07/27/2009
Contact:
Liz Bartolomeo
press@artsusa.org
202.371.2830
Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston Receives Arts Award
Washington, DC — July 27, 2009 — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, in conjunction with the National Association of Counties (NACo) today presented the 2009 National Award for County Arts Leadership to Linda Langston member of the Linn County Board of Supervisors in Iowa at NACo’s annual meeting in Nashville, TN. The award honors an elected county board or individual leader who has significantly advanced the arts in the communities they serve and is part of the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards series.
“Linda Langston is a dedicated leader for the arts in Linn County and Cedar Rapids. Her support in the county has not only increased funding for the arts and cultural sector, her work has had a positive impact on the lives of local residents,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.
Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston receives the 2009 County Arts Leadership Award for her ardent support arts and culture in Cedar Rapids and throughout Linn County. As a county supervisor, Langston provided $75,000 in funds towards recovery efforts at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, in response to last year’s major flooding that devastated Lin County and eastern Iowa. Langston is currently promoting a one percent public art fund for new construction and re-construction as part of the flood rebuilding efforts. She is also a strong supporter of the Linn County Historical Society.
Before being elected to the Linn County Board of Supervisors in 2002, she served as Director of the History Center in Cedar Rapids for more than four years, overseeing a $3.2 million fund drive and the building of a new facility in the city. Langston has been very active in supporting the arts on a national level as immediate past chair of the National Association of Counties’ Arts and Culture Commission.
Americans for the Arts established the National Award for County Arts Leadership in 1999 to recognize the positive role county government leaders play in improving arts programs, increasing funding to the arts, and making the arts accessible in their communities. Past recipients include: Douglas M. Duncan, County Executive in Montgomery County, Maryland; the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors; County Commissioner Park Helms of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; County Commissioner Betty Lou Ward of Wake County, North Carolina; the Broward County Board of Commissioners of Broward County, Florida; the Jefferson County Commission of Jefferson County, Alabama; the Lackawanna County Commissioners of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania; the Howard County Government of Howard County, Maryland; and Franklin County Commissioners, Ohio.
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 49 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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