BRATTLEBORO — The Arts Council of Windham County presented its annual “Friend of the Arts” award to Marie Procter, ACWC honorary trustee, on Nov. 15 at a special gathering held at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, attended by more than 40 people, including many past recipients of the award.
Procter was chosen to receive the award for her more than 20 years of service to the Arts Council of Windham County. During this period of time, Procter held the offices of president and/or secretary of ACWC for 15 years. In addition, she has coordinated the annual celebration of Student Art Month for the past 10 years.
Other contributions include the initiation of the national program encouraging new audiences for the arts, Arts & Humanities Month, and supported the Alliance for the Arts (AFTA) as a collaborating project under the fiscal umbrella of the Arts Council. AFTA members helped create Festival 05301, Brattleboro TIX, and the Arts Hub & Resource Center at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden.
In her acceptance remarks, Procter spoke of the need to recognize the value that artists and art bring the community.
“Through the creativity of artists in every field of endeavor, our lives are challenged and enriched,” she said. “I believe that creativity lives in all people and is encouraged through art education, opportunities for artists to live and work in a supportive environment and a readiness to consider innovative approaches to problem solving. Communities that incorporate this approach towards creativity and the arts draw on resources that contribute towards the development of a healthy economy and the enrichment of the lives of its members.”
Past recipients of the ACWC Friend of the Arts Award include: Beverly Alberts (1997), Mara Williams (1998), George Becker and Ric Campman (1999), Helene Henry and Lil Farber (2000), Don McLean (2001), Stephen Stearns (2002), Joy Wallens-Penford (2003), Ines Zeller Bass and Eric Bass (2004), the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation and Kurt Isaacson (2005), Jerry Carbone and Meris Morrison (2007), Doug Cox (2008), and Gail Nunziata (2009).
For more information about the Arts Council of Windham County, visit www.acwc.us.