Arts Presenters Present Awards At NYC Members Conference

(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Association of Performing Arts Presenters (Arts Presenters) recognized leaders in the arts at the 48th Annual Members Conference. Recipients of awards included choreographer Paul Taylor, Ruth Felt of San Francisco Performances, The Wallace Foundation, The Kentucky Center and the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. The Awards Ceremony & Luncheon featured special remarks by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and was hosted by Sir James Galway.

"This years awards recipients are representative of the longevity and continuity of the performing arts field," said Sandra Gibson, president & CEO of Arts Presenters. "These individuals and organizations are risk takers and innovators leaders of creativity in our field."

This years Members Conference, Moving Forward on Shifting Ground, encouraged performing arts professionals to explore the vast array of resources that currently exist in the field, the rapidly shifting environment in which they operate and the avenues through which to strengthen the performing arts ecology.

More than 4,000 performing arts professionals met New York City for the Arts Presenters Members Conference workshops, events and more than 1,200 free performances throughout the city. Held from January 8-11, the 2005 Members Conference has gathered performing arts professionals from around the world, including 48 U.S. states and 19 foreign countries

Arts Presenters Award Winners:

• Association of Performing Arts Presenters Award of Merit for Achievement in the Performing Arts: Paul Taylor;
  
• William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence for Sustained Achievement in Programming: Ruth Felt, San Francisco Performances;
  
• Arts Presenters/MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence in Arts Access: The Kentucky Center (Louisville, KY);
  
• Arts Presenters/MetLife Foundation Award for Innovation in Arts Access: The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington, VT);
  
• Sidney R. Yates Advocacy Award for Outstanding Advocacy on Behalf of the Performing Arts: The Wallace Foundation; and
  
• Fan Taylor Distinguished Service Award for Exemplary Service to the Field of Professional Presenting: Terrence Jones, Wolf Trap Foundation.

The Arts Presenters 48th Annual Members Conference was sponsored by Altria, Columbia Artists Management, Inc, Clear Channel Entertainment, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, ICM, Inc., ICM Artists Ltd., IMG Artists, MetLife Foundation, National Artists Management Company and William Morris Agency, Inc. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen