2021 All Area Arts Awards Winners

    icon Jun 11, 2021
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The Saginaw Arts & Enrichment Commission celebrated the 31st Annual All Area Arts Awards on the evening of Thursday, June 10th at the Saginaw Art Museum, after taking a one year hiatus due to the 2020 pandemic.   Commissioner, Pat Shelley served as emcee for the awards ceremony recognizing individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations that have enhanced the Quality of Life in Saginaw County through their support of the arts.

This year's nominees consisted of Alpha Media, independent filmmaker, artist, and photographer Luka Dziubyna, historian Charles Hoover, musician and teacher Jacob Kohut, music teacher Demona Reed, musician, manager, author, and collector Fred Reif, Saginaw Choral Society's virtual presentation At Home for the Holidays, Pit & Balcony Theatre Managing Director Amy Spadafore, dancer Jamie Wallace, SVSU theatre professor and director Tommy Wedge, and Saginaw painter Lester White. 

Top Honors went to these individuals:

 Demona Reed has served the youth of Saginaw and beyond as a music teacher in the Saginaw Public Schools and other districts for more than 40 years, she teaches piano and vocal coaching in her own studio, provides free concerts and scholarships for music training. For 19 consecutive summers Demona has volunteered her time teaching music and choir during the twelve-week Super Summer Program for at-risk youth and has produced multiple songs and albums, including a series of animated sing-a-long videos for early childhood character development. Her former students are teachers of music, ministers of music, and avid singers throughout the Saginaw community. 

Amy Spadafore has created countless opportunities for people throughout the community to collaborate, grow, and create art. As Managing Director of Saginaw’s Pit & Balcony Theatre, she sees that everything runs smoothly on and off stage. She has worked with teachers and local artists to build educational programs, found new ways to present programming during the pandemic, and with her ability to build positive relationships led Pit & Balcony to celebrate its first black director this year. Amy is a founding member of ACE, the Arts & Cultural Engagement Collaborative, and is a graduate of the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs Rising Leaders program. 

Charles Hoover has dedicated his life to historic preservation and the history and culture of the Great Lakes. As former director of the Saginaw County Historical Society and the Castle Museum, he advocated for the preservation of the Castle Museum building, a cherished local landmark and home to thousands of Saginaw’s cultural artifacts. Chuck was the driving force behind the Voyageurs reenactor program, a unique all volunteer living history program sharing stories, historical song and dance to people throughout Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ontario. He has been recognized by the National Park Service and the City of Detroit for his efforts as program coordinator for Detroit’s 300th Anniversary. 

Alpha Media • Great Lakes Bay Regional Arts Award 

Alpha Media has provided decades of continuous in-kind media support for arts organizations, entertainment venues, and individuals involved in the arts. The family of diverse stations provide news coverage, talk show interview opportunities, public service announcements, promotional messages, public appearances, remote broadcasts and much more. WSGW, a local leader for news and information, has been recognized by the National Association of Broadcasters for their outstanding commitment to community service. The station dedicates time, talent and resources to support local arts and cultural organizations who have benefited from their ongoing dedication to providing interview opportunities and daily program announcements. 

The All Area Arts Awards is made possible with the support of our Patron Sponsors: Garber Automotive, Hausbeck Pickle Company, Ruth Ann Knapp, Thor & Joylynn Rasmussen, Saginaw Valley State University, The State Bank, Wildfire Credit Union, and  W.L. Case & Company Funeral Directors. 

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