The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana has announced the finalists of the 2018 Arts Awards, featuring the Mayor’s Art Award and five other awards.  The finalists this year are as follows:

Visual Arts Award Finalists
Kyle Darnell, printmaker, and ceramist
Erin Gibson, filmmaker
Jonathan Hittner, painter

Performing Arts Award Finalists
EVSC Honors Music Program

Next Act, Inc., community theater
Think Pink Productions, community theater

Young Arts Award Finalists
Emily Chamness, Reitz High School 2018
Cheyenne Miller, Signature School 2019

Arts Educator Award Finalists
Leigh Anne Howard, Ph. D., University of Southern Indiana

Sally Olson, Children’s Center for Dance Education
Eric Renschler, University of Evansville
Crystal Roberson, Mater Dei High School

Lee Veazey, Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

Mayor’s Art Award Recipient
The Martha and Merritt DeJong Foundation

Arts Council Award Recipient
Alisa Holen

A reception and awards presentation will be held Thursday, August 16, 2018, at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Evansville.  Tickets are $75 a person, of which $50 is a tax-deductible donation.  Table sponsorships and donations made in honor of finalists are also available. For more information, to purchase tickets, or to be listed as a sponsor, call the Arts Council at 422-2111, or visit our website at https://www.artswin.org/kaleidoscope.

This high-profile, annual arts awards ceremony — including a cocktail buffet, cash bar, artist demonstrations, interactive displays, music, and a silent auction — honors individuals, businesses, and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the arts in our community. Artists, art educators, institutions, and arts patrons all are recognized at this event, which also presents one recipient with the prestigious Mayor’s Art Award.

Friday, July 6th, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, the Vanderburgh County Commissioners and the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse Foundation are hosting the “Bicentennial Birthday Bash” on the grounds of the Old Courthouse. The event is part of the Old Courthouse Lunch on the Lawn series and free for the community to attend. Attendees can purchase  food from a number of local food trucks including Fresh by Genes, Kona Ice, Pizza by the Slice, Chef Bruce Li, Uncle Ted’s, Lamasco on Location, Papa T’s Tamales, Jayson Munoz Caters, River City Dawgs, and Sassy Sweet Confections. A Mobile Zip line brought to the community by the Old National Events Plaza will be set up on 4^th Street and will run between the Old Courthouse and the Old Vanderburgh Jail. It is free for participants to ride. In addition, families can enjoy inflatables and face painting.

Media is invited to attend a 10:00am presentation of the Bicentennial Birthday Cake created by the Kempf family of Donut Bank Bakeries. The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will be honored at this time as well as recognition given to the many organizations and businesses that have supported the Bicentennial celebration through this first half of our 200^th birthday year.

Commemorative Bicentennial T-shirts will be available for purchase at the event. All shirt sales proceeds go to support the Bicentennial Park project at the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse.

Free parking can be found at the Vanderburgh County Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum located at 300 Court Street, across from the Old Courthouse.

For more information on the Vanderburgh County Bicentennial and upcoming celebration events go to www.VanderburghBicentennial.com.

For more information contact JoElle Knight, Chairwoman of Vanderburgh County Bicentennial Commission at 812-568-9646 or email info@vanderburghbicentennial.com