About the Arts Prize

In 1960, the Women’s City Club sponsored a series of talks to assess the cultural scene in Cleveland. In the final lecture of the series, composer Klaus George Roy suggested that Cleveland begin a tradition of identifying and honoring its own outstanding artists on an annual basis. Martha Joseph accepted Roy’s challenge and assembled the first Cleveland Arts Prize committee.

For 30 years, Martha Joseph guided the Arts Prize within the Women’s City Club and led a drive to establish an endowment. Under the tenure of Mary Louise Hahn (Chair, 1990 – 2000), the Arts Prize commissioned an Arts Prize medal, launched a scholarship program, and established the tradition of holding an annual awards event in cultural venues throughout the city. Led by Diana Tittle (Chair 2000-2004 and Arts Prize recipient 1997) the Arts Prize codified and published the selection criteria and became an independent non-profit organization.

The oldest award of its kind in the United States, the Arts Prize is a testament to the standard of excellence and quality of artists in Northeast Ohio. In addition to artists, the Arts Prize honors individuals who have expanded the community’s participation in the arts and helped make the region more hospitable to creative artistic — expression.

2007 Cleveland Arts Prize Board

Barbara Robinson, Co-Chair
Paul Westlake, Co-Chair
Alenka Banco
Kathleen Coakley Barrie
Susan Channing
Christopher Diehl
Richard Fleischman
Stacy K. Goldberg, Vice Chair Nominating
Mary Louise Hahn
William R. Joseph
Lara Kalafatis, Vice Chair Events
Kurt Karakul
Kathryn Karipides
Robert P. Madison
Judith Mansour-Thomas
Nancy Clay Marsteller
Quincy McCoy, Treasurer
A. Grace Lee Mims
Klaus Roy
Massoud Saidpour
Judith Salomon
Heather Sherwin, Vice Chair Development
Marjorie B. Shorrock, Secretary
Terrence Spivey
Jerry Wareham

Staff

Marcie Bergman, Executive Director
Susan Miller, Administrative Assistant
Camille N. Baron, Bookkeeper

The Cleveland Arts Prize Mission:

The Cleveland Arts Prize identifies, selects and publicly honors those creative artists whose original work has made Northeast Ohio a more exciting place to live, and whose accomplishments have set a standard of excellence to which other artists can aspire.

Artists are essential to a healthy community, and the arts need a supportive environment and an engaged public. Therefore, it is also the mission of The Cleveland Arts Prize to recognize the contributions of individuals and organizations that have expanded the community’s participation in the arts and helped make the region more hospitable to creative artistic expression.

Supporting Organizations

The Cleveland Foundation

The George Gund Foundation

Kulas Foundation

John P. Murphy Foundation

The Treuhaft Fund

The Sherwick Fund

The David & Lindsay Morgenthaler Foundation