Oregon Arts Commission Announces 2007 Governor’s Arts Awards

On Wednesday, July 18, Governor Ted Kulongoski will confer the 2006-2007 Governor’s Arts Award on eight distinguished recipients. They are:

In addition, Alice Norris, Mayor of Oregon City, will receive the Ron Schmidt Award, presented to an elected official who has made outstanding contributions to the arts.

Since 1977, 143 artists in every discipline have been singled out for recognition with a Governor’s Arts Award. It’s a mark of excellence and achievement in a state rich with artistic talent and expression. In 1993, the Oregon Arts Commission established the Ron Schmidt Leadership award to honor public servants who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in arts policy development and arts advocacy. Ron Schmidt, a master communicator deeply involved with Oregon’s political, civic and cultural communities, had a hand in the creation of many of the state’s most progressive programs. An Oregon Arts Commissioner for several years, he served as its chair for two. He died at age 56 in 1992. Former Portland Mayor Vera Katz, former State Representative Tony Van Vliet of Corvallis, former Portland City Commissioner Mike Lindberg and State Senator Betsy Johnson of Scappoose are among the previous recipients of this special honor.

The Governor’s Arts Awards have a long history of being an energizing gathering of Oregon’s arts and cultural community. This year’s ceremony, at Mahonia Hall, the Governor’s home, will be particularly celebratory since 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the Oregon Arts Commission. In addition, the legislature recently approved full funding for the Commission’s Creative Oregon Initiative, allowing greater financial support for Oregon’s arts community over the next two years.

This year’s honorees will each be given a limited edition photograph from Oregon photographer Dianne Kornberg’s elegant series, The Marine Life Project. This fall, Ms. Kornberg’s work will be the subject of two solo exhibitions, at Marylhurst University’s The Art Gym and at Portland’s Elizabeth Leach Gallery.

Brief biographies of the 2007 Governor’s Arts Award recipients follow. A complete list of previous honorees can be found at www.oregonartscommission.org/culture/governors_awards.php

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of the Economic Development Department in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon Legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.

The Arts Commission is supported with General Funds appropriated by the Oregon Legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

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2006-2007 Governor’s Arts Awards Recipients

Ruth Dobson
Founder and artistic director of the opera program at Portland State University for the past 28 years, Ruth Dobson has brought unparalleled leadership and accomplishment to the performing arts curriculum. Now retired, she built the program from simple workshop productions to fully staged, orchestrated performances, culminating in two first place awards from the National Opera Association for Le Nozze di Figaro (1999) and Don Giovanni (2002). Her focus has always been directed to the education and cultivation of her students. She provided a level of performance training that is exceedingly rare for undergraduates. As a result, several of her students, including Katie Harmon, Miss America 2002, have achieved national recognition. Others have gone on to apprentice programs at major companies, several have appeared in main stage productions at Portland Opera.

Lee Freed
Lee Freed, whose Lincoln City art gallery attracts travelers along Highway 101 with its well-known windmills, has been a tireless advocate for bringing arts to children in an economically deprived area of Oregon. She describes why she created the acclaimed Let There Be Arts program:

In our school district, 400 homeless students make their way to school buses each day, rain or shine. Their “homes” are gullies, abandoned cars and tents. These children have as much talent and appreciation for the arts as those from more affluent areas. They only need opportunities and exposure.

Let There Be Arts now blooms with performing and visual arts programs for children of all ages throughout the county. Local businesses support the program and as Lincoln City area schools continue to face funding challenges, Let There Be Arts has raised money to serve over 1,000 children with arts programs.

Sharon Morgan
Sharon Morgan has been involved with arts education for over two decades. While executive director of Newport’s Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, she created the nationally recognized Family Arts Agenda. Cited for excellence by the Kennedy School of Government, this visionary program takes an innovative approach to putting children in touch with the arts while serving the social needs of the family. Most recently, Ms. Morgan was executive director for the Oregon Alliance for Arts Education. During her six-year tenure, awareness for arts education has increased dramatically. She has traveled throughout Oregon to advocate on behalf of arts education to parents, teachers, administrators, artists, and policy makers, creating a network that has strength and sustainability. Her collaboration with the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Arts Commission led to the development of the Oregon Teacher Arts Institute, a summer hands-on arts learning experience that has now benefited hundreds of Oregon classroom teachers.

OPB-TVs “Oregon Art Beat”
From an operatic baritone to a bit-and-spur craftsman and everything in between, “Oregon Art Beat” is an Emmy award-winning weekly television series produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Since Spring 2000, it has produced 248 segments profiling artists, musicians, and artisans. As Executive Producer Jeff Douglas explained, "The purpose of “Oregon Art Beat” is to introduce people to the arts and cultural events happening in the community. We know we've accomplished our mission if, after watching the show, viewers get involved." The summer re-runs of audience favorites, determined by vote, show how enthusiastically involved “Art Beat” viewers are. Top vote getters include Leroy Setziol, Lillian Pitt, Pat Courtney Gold and Henk Pander (previous Governor Arts Award recipients); as well as Polly’s Cake’s, the Carousel Museum in Hood River, Stolen Sweets and Lucinda Parker. In addition to its Emmy Award-winning weekly television series, “Oregon Art Beat” developed, with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Beat at School, an online collection of over 100 lesson plans with video clips and related resources designed for K-12 classroom use. "We believe that the arts are an important part of learning and expressing what you think," according to Douglas. He concludes, "Being a part of Oregon Art Beat is its own reward if it leads to more people getting involved in the cultural life of their community."

Gil Seeley
Dr. Gilbert Seeley, artistic director and conductor of the Oregon Repertory Singers, joined the music faculty of Lewis and Clark College in 1975 where he conducted the college choir and taught courses in conducting, music history, world music and contemporary music. In 1996, he was honored with the James Rogers Endowed Chair in Music. He’s beloved on campus for his vast knowledge of music, easy-going manner and sense of humor. In 1976, he became director of the Oregon Repertory Singers. Under his leadership, ORS has won critical acclaim and is now recognized as one of the finest choral ensembles in America. Dr. Seeley is a brilliant programmer and an inspiring and passionate conductor. The concerts are distinctly varied and international, incorporating music ranging from medieval chant to Italian madrigal, flamenco, gospel, folk and contemporary works of diverse styles. In addition to sold-out performances in Portland, the choir has toured Europe and participated in international choral competitions, winning top honors. It has recorded outstanding CDs on a variety of labels.

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, a long-standing and award-winning architecture firm, is not only a leader in its field locally and nationally but also plays very important roles in the art world. The firm has a long history of to integrating artists into its design teams, not just because a percent for art program mandates it, but also because the ZGF architects truly appreciate what artists bring to their projects. It has worked with the Regional Arts & Culture Council on numerous public art projects and often hired artists without any public art requirement. ZGF has also taken a leadership position with RACC’s new Work for Art workplace giving program. ZGF was an early adopter of the program and consistently raises the most money each year out of the dozens of workplaces large and small that participate in Work for Art.

The Honorable Alice Norris, Mayor of Oregon City, Ron Schmidt Leadership Award
Alice Norris’ involvement in civic and cultural affairs spans at least two decades. She was elected to the Oregon City School Board in 1980; was a founding board member of the Oregon Trail Foundation; and executive director of the Oregon Trail Pageant from 1987 to 1999. She served two terms on the board of the Regional Arts & Culture Council during the 1990s, including two years as chair. She is a past chair of the Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission and co-founded Oregon City’s First City Festival in 1994. Since becoming Mayor in 2003, she has turned her energy to Oregon City’s 51-year old outdoor municipal elevator, built to bridge the city’s dramatic changes in elevation. Since the elevator carries over 10,000 riders every month and stands as a functional and visible symbol of Oregon City, its enhancement is important to the revitalization of the community. Under her leadership, the revitalization project seeks to integrate art and heritage, create a unique gathering place, and use art as a catalyst to enhance the appreciation and aesthetics of Oregon City. 

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