On Saturday, September 24th, 2016, WAB's Executive Director, George Tzougros, attended the Wisconsin Regional Artists Association's (WRAA) awards ceremony. There, he accepted the 2016 John Steuart Curry Award on behalf of the Wisconsin Arts Board. The Curry Award is the WRAA's highest award.
The award plaque reads: For Meritorious Service in Promoting Art in Wisconsin Communities.
Jean Lang, WRAA Board Member, presented the award with the following commentary: "The grant money WRAA receives from the Arts Board has allowed WRAA to develop a number of innovative programs. The Arts Board tries to have as few grant requirements as possible, but they are still quite daunting. Thankfully the Arts Board's staff is very professional and patient and has helped me become a better grant writer. We are very lucky to have an organization like the Arts Board serving our state."
In a follow up note, Lang added "how much the proposal preparation process has helped WRAA and its board evolve as an organization. Among other things, the grant requirements pushed us to recognize that, yes, we should be surveying our participants and getting real feedback; we should be doing more to benefit the larger community (hence, our youth programs); and we should be thinking about {access for people with disabilities} when we choose our exhibit sites. I am sure that WRAA is just one of the many Wisconsin arts organizations that have strengthened their operations as a result of working with the Wisconsin Arts Board's grants program and the WAB staff. We are blessed to have such talented, thoughtful, and generous people at the WAB – and we wholeheartedly thank you all."
In addition to the Curry award, cash awards were given to many of the talented artists who entered the exhibition. Each artist was humbled for having been recognized for doing something they love to do!
This WRAA event had a few other Arts Board connections:
- former Arts Board member Helen Klebesadel, "whose watercolors push the traditional boundaries of the medium in scale, content, and technique delivered a talk called 'Art as Beauty and Voice'." Helen also served as a guest judge and received an award from WRAA.
- "Chris Manke, a public art consultant and former Percent for Art Coordinator for the Wisconsin Arts Board, provided the riveting presentation, 'The Depression Era and the WPA: The Survival and Legacy of the Artist'."
The awards ceremony was a heartwarming reminder that even a small amount of money can make a huge impact.