2011 Viola Award Nominations Are Announced!

Here they are ladies and gentlemen!  The nominees for Flagstaff's arts awards, the Viola Awards, have been announced.  Five nominees in each of ten different categories have been announced.  Click here for the full list.

Some highlights of the nominations?  How about Jake Brookins, long time Flagstaff artist, educator and leader, with a current exhibition open at the Museum of Northern Arizona.  Sadly, Brookins passed away in December.  Brookins' accomplishments are many, but so are those of the titans also recognized as nominees for the Mayor's Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Arts: glass artist and man of generous spirit, George Averbeck; longtime super-photographer, John Running; his colleague in photography and world traveler, Dave Edwards; and longtime conductor and educator, Jon Eder.


How about the Leadership Award?  There are some forces of nature in the Flagstaff arts community there!  Karen Kinne-Herman has long supported the arts, through her roles on KNAU's Radioactives and the Flagstaff Cultural Partners Board of Directors, which is not to mention her strong support of FALA and other local arts groups.  Laura Kelly (pictured, at last year's Viola Awards), Executive Director of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, has led FSO from trying financial woes, through the worst recession of our time, to a balanced budget and strong programming highlighting local talent.

Then there's Mike Frankel, longtime President of the Artists' Coalition of Flagstaff, who has mentored and encouraged just about every emerging artist in this town.  Julie Sullivan has brought musical goodness to Flagstaff for years now and is one of the leaders behind last year's Viola Award winning Event, Pickin' in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival.  And Joni Pevarnik, wondergal of positive energy, has kept the Artists Gallery downtown running strong after it was on the verge of closing. 

There's a loaded Outstanding Arts Event slate.  It'll be a challenge for the Panelists to choose from amongst:

• NAU's Classic Film Series, a long respected and enjoyed series that does far more than just screen films; 
• Stories to Life, the unique and creative program that combines classic literature and poetry with theatre and music;
• MNA's Hopi Festival, Flagstaff's jewel of attractive summer festivals and the longest-running event of its kind in the world;
• The Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, which combines Flagstaff's love of outdoors, adventure and nature with it's love of film; and,
• The ever-popular and always creative community art show, the Recycled Art Exhibition. 

Check out all the nominees in all ten categories here.

In the coming weeks, we will post bios, photos and information on all of the 50 Viola nominees.  So stay tuned!  For now, though, let's celebrate these special 50 individuals, artists, leaders, organizations and events for their excellence and good works.  Congratulations nominees!

Cheers,
JT