Arts Alive 2024

Text that reads, 'Congratulations to the 2024 Arts Alive Awards Recipients! Arts Alive Award: Gary and Georgia Miller, Lifetime Achievement: Woodrow Nash, Summit Artspace Champion: FirstEnergy Corp, Arts Educator: Mark A. Zimmerman, Arts Patron: Brenda Cummins, Collaborative Project: Little Amal, Emerging Artists: Nick Lee, Neil Sudhakaran, IDEA Leader: KINK Contemporary, Outstanding Artist in Dance: Elyse Morckel, Outstanding Artist in Theatre: Elynmarie Kazle, Outstanding Artist in Music: Dave Rich, Outstanding Visual Artist: Mica Kraus, Outstanding Literary Artist: Barbara Sabol, Rising Arts Leader: Grace Carter.
Large group of people, the Arts Alive Award Winners, sitting and standing together in the gallery in front of large colorful paintings on gray walls.
Photo by Elizabeth Tipton

Award Categories

Emerging Artist: An individual in the visual or performing arts with less than five years working in their discipline, who illustrates outstanding potential for making a significant impact on his or her discipline through creativity and growth.

Outstanding Artists: Individual artists whose work within their field has made a significant impact within the discipline over five years or more.

  • Outstanding Visual Artist
  • Outstanding Artist in Music
  • Outstanding Artist in Dance
  • Outstanding Artist in Theater
  • Outstanding Literary Artist

Arts Educator: An arts educator at the elementary, secondary, or university level who has shown exemplary dedication and commitment to teaching, advising and mentoring art students.

Collaborative Project:  Recognizes an original project in the performing, visual or multi-disciplinary arts illustrating the power of collaboration to advance and support arts and culture in the community.

IDEA Leader: An individual or group who has amplified the voices and vision of artists in the community or has strengthened inclusion, diversity, equity and access for and within the arts.

Rising Arts Leader: An individual arts contributor, manager, advocate, volunteer or patron with fewer than five years of involvement in this role.

Arts Patron: An individual or organization or business that has sustained and enhanced arts and culture in our community through generous support, leadership and financial resources.

In addition to these nomination categories, Summit Artspace will select and honor artists for the following awards:

Summit Artspace Champion: The award recognizes an individual, group or organization that has been a true champion for Summit Artspace; who has provided extraordinary and ongoing support for its mission as a place for the creative.

Arts Alive Award:  An individual or individuals who give selflessly to the cause of advancing arts and culture in the community. Whether an artist, arts administrator, volunteer or patron, the nominee gives willingly and does so without seeking recognition.

Lifetime Achievement: An individual who has dedicated their life to the arts and achieved distinction within the community. The award recognizes an individual artist, arts manager, advocate or other who has strengthened arts and culture in the community through decades of service.

Interested in being an Arts Alive Sponsor?

For more information and to secure your sponsorship, contact Executive Director Heather Meeker at 330.376.8480, ext. 2 or heather@summitartspace.org for more information.

A large group of people celebrating together.

Previous Recipients

The Arts Alive Awards are made possible by Summit Artspace’s generous sponsors:

Sponsor logos featuring Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro, First Energy, The University of Akron, Synthomer Foundation, First Light Home care, One Key Virtual Care, 91.3 the Summit FM, Ideastream public Media, Robert J Events and Catering, Steel and Company Law Firm, Brio performance solutions, Young and Associates Inc, Collide: Cuyahoga Falls, Brenda and Brian Cummins, Jim and Leslie Pickard, Roetzel.
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