Arizona Citizens for the Arts (AZCA) announced that Gov. Katie Hobbs will headline the Arizona Creative Excellence Awards on Thursday, October 19. The Governor will make opening remarks and participate in presenting two of the prestigious awards.
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A feature of this year’s event is a brand-new category called The Governor’s Award, the recipient of which was selected by Gov. Hobbs herself, in partnership with the Arizona Commission on the Arts and AZCA.
Other awards to be presented next week include the prestigious Shelley Award, going to Cindy Ornstein, recently retired executive director of Mesa Arts Center; the Arts Champion Award, shared by State Representatives Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix) and Marcelino Quiñonez (D-Phoenix); and the new Oonagh (pronounced oo-nah) Award, which recognizes creative community collaborations in the arts and culture field.
“We are honored that Governor Hobbs will play an important role in this event,” says Patrick McWhortor, CEO of Arizona Citizens for the Arts. “After a hiatus begun during the pandemic, bringing people back into a theatre to celebrate arts and culture together for an inspiring evening serves as an important reminder to our state just how important creative talent and accomplishments are to our quality of life.”
The ceremony begins with a reception at 6:30 pm on Thursday Oct. 19, 2023 at The Madison Center for the Arts in Phoenix, and the awards program begins at 7:30 pm.
Arizona Citizens for the Arts is the state’s only grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to building a thriving creative economy through community support of arts and culture. Its Partners hail from all corners of the state and proceeds from the annual event support the organization’s year-round advocacy efforts.
More information about the event and the link to purchase tickets are available on the AZCA website at https://azcitizensforthearts.org/arizona–creative–excellence–awards–2023/.
