Announcing the 25^th Annual Birmingham Bloomfield Cultural Arts Award Honorees

Sponsored by the Cultural Council of Birmingham Bloomfield, in conjunction with The Community House, The Observer and Eccentric Newspapers, the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center and Bloomfield Cablevision.

Honorees

Kerry Mills, 2020 Birmingham Bloomfield Cultural Arts Award

The Heart of Birmingham Concert Band

Sue Marx, Special Lifetime Achievement Award

Her Lens Films Life

Jason Polan, Special Posthumous Award

He Drew to Help the World See

Bloomfield Township Public Library, Partners with the Arts Award

Giving All Arts a Voice

Kerry Mills, 2020 Birmingham Bloomfield Cultural Arts Award

The cultural arts award is given to a person who has made an impact in the arts in the Birmingham Bloomfield Community. A jury of community arts enthusiasts selected Kerry Mills of Birmingham, citing her as ‘the heart of the Birmingham Concert Band’ for her indefatigable efforts as booking agent, recruiter, advertising manager, general manager, president, historian, and fundraiser for young musicians, while also playing clarinet in the band for over 40 years.

Sue Marx, 2020 Special Lifetime Achievement Award

Aside from her Academy Award and several Emmys, and over 80 documentaries, the jury was impressed by  Sue Marx, of Birmingham. Many of her documentaries, some of them pro bono, tell the story of our region, including the Detroit Zoo, Children’s Hospital, the DIA, a Cranbrook series, The Purple Rose Theater, the People Mover, the Detroit Boxing Gym, and most impressively the Math Corps, a collaboration with Wayne State University to assist underserved youth to learn math that has been shown all over the country.

Jason Polan, 2020 Special Posthumous Award

The jury felt very strongly that Jason Polan, who grew up in Franklin and who passed away this year at the age of 37, deserved to be recognized for the incredible mark he had in Michigan where he left murals in Ann Arbor and mentored local artists from Birmingham and those in the Detroit art scene, but also for his national and international impact on the arts, with collaborations with Uniqlo. Warby Parker, Marvel Comics and Nike, his illustrations in children’s and adult books, his efforts and ultimately a book to draw Every Person in New York, and his daily cartoons in the New York Times, as he  ‘drew to help the world see”.

Bloomfield Township Public Library, 2020 Partners with the Arts Award

The Cultural Council’s ‘Partners with the Arts Award’ honors a non-profit, business or organization that gives extraordinary support to the arts in the Birmingham Bloomfield community. Unlike the other Cultural Arts Awards which are selected by jury, it is the board of the Birmingham Bloomfield Cultural Council that bestows this annual award. Bloomfield Township Public Library was selected for ‘giving all arts a voice’, noting its art collaborations with area schools and agencies, its selections of art that can be found throughout the building which have led some to call the library an art museum, and to its offerings and collaborations with musicians of all genres, from jazz groups to chamber musicians from the University of Michigan, making the BTPL function as a community center for the arts. (Please credit Balthazar Korab for library photo.)

Due to the pandemic, the awards reception will be taped by Bloomfield Cablevision and be available on our website, on Facebook, and our partners’ websites after the honors ceremony, slated to be taped October 2, 2020 at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center.

Join us for a prestigious night at the Bates Street Society Dinner on Saturday, February 11, 2023! The event will feature a delicious three course seated dinner, wine and cocktails, live entertainment by jazz saxophonist Jeff Ponders II, and inspirational recognition of our members and pillars.

Master of Ceremonies:  Ms. Lila Lazarus, Award-Winning News Anchor, Health Reporter, Producer, Writer, Inspirational Speaker, and Past Bates Street Society Pillar

The Bates Street Society was created in 2015 to recognize donors who make significant charitable contributions to support the work and mission of The Community House in Birmingham. Members are acknowledged annually at The Bates Street Society Dinner, a black-tie event hosted by The Community House Association and Foundation Boards of Directors. The Bates Street Society Dinner also recognizes The Community House’s annual Pillars of Vibrancy: Business, Education, Culture, Wellness and Philanthropy.

The 2023 Pillar Society Inductees are:

• Jim Berline — Business & Philanthropy
• Dr. Linda Gillum PhD — Health & Wellness and Education
• Priscilla & Huel Perkins — Culture & Philanthropy
• Matthew Rizik — Business & Philanthropy
• Greg Schwartz — Business
• Nada & Sam Simon — Business & Philanthropy
• Nancy Susick, RN — Health & Wellness and Business
• Gary Van Elslander — Business & Philanthropy

Black Tie Optional Event, Complimentary Valet Parking

Please click here for ticket reservations!

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For information on sponsorship opportunities for the Bates Street Society Dinner, please call 248.554.6597 or email: csmude@communityhousefoundation.org

Supporting our local artists is a long-standing mission of The Community House and the core mission of OUR TOWN, and it has never been more important than now.

Out of an abundance of safety and caution, The Community House has decided to hold this year’s show and sale virtually online from April 22 – May 6, allowing art enthusiasts the opportunity to appreciate the skills and the talents of our region’s many brilliant artists and to purchase a work of art themselves.

The 36th annual juried art show includes over 200 works of art ranging from paintings, pastels, sculptures, photography, fiber works, jewelry, and mixed media, all created by our talented Michigan artists. Sixty-five percent of the proceeds from the art sales will go directly to our region’s artists!

Click here to view and purchase art!

Click here to watch the OUR TOWN Virtual 2021 video!