CONNECTICUT COMMISSION ON CULTURE & TOURISM
SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR 2009 GOVERNOR’S AWARDS

Nomination Deadline is January 16, 2009

HARTFORD, Conn. (November 10, 2008) – The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) seeks nominations for the 2009 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Culture & Tourism and Distinguished Advocates Awards. Winners will be honored on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Culture & Tourism
The Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Culture & Tourism honor Connecticut’s most accomplished individuals for their lifetime achievements and outstanding contributions in the fields of performing, visual or literary arts; film, video or digital media; history, heritage or historic preservation or tourism.

"Each year, we are delighted to honor the many gifted individuals who, in the pursuit of their passions, have enriched the state’s cultural stature and economic wellbeing," said Governor M. Jodi Rell. "Their tremendous contributions in the arts, film, historic preservation and tourism not only enhance our quality of life but they reach well beyond our borders. We are grateful to them all."

"These awards allow us to recognize outstanding individuals in the fields of art, historic preservation, film and tourism, and to also formally celebrate how these areas complement one another to promote the best Connecticut has to offer," said Karen Senich, executive director of the Commission on Culture & Tourism. "We appreciate how their talents and efforts contribute to a stronger Connecticut while elevating our sensibilities."

Winners of the Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Culture & Tourism are selected based on one or more of the following criteria: magnitude of achievement, level of recognition brought by the achievement and sustained contribution to the field and to the state.

Distinguished Advocates Awards
Distinguished Advocates Awards recognize the exemplary contributions of volunteers in the arts, film, historic preservation or tourism in Connecticut. The awards honor individuals who have made a significant impact on culture and tourism in communities across the state.

Guidelines and nomination forms for the Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Culture & Tourism and Distinguished Advocates awards may be found at www.cultureandtourism.org.

Nominations must be delivered (not postmarked)by 4 p.m. on Friday, January 16, 2009. Award entries should be marked to the attention of Rhonda F. Olisky, awards coordinator, Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, One Constitution Plaza, 2nd floor, Hartford, CT 06103. She may be contacted at (860) 256-2752 or via e-mail at rhonda.olisky@ct.gov.

Past recipients of the Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Culture & Tourism include: William Morris Meredith, poet; Robert A.M. Stern, architect and dean of the Yale School of Architecture; Barry Levinson, film director; and Robert D. Ballard, underwater archaeologist and founder and president of the Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium; Michael Wilson, artistic director of the Hartford Stage; Gene Wilder, actor, writer, director and producer; Vita West Muir, founder of the Litchfield Jazz Festival; and Joan D. Hedrick, Pulitzer Prize winner.

Recipients of the 2008 Distinguished Advocates awards included: Roslyn Milstein Myer, Jean M. Handley and Anne Tyler Calabresi, co-founders of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas; John Solum, musician, author and educator; Louise Pupelis, long-time volunteer at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk; Bill LaRoue, head docent of the Custom House Maritime Museum in New London; Joyce Bolanos and Jose Vega, co-hosts of the local Hartford Public access cable show "Viva Hartford"; Ira Joe Fisher and Morton Dean, volunteer co-hosts of the Ridgefield Playhouse’s Lost & Found Film Series; Janet Mason Tracy, president of the West Hartford Historical Society and the Noah Webster House; and Alfred Narcisse, coordinator and a long-time active supporter of the Windsor Freedom Trail.

About the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism
The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism brings together tourism, film, history and the arts. Its mission is to preserve and promote Connecticut’s cultural and tourism assets in order to enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the state. The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism's new offices, which include a gallery, are located at One Constitution Plaza, Hartford, Connecticut. The Commission's arts gallery is open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The space features changing exhibits that directly relate to the Commission’s programs across all four divisions. For more information, log on to www.cultureandtourism.org.