September 17, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Mayor Roger Chase at 234-6163 or Anne Nichols, Assistant to the Mayor, at 234-6163

RECIPIENTS SELECTED FOR 2008 “MAYOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS”
Awards Ceremony to be Held October 9, 2008

Pocatello Mayor Roger Chase announced today he has selected the recipients of the 2008 “Mayor’s Awards for the Arts.” They are: Individual Award—J.D. Adcox; Individual Award—Linda Wolfe; Corporate Award—Pocatello Rotary Club; and Corporate Award—Walrus & Carpenter Books. The awards will be presented Thursday, October 9, 2008 at the 5th Annual Art for Food Celebration.

J.D. Adcox is being recognized with an Individual Award for his work to create a stone statue in the likeness of Chief Pocatello. The statue was officially unveiled this summer and now resides at the Visitor Center on South 5th Avenue. J.D. is a well known and respected sculptor, and his work is on display in numerous cities, including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Chang Wu, China. He is a former member of the Pocatello Arts Council, works with ISU professor Doug Warnock and teaches private classes in Pocatello and in Marble, Colorado. J.D. was nominated by Rebecca Satter.

Linda Wolfe is also being honored with an Individual Award. She is a printmaker, visual artist and illustrator, and her distinct style is easily recognizable. She designed the “Our Town, Old Town” promotion art, the “Cat-nip Tea” logo, the Portneuf River watershed resource placemat and several murals in the community. Linda is the Southeast Region Public Art Advisor to the Idaho Commission on the Arts. She also taught art at the Pocatello Community Charter School for eight years and currently teaches art classes at the Pocatello Art Center, the Idaho Museum of Natural History and privately. Linda was nominated by Mary Clement.

Mayor Chase is recognizing the Pocatello Rotary Club with a Corporate Award. For many years, the Pocatello Rotary Club has sponsored the Nutcracker ballet performances for the Southeast Idaho community. The Club also expanded the program to include an abbreviated performance for 5th grade students in Pocatello and regional public and private schools, and they pay for bus service to Frazier Hall. Pocatello Rotary Club also sponsors a first chair for and co-sponsors a performance each year of the Idaho State Civic Symphony, as well as gives financial support to the International Choral Festival. Pocatello Rotary Club was nominated by Chris Grayson and Greg Gunter.

Walrus & Carpenter Books has also been selected to receive a Corporate Award. Owner and manger Will Peterson began the store in the mid-1980’s, and the store has a reputation as the first place in the region to check for difficult to find literature. Will and the bookstore have been instrumental in starting and maintaining a number of community art events, such as the Rocky Mountain Writers’ Festival and the Cordillera Gallery. They are also very involved in the First Friday Art Walks and the Pocatello Arts Council’s literary paver program, and the Great Rift Symposium, handmade books, book signings and writers groups have also had their inception at the bookstore. Walrus & Carpenter Books was nominated by Anne Merkley.

Mayor Chase also acknowledged the other nominees for this year’s awards. They are Donald Brown and Richard Bingham – founders of The New Dawn Art Gallery; Mystique Theatre; and Lemmon and Sons.

The purpose of the Mayor’s yearly award program is to recognize individuals and companies that actively support the arts in the Pocatello area. “Art programs are important to the quality of life in any community, and Pocatello is fortunate to have many people and businesses that support art,” said Mayor Chase. “The ‘Mayor’s Awards’ are my way of recognizing and thanking those who go out of their way to do so much for the arts and for Pocatello.”

Recipients will be presented with their awards during a special celebration hosted by The Idaho Foodbank on Thursday, October 9, 2008. The Art for Food Celebration will be held at 555 South 1st Avenue from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will include entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and much more. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

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