2019 Art Leadership Award Recipients
June 24, 2019 11:00 AM
by Allison Ostrovsky
2019 Santa Monica Arts Leadership Awardees (L to R): Greg Laemmle, Carmen Casillas, Sheryl Myerson, Marisa Caichiolo, Isabell D’Amico, Jacob Jonas
On Wednesday, April 24, the Santa Monica Arts Foundation and over 150 attendees celebrated the six recipients of the 2019 Arts Leadership Awards at a public reception and awards ceremony at the Annenberg Community Beach House. The awards honor local leaders whose efforts support Santa Monica’s vibrant artistic, creative, and cultural communities. This year included a new awards category honoring young Santa Monicans who have already shown great leadership in the arts. The event featured performances by local artists D’Lo and Santa Monica College Synapse Dance Theater, and videos about the awardees. The awards were original artworks by renowned Santa Monica artists David McDonald and Bruria Finkel. Senator Ben Allen and State Assemblymember Richard Bloom’s offices presented additional Certificates of Recognition, lifting the reach of the awards from the city to the state level.
The awardees and awards are:
Marisa Caichiolo – Arts Patron Award Through the cultural programs, including contemporary art exhibitions, lectures, workshops and educational activities at Building Bridges, Marisa has provided the community with engaging experiences, created opportunities for international and local artists through residencies, and established international relationships.
Jacob Jonas – Bruria Finkel Award This dance company creates a platform for local and international artists to present new and exciting work in Santa Monica through “To the Sea: Dance Concerts on the Pier,” as well as offering artists exposure via their savvy social media outreach.
- Laemmle Arts – Creative Community Innovator Award The dynamic arts programs that are presented at the Laemmle Monica Film Center include:
- Laemmle Live, a performing arts series where emerging artists and professional performers from local schools and organizations celebrate our diverse community with live performance. • Art in the Arthouse, which connects audiences with visual art by turning part of the Monica Film Center into an art gallery.
Carmen Casillas - Youth Leadership in the Arts Award Carmen is captain of two of Santa Monica High School’s dance teams where she teaches and trains students to express themselves through dance and further improve their dancing and artistry skills.
Isabelle D’Amico - Youth Leadership in the Arts Award Isabelle is a youth representative as part of the 18th Street Arts Center’s Gallery Advisory board, where she advocates for diverse youth involvement in community art projects. At SAMOHI she is producer of the SAMOHI Film Festival and Executive Producer and Technical Director of the student-run, SAMOHighlights, a school TV news show.
Authored By
Allison Ostrovsky
Cultural Affairs Supervisor