Call for Nominations: Time to Launch 12^th Annual Arts Recognition Awards

Nominations are now open for the 12th Annual Arts Recognition Awards sponsored by the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County.

Candidates in the performing, visual, literary arts as well as arts education, administration and philanthropy are eligible. A key criterion is that their contribution in and to the arts has a significant impact in Contra Costa County and the surrounding region. Five individuals or organizations will be selected for recognition based on demonstrated qualities of leadership, vision, creativity, and commitment to enriching the quality of life through the arts in the community.The deadline for completed nomination applications is Tuesday, July 31st at 5:00 pm. The nomination form is available here (NOMINATION FORM), on the commission's web site, or by contacting the Commission at (925) 646-2278. Entries will be judged by a panel of Bay Area arts advocates and announced in August.

Since 1995 more than 60 awards have been made to individuals and organizations with honorees representing almost every community in Contra Costa County. According to Sarah Michael, Chair of the Contra Costa County Arts & Culture Commission, the Arts Recognition Awards is one of the most important initiatives of the Commission. "Not only do creative artists need nurturing and support, those in arts education, development activities, and administration do too. This awards process is the Commission's way of doing that."

Capturing Mt. Diablo: Worth a trip to the County Administration Building

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then photographer Bob Larsen has produced 10 million of them with his exhibition, "Capturing Mount Diablo" currently on display in the County Administration Building in Martinez. The Contra Costa Times photographer spent a year hiking the trails of Mt. Diablo shooting its constantly changing moods as he documented the seasons and the beauty of landscape. A representative sampling of 45 of the original 10,000 images is on display in the Chambers of the Contra Costa County Supervisors as well as in main floor lobby of the Administration Building. The exhibit will continue through July 27th.

"Capturing Mount Diablo" was conceived as a way of showcasing the 35th anniversary of Save Mt. Diablo, the organization committed to preserving open space on the mountain. A slide show with 200 of those images was featured as part of the anniversary celebration. The Contra Costa Times and AC5 co-sponsored the 45-photo exhibition with the Times underwriting the framing costs for the photos and the Arts Commission attending to the curating and installation aspects through its ongoing program, Art Passages. Arts Passages, initiated in 2003, is funded by the Commission to celebrate the diverse forms of creative expression exhibited by the visual artists in Contra Costa County.

At the June 5 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, District IV Supervisor Susan Bonilla recognized the efforts of Save Mount Diablo as well as the quality of the Larsen exhibit and the contribution of both the Contra Costa Times and AC5 in bringing the exhibit to a public building where hundreds could enjoy the photos on a daily basis. Bonilla commented that the photos not only brightened the windowless meeting room, but also helped County residents appreciate the value of the natural landscape around them.

Note: The entire presentation can be viewed via streaming video on the CCC web site; choose Agendas/Meeting Videos and scroll to June 5, 2007 Supervisors' meeting.

Well Done, Commissioner

Robert Rezak is stepping down from his seat as the District 4 Commissioner (Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and portions of Walnut Creek) after serving for twelve years, essentially since the Commission was established. During his tenure with AC5, Bob played an active role, including serving as chair numerous times, working on the creation of Friends of AC5, the Commission's non-profit fundraising arm, and master-minding the Arts Recognition Awards, which has recognized over 60 individuals and organizations whose work in the arts has significantly influenced cultural advancement in the County. Bob not only designed the awards event, but managed the project each year and acted as host/MC for the event.

Bob plans to keep busy, as he is active with many other non-profits including Diablo Light Opera Company, El Campanil Theatre, Diablo Symphony, Contra Costa Wind Symphony, Sonos Handbell Ensemble, and the Eugene O'Neill Foundation.

We salute Bob for his commitment to the arts and his many contributions to the Commission. We wish him well as he turns his considerable talents to other endeavors.

Area Students Honored in Public Ceremony

For nine Contra Costa high school students this summer will bring a unique and challenging opportunity. These students, listed below, were selected to attend Innerspark, the California State Summer School for the Arts, which will be held on the campus of the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.

Innerspark is a rigorous, preprofessional, month-long training program in the visual and performing arts, creative writing, animation and film. The program began in 1985 to enable artistically gifted students, broadly representative of the socioeconomic and ethnic diversity of the state, to receive intensive training in the arts through a multidisciplinary program. Now embarking on its twenty-first summer of operation, the school has trained more than nine thousand highly talented students.

AC5 brought these students to the attention of the County Board of Supervisors and a resolution in their honor was issued on May 22 with the the students and AC5 commissioners in attendance. This year's honorees are:

Creative Writing

• Marissa Bertucci, Pittsburg, Northgate High School
• Korbi Blanchard, Walnut Creek, Northgate High School
• Carrie Jones, Martinez, Alhambra High School
• Lindy Lavender, Pacheco, College Park High School
• Alyssa Lempesis, Alamo, San Ramon High School

Theatre

• Erika Hidalgo, Walnut Creek, Clayton High School
• Laura Melton, Walnut Creek, Northgate High School
• Theodore Urdea, Alamo, Acalanes High School

Visual Arts

• Robin Fischer, El Cerrito, Berkeley High School

AC5 wishes these students the best at Innerspark, and looks forward to their contributions to the Contra Costa arts community.

AC5 Chair Honored at Courthouse Reception

AC5 Chair Harold Beaulieu was among the honorees at a May 31 reception held by the Superior Court of California and the Art in the Courthouse Committee, a group of judicial officers, attorneys, art educators and public art curators.

The May 31 reception was a celebration to honor individuals and groups for their generous donation of fine art for extended display in the courthouses of Contra Costa County and for their efforts on behalf of Art in the Courthouse facilitating fine art for courthouse facilities.

Beaulieu contributed to the program by providing his photo essay "Kids @ Art" for display in the Richmond Courthouse. The images show children of all ages participating in various West County community art projects. This was the first art display for the Richmond courthouse and it was enthusiastically received by the community.

Other honorees included Jan and Maryann Beekhuis, Paul Bonnar, Esq., Christine Callahan, Esq., Robert Chapla, William Harsh, Linda Grebmeier, George Rammell, Anthony Riggs, and The Diablo Woodworkers.

Announcing New Officers for AC5

At the June meeting of AC5, new officers were voted in for Fiscal 2007/2008. Sarah Michael will serve as Chair, with Joan Trezek serving as Vice-Chair. Ms. Michael, a composer and musician, joined AC5 in May 2006, and served as Vice-Chair in Fiscal 2006/2007. Ms. Trezek joined the organization in February 2007. She is a Public Relations and Marketing Consultant, and also serves on the County Library Commission.

Ms. Michael and Ms. Trezek can be reached through the Arts Commission office at (925) 646-2278 or AC5@AC5.org

Commissioner Sarah Michael	Commissioner Joan Trezek

Arts Advocates Sought for Vacancies on County Arts Commission

Vacancies currently exist on the Arts & Culture Commission of Contra Costa County (AC5) for Districts 4 and 5. Long-time District 4 Commissioner Robert Rezak has elected not to accept a new term and Commissioner Bobbie Hill has resigned for health reasons. To be eligible for the Commission, applicants must live in the district they represent and be appointed by their respective supervisor. Applications are available on the Contra Costa County Web site, www.co.contra-costa.ca.us, and then choose Board Advisory Body Information.

District 4 is comprised of Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill, Pacheco, Clyde and a small portion of Walnut Creek. Susan Bonilla is the District 4 Supervisor. District 5, Supervisor Federal Glover's district, includes Antioch, Oakley, Pittsburg, Bay Point, and Bethel Island.

The AC5 Commission meets monthly in open session. AC5's mission is to support artists and arts organizations in the County and to forge strong partnerships between the arts community and its various constituencies through its annual awards recognition event, public art activities, and educational programming. Current commissioners include David Duer, District 1; Darwin Marable, District 2; Joan Trezek, District 3 and two at-large members: Harold Beaulieu and Sarah Michael.