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Catherine Brandt
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Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts, and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) today presented Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell with the Lieutenant Governors Arts Leadership Award, which honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level.  Lt. Governor Treadwell will receive his award today at the NLGA’s Annual Conference in San Juan, PR.

Only seven months into his tenure in office, Treadwell has already proven himself as the most active and involved Lt. Governor with regards to the arts and culture in Alaska.  Already, he has called together the leaders of the primary cultural organizations to discuss ways that the organizations could work more collaboratively and, as a result, strengthen the state’s arts and culture footprint. A broader group of Alaska’s arts and culture organizations will be convening in the fall to further explore potential collaborations. This meeting marks the first time any of Alaska’s lieutenant governors has assembled this extensive a group of arts and culture organizations in the state. In addition, Lt. Governor Treadwell has expressed an interest in establishing a statewide trust or endowment that could provide long term, public-private sustainable funding for Alaska’s cultural institutions and agencies.

“In just a brief period of time in office, Lt. Governor Treadwell has become a true champion for the arts in Alaska,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “His belief that the arts are a vital economic driver, his leadership and his dedication to supporting public funding for the arts make him the perfect choice for the Lieutenant Governors Arts Leadership Award.”

"Many states have found that supporting the arts supports their economy. We have too,” said Treadwell. “But special circumstances in Alaska also make the arts more important to understanding both our human history and our natural history because the written record began so late. “

"I have known Mead for decades, and he has always been a thoughtful and devoted advocate for the very highest quality of life for all Alaskans,” said Benjamin Brown, chairman of the Alaska State Council on the Arts. “I am especially pleased that his commitment to ensuring that artistic and cultural opportunities are there for all Alaskans in every corner of the Last Frontier is being recognized. I look forward to continuing to work with Lieutenant Governor Treadwell to make our artistic horizons in Alaska as bright as possible."

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.