KALAMAZOO, MI -- The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo will award four Community Medal of Art this year to actor Sidney Ellis, singer Bob Rowe, set designer Jon Reeves and actress and director Cathie Weir.
Five other Community Arts Awards will honor volunteer Nancy Springgater Kushner, young artist Kirsten Sluyter, arts leaders Don Dillon III and Fred Sang and the Kalamazoo Book Arts.
"The recipients of this year's Community Arts Awards are truly dedicated to the Arts - whether it is creating, inspiring or teaching - these individuals and organizations contribute so much to the creative quality of life in Kalamazoo," said Beth McCann, deputy director of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.
The Community Medal of Arts recognizes artists in the community who have created a significant body of work or impacted the community. Ellis is an actor, who also served as the executive director of the Black Arts and Cultural Center for several years. Rowe is best known for his work with Renaissance Enterprises, which brings music into nursing homes and other care facilities. Reeves is a well-known sculptor and set designer, who is also a technical director at Kalamazoo College. Weir is a longtime area theater director.
Kushner is being honored for her volunteer work with the Cooper Award for Distinguished Volunteer Services. Sluyter, a Gull Lake High School Student, will receive the Adam F. Carter Young Artist Award.
The Epic Award will be given to Kalamazoo Book Arts for enhancing the community through the arts and for meeting previously unmet needs in the community. Dillon and Sang received the Arts Leadership Awards for their work as arts leaders and educators. Dillon has worked as a musical director and director and is known as the owner of Dillon's Video Productions and Dillon Music Center. Sang is the artistic director of the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus.
The Community Arts Awards will be celebrated at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 19 at the Sunday Concerts in the Park in Bronson Park at a concert by double bassist Nicholas Schwartz, the 2009 Stulberg International String Competition gold medalist. Schwartz will be joined by pianist Anna Fedorova.
A ticketed reception at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts will follow the concert and award presentations. Tickets are $10. Reservations for the reception can be made by calling the Arts Council at 269-342-5059 or bmccann@kalamazooarts.org.
Linda S. Mah is a reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Reach her at 269-303-6567 or her at lmah@mlive.com. You can follow her on Twitter.