AKRON, OH — On June 17, the Arts Alive Awards Committee has announced recipients for the outstanding artists, talented arts educators and change-making advocates who bring art to life and help shape community’s culture.
The announcement was held virtually, hosted by Summit Artspace, while the virtual announcement will be rebroadcast on Monday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m.. Participants can register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-arts-alive-awards-rebroadcast-tickets-159691121443.
The Emerging Artist goes to Alexandria Couch, who is a visual artist and recent graduate from The University of Akron with two degrees, a B.F.A. in Painting and a B.F.A. in Printmaking. She serves as Programs Coordinator at Summit Artspace.
The next award is Outstanding Visual Artist which goes to Leandra Drumm, a visual artist, and daughter of Don and Lisa Drumm. She has a brand called "Leandra Drumm Designs" that has grown about the past two decades since she started selling her work when, at the same time, earning her B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Kent State University.
Meanwhile, Floco Torres, a Hip-Hop musician, producer, songwriter and graphic designer becomes receiver an Outstanding Artist in Music. He serves as Community Outreach Director at The Devil Strip and in 2018, made the Hip-Hop duo Free Black! with producer/drummer HR3.
Jairo Cuesta, an internationally acclaimed actor, teacher, director and co-founder of New World Performance Laboratory (NWPL) in Akron, Ohio, becomes an Outstanding Artist in Theatre. However, he retired from his position as a leader at NWPL’s umbrella organization, Center for Applied Theater and Active Culture (CATAC).
Next in the lineup, there is Outstanding Artist in Dance that goes to Jane Startzman, who has more than fifty years of experience in the field of professional dance. She now serves as Director of the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival and Director of Events at the Akron Civic Theatre.
In addition, there are Arts Educator award that goes to Andrea Karcic; Collaborative Project award that goes to Curated Courthouse; IDEA Leader that goes to Wendy Duke of The Center for Applied Drama and Autism; Rising Arts Leader award that goes to Courtney Cable; Arts Patron that goes to Herbert and Dianne Newman,;Arts Alive Award that goes to Howard Parr; Summit Artspace Champion award that goes to GAR Foundation; and lastly, Lifetime Achievement that goes to Dr. Leslie Barnes.
For more detailed information regarding Arts Alive 2021, contact Executive Director Heather Meeker by emailing heather@summitartspace.org or calling (330) 376-8480, ext. 2.
Find more information about the awards and selection criteria at https://www.summitartspace.org/arts-alive-2021/.
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