Name, please?
I could use your help.
Every year the Vermont Arts Council (VAC) honors the arts community in Vermont with awards given to artists, art administrators and advocates, philanthropists, arts educators. Four of these awards: the prestigious Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, an Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, an Award for Arts Education, and an Award for Arts Advocacy, are described in more detail here, along with specific criteria and information about past recipients.
I have the honor of being asked to serve as one of several “official nominators,” which means that after some thought and research, I will be submitting names of two nominees in each of the four categories. (A fifth category for Meritorious Service has a different nomination process.) The nomination process for the first four is wide-ranging and I have been told that asking for your help is not only permitted, but encouraged.
In the Upper Valley, we live on one side of the Connecticut River or the other, sometimes by intent and sometimes by happenstance, resulting in a vibrant arts community that encompasses both states. For purposes of the VAC Awards, however, nominees must reside in Vermont.
As you can imagine, I already have a long list. If you have any suggestions for me, I would be delighted to hear from you. Take a look at the criteria (again, here is the link. At the bottom of each category you will see “Read more . . .) Think about who you know in the arts community in the Upper Valley or even elsewhere in Vermont. Send an email in response to this post (or simply email me at sapel@vermontlaw.edu and include “VAC Nominee” in the subject line.) If you name someone, make sure to include some contact information for them (e-mail address or their website). Then tell me (briefly!) why you think they should be nominated.
Got someone in mind? Let me hear from you in the next week. Many, many thanks!
Photo, above, from Wikimedia. Metal statue of a woman thinking, entitled "la Pensadora" by José Luis Fernández in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, ca. 1968/1976
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.