IPAR to be Honored with Arts Council Award

The Initiative for Public Art – Reston  (IPAR) will receive the Arts Impact Award for the commissioning and placement of public art in Reston at the Arts Council of Fairfax County's inaugural Arts Awards Luncheon on Friday.

The Arts Awards will be an annual program to recognize the outstanding arts organizations, artists and arts philanthropists in Fairfax County, organizers said. 
The 2012 Arts Awards Luncheon will present awards in the following four categories: the Jinx Hazel Arts Citizen of the Year Award, Arts Education Award, Arts Impact Award, and the Arts Philanthropy Award.

IPAR completed its first permanent public art project — the Glade Underpass Project by artist Valerie Theberge – in 2010. IPAR is developing two permanent public art projects that will be completed in 2012 and in 2013.

Additionally, an exhibit at the Reston Museum traces the history of public art in Reston 

“Public art can be transformational,” said Linda S. Sullivan, president and CEO of the Arts Council of Fairfax County.  “Public art enhances the environment in which we live and engages communities in a common good.” 

Other honorees for 2012: Developer John T. “Til” Hazel and his wife Anne, McLean Project for the Arts, and and EnviroSolutions, Inc.

The Hazels will receive the Jinx Hazel Arts Citizen of the Year Award for their longstanding leadership and support of the arts in Fairfax County.

Til Hazel has been a “chief volunteer officer” for a number of arts organizations over the years, including the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and George Mason University, where he helped to shape the growth of the university, including construction of the Center for the Arts and the Patriot Center – two major venues for the arts and culture in Fairfax County

Anne Hazel has played a leadership role in many of the area’s arts and humanities organizations such as Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Corcoran Museum of Art. 

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) will receive the Arts Education Award for outstanding educational arts programs. MPA has provided arts education programs in Fairfax County since its inception in 1962. The organization serves more than 6,000 youth annually through its many programs.

EnviroSolutions, Inc. (ESI) will receive the Arts Philanthropy Award for its outstanding support of the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton. ESI has committed $500,000, payable over 10 years, to the Workhouse to support its general operating needs. A portion of the funds will also be set aside for a sculpture program on the Workhouse Arts Center’s central quadrangle.  

Lorton’s Workhouse Arts Center artist Ian Kessler-Gowell created custom sculptures for the awards presentation. 

The lunch and awards begin at noon on Friday at the McLean Hilton. Tables and individual tickets to the event can be purchased by visiting http://artsfairfax.org/arts-awards-luncheon or contacting Maureen Clyne, Development Manager of the Arts Council of Fairfax County, at mclyne@artsfairfax.org or (703) 642-0862 x4.