press release archive

07/23/2008

Contact:
Beth Garcia
Goodman Media for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 ext. 242 or bgarcia@goodmanmedia.com


Americans for the Arts Presents Lt. Governors Arts Award to Barbara Lawton of Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, DC — July 23, 2008 — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, and the National Lieutenant Governors Association today presented Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton with the Lieutenant Governors Arts Leadership Award.  The award honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level.  It was presented at the National Lieutenant Governors Association annual conference in Buffalo, NY, as part of the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards series.

“Wisconsin has demonstrated an incredible commitment to the advancement of the arts,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton has created and maintained numerous innovative programs for residents across the state.” 

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton receives the 2008 Lt. Governors Arts Award for her arts advocacy throughout the state. After taking office in 2003, Lawton has been a tireless champion for the arts and arts education in Wisconsin. The leaders of Wisconsin Arts Board and Arts Wisconsin nominated Lt. Gov. Lawton for the award. As chair of the Wisconsin Arts Board, the state agency dedicated to creativity, culture, community and commerce, Lawton has directed the agency to engage both public and private sectors in a shared agenda to establish Wisconsin's stronghold in the creative economy. In so doing, she has promoted the arts and culture industry as a powerful sector in itself and as the animating force for growth in communities across the state.

“Creativity and innovation will be the cornerstone of Wisconsin competitiveness in the years ahead,” Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton has stated. “The arts are essential to Wisconsin's economic, educational and civic success in the future.”

Lawton developed the New Economy Funding Initiative, a bold vision for increased state investment in the arts that will give Wisconsin the competitive advantage it needs to thrive in the 21st century economy. The Lt. Governor was also one of the creators of the Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education in partnership with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster. The Task Force will address the essential role arts education and the development of all students' creative capacities plays in the lives of students, in defining their future, the quality of life in Wisconsin's communities and the state's economy.

Lt. Governor Lawton's leadership was recognized further when she was invited to present the states' interests to the 2007 Americans for the Arts National Arts Policy Roundtable, "Thinking Creatively, Working Globally: The Role of the Arts in Building a 21st Century American Workforce."

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of 48 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

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