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10/8/2007 - MABCA sets 21st Annual Business in the Arts awards

        

           PRESS RELEASE             

2007 MABCA GUEST SPEAKER FOR
THE 21^st ANNIVERSARY OF THE BUSINESS IN THE ARTS AWARDS LUNCHEON

 

The Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts is pleased to announce Mr. Rick Bragg of Tuscaloosa as its guest speaker for its 21^st Annual Business in the Arts Awards Luncheon to be held on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 11:45 AM at the Embassy Suites.  This Awards program will be held in Celebration of Alabama The Year of the Arts sponsored by Aronov Realty and Embassy Suites.  This program has been made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Mr. Bragg is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and a member of the University of Alabama journalism department in the College of Communication and Information Sciences as a professor of writing.

Bragg, a native of Piedmont, Ala., has worked as a reporter for the Anniston Star, the Birmingham News, the St. Petersburg Times, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. Bragg was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 in feature writing for his "elegantly written stories about contemporary America." He is a recipient of the Clarence Cason Award for Nonfiction Writing, a nationally distinguished prize that is presented annually by the UA journalism department.

Bragg's best-selling memoir, All Over But the Shoutin' recounts his days growing up poor in rural Alabama. His other books include Ava's Man, Somebody Told Me and I'm a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 PRESS RELEASE FOR THE MABCA FINALISTS

 

CONTACT: ASHLEY LEDBETTER 334-263-2224(office) or 334-220-7604(cell)
For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

BUSINESS IN THE ARTS AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Come celebrate the accomplishments of the finalists and nominees of the 2007 Business in the Arts Awards with the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts during the luncheon awards event on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at the Embassy Suites at 11:45 am.  The presentation will recognize business support and participation in the arts, which improves the quality of life and encourages economic development in the Montgomery area.  This event will be held in Celebration of Alabama:  The Year of the Arts, sponsored by Aronov Realty and Embassy Suites.  This program has been made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.  The featured Guest Speaker will be Mr. Rick Bragg, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author of All Over But the Shoutin' and Ava's Man.  
 

Through the Business in the Arts Awards program, the MABCA informs the community of the contributions business makes to the arts.  It is an opportunity to recognize productive partnerships between businesses and local arts groups. 

This year the MABCA is pleased to announce the dedication of the Arts in Education award to the Virginia and Robert S. Weil Arts in Education Award in honor of the Weil family's dedication to the arts and Mr. Weil's service the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts.  Mr. Weil was one of the original founding members of the MABCA and was the first Chairman of the Board from 1980-1983.

 

2007 Recipients and Finalists
2007 Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award Recipient

Sabel Steel

 

2007 Winton M. Blount Arts Leadership Recipient

James W. Wilson, Jr.  (1935-2006)
    (Awarded posthumously)

 

Virginia and Robert S. Weil Arts in Education Award Finalists*

Alabama Power

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC

Regions Bank

 

 

 

 

2007 Business in the Arts Awards Finalists

 

                  Small Business Finalists* (less than 25 employees)

Bank Trust

Larry Stevens Agency

Nobles Restaurant

 

                        Medium Business Finalists* (25 to 100 employees)

Touch of Class Limousine and Transportation

Wells Printing

 

                           Large Business Finalists* (over 100 employees)

Ballard Realty

Jenkins Brick Company

Publix Super Markets, Inc.

*Winners of each category to be announced at the presentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

           PRESS RELEASE             

2007 MABCA SELECTED ARTIST ANNOUNCED

 

CONTACT: ASHLEY LEDBETTER 263-2224(office) or 220-7604(cell)

 

Business in the Arts Award Artwork Created by John "Jake" Wagnon

 

This year the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts (MABCA) will celebrate the 21^st Anniversary of its annual Business in the Arts Awards Luncheon on November 8, 2007 at 11:45 AM- 1:00 PM at Embassy Suites in Montgomery, AL.  This program commends area businesses for their exceptional support of the arts.   In keeping with the theme of business/art partnerships, the awards themselves are works of art created by a local artist.   This year's 2007 awards were created by Montgomery artist John "Jake" Wagnon.  The luncheon is sponsored by Aronov Realty and Embassy Suites.  This program has been made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Mr. Rick Bragg, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author of All Over But the Shoutin' and Ava's Man  will be the featured guest speaker. 

The Artist and the Awards

Each year, the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts (MABCA) presents the Business in the Arts Awards to area businesses who have shown exceptional support for the arts.  The awards themselves are works of art and were created this year by Jake Wagnon.  Mr. Wagnon is one of the most outstanding artists in the south eastern United States.  Born and raised in Montgomery, he graduated from the University of Alabama and continued his education by taking art courses at Huntingdon College, Auburn University, and the Art Students League in New York City.

For the Business in the Arts Awards, Mr. Wagnon used an antique photo of downtown Montgomery as inspiration to produce five pieces of art. Each of the paintings is interpreted differently, using the encaustic method of painting, which dates back to the time of ancient Egypt and Greece.  Wagnon uses a rich variety of line, color, shape, contrast, movement and texture in his work. 

The 2007 Business in the Arts Awards, created by Mr. Wagnon, will be on display October 1- October 31, 2007 in the Alabama State Council on the Arts' Alabama Artists Gallery in the RSA Tower 201 Monroe St.  Montgomery, AL.  For more information please call Ashley Ledbetter 334-263-2224. 

 

Roster of Selected MABCA Artists

     2006- Clark Walker

2005- Connie Watts                                                           2004-Carol Barksdale-Meredith

2003-Cecily "Cissie" Hulett                                            2002- George Allen "Bud" Harris

2001- Dawn Kuykendall  (1941-2003)                        2000- John Phillips

1999-Elena Aleinikov Kohn                                            1998-Terry McKee

1997-Melissa Tubbs                                                          1996-Frances Lanier

1995- Donna Jones                                                            1994-Jim Gunter

1993-John Phillips                                                             1992-Crow & Michaux

1991-Leonard LaRoux                                                      1990-Jack DeLoney

1989-Robert Shelton                                                          1988-Larry Godwin

        1987-Barbara Gallagher (1933-2006)

 

 

 

Fast Facts on the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts

 

• The Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts is a not-for-profit organization of business and professional leaders committed to encouraging and developing business involvement with the arts.

 

• Founded in 1979, the MABCA is the oldest charter affiliate of the national Business Committee for the Arts (BCA.) The national group was founded in 1967 by David Rockefeller and a core of America's top business leaders. There are currently twelve BCA affiliates across the country.
  
  
• The MABCA's Virginia and Robert S. Weil Arts in Education Award is awarded to a business that has contributed the most to the arts or arts program in some educational way. This year's finalists are Alabama Power, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC and Regions Bank.
  
  
• The Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award is presented annually at the Business in the Arts Awards Program to a Montgomery area business for long-term support of the arts. The award memorializes Frank A. Plummer, former chairman of First Alabama Bank (now Regions Bank) who was a leading supporter of the arts in central Alabama.  The award, a stainless steel and copper sculpture titled "Convergence", is a visual representation of the interdependency and mutual support of business and the arts. The 2007 recipient is Sabel Steel (Keith Sabel, 265-6771).

 

·         For the past twenty-one years, The Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts has hosted the Business in the Arts Awards, commending area businesses and individuals for their exceptional support of the arts. This year's event will be a luncheon on November 8, 2007 11:45 am at the Embassy Suites in downtown Montgomery. The cost is $40 per person, $30 for an arts group/ organization and reservations can be made by calling the MABCA office at 334-263-2224.

 

·         2007 Chairman of the Business in the Arts Awards is Gene Crane, Gene Crane 334-270-3570.

 

·         2007 Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MABCA is Bruce Crawford, Compass Bank 334-409-7267.

 

·         Each year, a local artist is commissioned to create the actual awards that are presented to winning businesses. The 2007 awards were created by Jake Wagnon.

 

 

10 X10 Limited edition signed prints of Mr. Wagnon's MABCA work may be purchased for $55 each, $65 matted or $95 framed.  Ornaments and 6X6 Ceramic tiles of his work may also be purchased for $8 and $15  each (respectively), by calling Ashley Ledbetter 334-263-2224.  These items are also available at local stores such as B Barganier, Stonehenge and Gallery East.

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