Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards

The third annual Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards will be celebrated at a free public ceremony and reception on Monday, December 8, 2014 at 6:30 pm at the New Hazlett Theater Center for the Performing Arts, 6 Allegheny Square East on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

Conceptual artist Lenka Clayton will be honored as Emerging Artist and interdisciplinary artist Jon Rubin will be honored as Established Artist. Each will receive a cash award of $15,000 in recognition of exemplary artistic achievements and promise for future work.

The awards ceremony at the New Hazlett Theater will feature performances by previous Investing in Professional Artists program grantees: master dancer and artistic director of Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, Mama Kadiatou; composer and co-artistic director of Squonk Opera, Jackie Dempsey; and multimedia storyteller, artist Daniel McCloskey. A festive reception will be held in the lobby of the theater following the ceremony. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance.

The awards honor Carol R. Brown, who led the cultural and economic transformation of downtown Pittsburgh’s cultural district as President of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust from 1986 to 2001. During her tenure, a 14 square block area of downtown Pittsburgh, formerly a red light district, was transformed into a nationally-recognized cultural district with theaters, galleries, world-class public art, and public spaces.

The Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards are jointly sponsored by The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments as part of a major initiative, Investing in Professional Artists: The Pittsburgh Region Artists Program, that provides resources to professional artists for the breadth of the creative process, from concept to completion.