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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 2008
Shelly Angers, NH Department of Cultural Resources
(603) 271-3136, shelly.angers@dcr.nh.gov

Jennifer McLean, NH State Council on the Arts
(603) 271-2789, jennifer.mclean@dcr.nh.gov

Governors Arts Awards Celebration to take place at the Colonial Theatre in Keene.
Ken Burns among those to be honored

On April 24, artists, arts patrons and other arts supporters will gather in Keene for the 2007 Governors Arts Awards.

The Governors Arts Awards are given out every other year to recognize outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in New Hampshire. Governor John Lynch and First Lady Susan Lynch, honorary chair of the Governors Arts Awards, will present the awards.

The celebration begins at 4 p.m. with open houses at a variety of arts locations throughout Keene. At 7 p.m., award recipients will be honored at a formal presentation at the Colonial Theatre. This evening program includes poetry, music and dance performances; short tribute videos produced by WMUR’s New Hampshire Chronicle; and the unveiling of six unique “Eagle Awards” by some of the state’s finest visual artists.

The public is invited to participate at both the afternoon and evening events. There is no charge to attend the open houses; tickets for the evening program can be purchased through the Colonial Theatre box office and web site, www.thecolonial.org. General admission tickets are $18; limited, preferred seating admission is $75, which includes a tax deductible donation of $57.

“Here in New Hampshire we are very fortunate to have a rich cultural and artistic heritage, which is an important part of our high quality of life. These awards are one way that we, as state government, can build public awareness of the great contributions the arts make to New Hampshire and demonstrate how the arts truly enrich our lives,” Governor Lynch said.

The 2007 Governors Arts Award recipients are:

• The Bloomfield Family (Bow); Individual Arts Patron Award
• Ken Burns, for Florentine Films ( Walpole); Creative Enterprise Award
• Pheobe Ann Neiswenter (Pembroke); Arts Education Award
• Drika Over ton ( Portsmouth); Distinguished Arts Leadership Award
• Harvey Tolman (Nelson); New Hampshire Folk Heritage Award
• Marilyn Ziffrin ( Bradford); Lotte Jacobi Living Treasure Award

Burns, direc tor and producer of award-winning documentaries that include The Civil War, Baseball, and The War, was chosen to receive the Creative Enterprise award for his ongoing work at Florentine Films, which he co-founded in Walpole in 1976.

Each awardee will receive a unique “Eagle Award,” a work of art that references the eagle a top the State House dome. New Hampshire artists commissioned to create the works are:

• Emilie Birch ( Canaan); sculp tor
• Kit Cornell ( Exeter); studio potter
• Beth Krommes ( Peterborough); illustra tor and printmaker
• Randy Miller ( East Alstead); illustra tor and engraver
• Suzanne Pretty ( Farming ton); visual artist
• Gerry Williams (Dunbar ton); studio potter

For more information about the awardees and the commissioned artists, visit www.nh.gov/nharts.

The April 24th Governors Arts Awards event is supported by ChicagoSoft of Hanover, Lincoln Financial Group, C&S Wholesale Grocers; the Gilbert Verney Foundation; the Kingsbury Foundation; Northeast Delta Dental; Public Service of New Hampshire; WMUR—NH Chronicle, CA, Inc; and private donations.

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is the advisory Council for the Division of the Arts within the Department of Cultural Resources. It was established in 1965 as the official state arts agency with legislation (RSA 19-A) designed “ to insure that the role of the arts in the life of our communities will continue to grow and play an ever more significant part in the welfare and educational experience of our citizens.” The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts receives support from the State of New Hampshire and the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more at www.nh.gov/nharts/.

New Hampshire ’s Department of Cultural Resources includes the State Council on the Arts, the Film and Television Office, the Division of His torical Resources, the State Library and the American Canadian French Cultural Exchange Commission. The Department strives to nurture the cultural well-being of our state. From the covered bridges and traditional music of our past to the avant garde performances and technological resources of today and tomorrow, New Hampshire’s culture is as varied as its geography and its people. This strong cultural base—which truly has something for everyone—attracts businesses looking for engaged workforces, provides outstanding educational opportunities and creates communities worth living in. Learn more at www.nh.gov/nhculture/.

Last updated: April 11, 2008