Mayor Bloomberg Joins Streep to Present Mayor's Awards, 11/8

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will join Academy Award winner Meryl Streep to present the 2010 Mayor's Awards for Arts and Culture to five individuals and organizations in celebration of their outstanding contributions to New York City's cultural life. The Mayor will also present the Handel Medallion, New York City's highest award for achievement in the arts, to the world-renowned American dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison.  The event, to be held at New York City's acclaimed Alice Tully Hall, will feature live performances by Arturo O'Farrill and members of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Ailey School, Chinese Theatre Works, and appearances by special guest artists.
 
The Mayor's Awards for Arts and Culture were created in 1976, when the Department of Cultural Affairs was founded, and given annually until 1994. Mayor Bloomberg revived the awards in 2004, with the assistance of the Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, chaired by Agnes Gund, whose members are a diverse and distinguished group of advocates for the City's non-profit cultural community.  The Awards acknowledge and celebrate the role individual artists, arts educators, cultural organizations, corporations and philanthropists play in the public-private partnerships that sustain the City's creative vitality and economic well-being.
 
2010 Awardees:
Amy Fischetti-Boncardo, Executive Director, Queens County Farm Museum
Bill Cunningham, Photojournalist
The Brooklyn Community Foundation
Deborah Effinger, Principal, Bronx Theatre High School
The Sandy Ground Historical Society
Judith Jamison, 2010 NYC Handel Medallion Recipient
 
DATE: Monday, November 8, 2010
TIME: 5:30PM - 7:30PM
Program begins promptly at 5:45pm
Reception to follow
Media must check-in at 5:20PM
 
LOCATION: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
West 65th Street and Broadway
 
SEATING: Due to space constraints in the auditorium, all media will be positioned in the front section of the balcony.
PHOTOGRAPHY:     Flash photography will not be permitted during the ceremony, and photographers should bring a long lens. There will be a photo opportunity with Mayor Bloomberg, the honorees and the performers immediately after the program concludes.
 
VIDEO FEED: A video feed will be available from NYC-TV at CTY-3 on the Switch following the event.
 
RSVP: Media should RSVP to Danai Pointer dpointer@culture.nyc.gov. Requests for interviews with honorees should be submitted in advance.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski