing Indiana’s highest honor in the arts with communities around our great state,” Gov. Pence said. “We look forward to working with the people of Carmel, the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Center for the Performing Arts, and I am confident they will help make this a successful event.”
The 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards program will mark the fourth time the event has been hosted outside the city of Indianapolis. In 2007, the program was held in Bloomington, the 2009 awards presentation took place in Muncie, and South Bend hosted the 2011 event.
“The Center for the Performing Arts is delighted to be hosting the 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards,” said Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, President/CEO of the Center. “The Palladium stage is the perfect place for Indiana’s best and brightest, having become a landmark of excellence through the presentation of artists from all over the world.”
The proposal submitted by the Center for the Performing Arts with support from the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau was chosen by the IAC’s Executive Committee during a March 13th meeting with a recommendation made to, and approved by the full 15-member Commission during its March 22nd meeting in Terre Haute.
“The tremendous growth in performing and visual arts offerings in Hamilton County in the past five years makes Carmel a perfect destination for this traveling event. We’ll roll out the hospitality carpet and celebrate Indiana’s rich arts heritage,” said Brenda Myers, Executive Director of the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards program will be presented this fall, and is jointly promoted by the Indiana Arts Commission and the Office of Governor Mike Pence.
“We are eager to be working with Carmel, the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and The Center for the Performing Arts in presenting the State of Indiana’s highest honor in the arts,” said IAC Executive Director Lewis C. Ricci. “The committee members and Commission were impressed by the level of organization and network of volunteer commitment reflected in the proposal.”
Originally conceived in 1973, the biennial awards program honors individuals, organizations, partnerships, businesses, and communities that have made significant contributions to the arts in and beyond the confines of Indiana. The awards recognize excellence in artistic achievement, philanthropy, arts education, and leadership in the arts, and at the same time build statewide awareness of the important role the arts play in Indiana.
In 2011, Governor Mitch Daniels presented awards to renowned opera singer and educator Sylvia McNair, Bloomington; concert pianist and educator Alexander Toradze, South Bend; concert harpist and educator Susann McDonald, Bloomington; actor and educator Mark Fauser, Marion; volunteer and arts patron June Edwards; and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
The Indiana Arts Commission is committed to the vision of the arts everywhere, every day, for everyone in the state of Indiana.