press releases

For Immediate Release

Harlem Stage, Heart of Brooklyn, National Dance Institute, Queens Council on the Arts
Among Recipients

New York—May 22, 2008— Arts & Business Council of New York, a division of Americans for the Arts, will present its 43rd Annual Encore Awards on Monday, June 2, at the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Hotel. The awards recognize successful collaborative projects between nonprofit arts organizations and businesses in New York, as well as excellence in arts management and outstanding business volunteerism in the arts.

The 43rd Encore Award winners are as follows:

2008 Excellence in Arts Management Award
Lydia Kontos, Executive Director of the Kaufman Center
Lydia Kontos joined the Kaufman Center in 1979, when it was a small community arts agency and since has combined innovation with pragmatism as she set out to put the institution on a firmer footing, and to find its niche in the New York cultural landscape. Today, the School is the largest community arts school in New York City. Kontos turned her attention to the Concert Hall and encouraged an expanded presentation agenda, with a focus on what the New York Times has referred to as “cool and cerebral programming,” and set the stage for a renovation that would address basic design deficiencies. In January 2008, the Hall reopened its doors and the renovation, designed by Robert A.M. Stern, was unveiled to great critical and community acclaim. 

2008 Arts & Business Partnership Awards
Harlem Stage & Time Warner 
A partner since 1996, Time Warner has championed Harlem Stage’s innovative programs.  In conjunction with the opening of The Gatehouse, Time Warner became lead sponsor of WaterWorks, Harlem Stage’s premier commissioning series.  WaterWorks commissions master artists to create work in an environment that encourages audience and community engagement through a multi-year creative process. WaterWorks has supported the development of major new works by Bill T. Jones, Tania Leon, Roger Guenveur Smith, and the late Sekou Sundiatta.  The leadership role that Time Warner has provided has been essential in leveraging additional funding that has enabled these artists and their projects to be realized at the highest level of their creativity. 

Heart of Brooklyn & American Express and Commerce Bank 
Heart of Brooklyn (HOB) is a partnership of the leading cultural institutions located near Grand Army Plaza in central Brooklyn. Since 2004, Heart of Brooklyn and Commerce Bank have been working together to serve Brooklyn’s culturally and economically diverse community. Commerce and HOB have produced special events at both of the member institutions and in new Commerce Bank locations throughout the borough—engaging Brooklynites in their cultural institutions and familiarizing them with a competitive banking option in their neighborhood. As a result of these efforts, residents have signed up for library cards in Commerce Bank stores, local children have improved their financial literacy at the Commerce WOW Van in Prospect Park, the Wildlife Theater in Prospect Park Zoo has entertained and educated thousands of families, and new account holders have received complimentary memberships at Brooklyn Museums.

In spring 2007, American Express and HOB, with the assistance of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, created Keep It Local. This unique cause-related marketing campaign was designed to expand the American Express presence in Brooklyn, drive spending at local Brooklyn merchants and give back to the community. From May to June 2007, over 200 local Brooklyn merchants participated in Keep It Local, and American Express donated one dollar to HOB for each card transaction during this six-week period. In the end, Keep It Local introduced thousands of residents to Brooklyn’s many diverse small businesses, increased local merchants’ revenues by over 35 percent during the campaign, and raised $50,000 for the Heart of Brooklyn cultural partnership.

National Dance Institute & ING
Two years ago, ING sponsored a 16-week National Dance Institute (NDI) residency for 4th graders.  NDI’s teaching artists help student dancers build skills needed to succeed in performance, school, and ultimately, life, while fostering a life-long appreciation for the arts.  The program had an immediate positive impact on the participating students and ING committed to ongoing funding for NDI programs at PS 111. As a result, NDI’s involvement at PS 111 has grown, now encompassing two full-year programs for both 4th and 5th grades—all fully funded by ING.  Currently, four PS 111 students study dance through NDI’s highly competitive scholarship program, performing throughout New York City and the state. The successful partnership between  National Dance Institute and ING demonstrates the vital importance of the arts to education and the powerful impact corporations can make when they are actively engaged in the community.

Queens Council on the Arts & Queens Courier/ Schneps Communications 
The Queens Courier Newspapers and Queens Council on the Arts created a powerful marketing publication that successfully has met the daunting challenge of presenting the borough’s endlessly fascinating neighborhoods and highlighting their unique cultural offerings to the public. In partnership with the Queens Council on the Arts, and collaboration with the Queens Economic Development Corporation and the Queens Borough President’s Office, the Queens Courier Newspaper printed more than 30,000 four-color glossy copies of the “Key to Queens, Your Guide to the Borough.”  This free publication is regularly updated and lists over 67 cultural and recreational attraction throughout the borough of Queens.  It is available at the Queens Visitor Center at the Queens Center Mall and the Queens Tourism Center at Queens Borough Hall and is also available through participating organizations, businesses, and at special events.

2008 Creative Business Volunteer Award
Christian Cassanello
The ABC/NY Business Volunteers for the Arts program introduced Christian Cassanello to The Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST), where he serves as a volunteer information technology and network consultant, generously bringing his time and attention to the creation of a functioning office network and business infrastructure for the theater’s staff and artists. Christian blends an encyclopedic knowledge of computer equipment, software and networks with enthusiastic dedication for organizational development. He is building the company’s technology and information systems with thoughtful applications and useful components, mindful of EST’s need to be frugal in its expense and maintenance of the system.  Christian’s volunteer effort will create a more reliable and efficient office to support the very busy work of this celebrated developmental theater. 

This year’s event will feature several special performances in recognition of the honorees, including: Manami Mizumoto, a young violinist from the Kaufman Center; dancers from Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, and students from the National Dance Institute. The 2008 Encore Awards have underwriting support from Altria Group, Inc. and American Express and additional sponsor support from Con Edison, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Sony Corporation of America, and Time Warner, Inc.  The media sponsor is Crain’s New York Business.

Arts & Business Council of New York is committed to joining the resources of arts and business.  It serves both the arts and business communities of New York through programs in volunteer development, professional development, leadership development, and economic development. Americans for the Arts is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America.  With 48 years of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. For more information, visit www.artsandbusiness-ny.org.