Commission to Recognize Distinctive Contributions to the Arts in Tacoma

--AMOCAT Arts Awards Nominations Due by Aug. 2-- 

Nominations for the 2015 AMOCAT Arts Awards are due by Aug. 2 to the Tacoma Arts Commission. An online nomination form is available.

“The arts are an essential part of Tacoma’s identity thanks to a dedicated community of arts supporters,” said Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland. “The AMOCAT Arts Awards highlight the people, organizations and patrons who invest their energy and passion into making Tacoma an engaging and vibrant community.”

The three award categories are:

1.    Community Outreach by an Individual - Community outreach, engagement and involvement in the arts in Tacoma by an individual
2.    Community Outreach by an Organization - Community outreach, engagement and involvement in the arts in Tacoma by an organization
3.    Arts Patron - A community partner who significantly supports or contributes to the arts in Tacoma

The Tacoma Arts Commission will review all nominations and select one finalist in each award category based on the breadth and depth of the nominee's community impact as well as the quality of the work being done by the nominee, not by the number of times the nominee has been nominated. 

Strickland will present the 2015 AMOCAT Arts Awards at the Tacoma Arts Month Opening Party on Oct. 1.

In the category of Community Outreach by an Individual, past winners include: Lynn Di Nino, Jared Pappas-Kelley and Michael S. Lent, Laura and Matt Eklund, Lance Kagey and Tom Llewellyn, Linda Danforth, William Kupinse, Oliver Doriss, Stella Haioulani, Katy Evans, David Domkoski, and Jessica Spring.

In the category of Community Outreach by an Organization, past winners include: Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass Education Programs, Arts Impact, Tacoma School of the Arts, Barefoot Studios, Victory Music, King's Books, Hilltop Artists, Fab-5, D.A.S.H. Center for the Arts, The Grand Cinema, Puget Sound Book Artists, and Asia Pacific Cultural Center.

In the category of Arts Patron, past winners include: Sound Transit Art Program, Pierce Transit, 6th Avenue Business District, The Weekly Volcano, Hotel Murano, City Arts, Urban Grace Church, The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, Key Bank, Erivan and Helga Haub and family, and ArtsFund.

Additional information about the AMOCAT Arts Awards can be found online.