11th Annual Ulster County Executive’s Arts Awards
Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas, Executive Director, Arts Mid-Hudson
There is a buzzing energy this time of year as school is ending, vacations are starting and celebrations are around every corner. In Ulster County, celebrate the incredible art community at the 11th Annual Ulster County Executive’s Arts Awards at the Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern in Saugerties with special guest MC, Ann Citron. This year, ten awardees will be honored by Arts Mid-Hudson and the Ulster County Executive, Jen Metzger. The community nominates the recipients based on their important contribution to the growth of Ulster County’s culture over a significant period of time, the extraordinary support they show for the arts, and/or their vision and leadership in using the arts to enhance the community.
Ulster County Executive, Jen Metzger said, “The arts are vital to our collective well-being in so many ways, inspiring and emboldening us, broadening and deepening our knowledge and perspectives, and enhancing our quality of life.”
This year’s event will kick off with festive food, libations, wine drawing and entertainment by Chuck Lamb who has been the pianist for the Brubeck Brothers Quartet for nearly two decades and has composed for and played with the Quartet all over the world.
Lady Pink, Art in Public Places Awardee, started writing graffiti at age 15. Today, she stays active in the community by creating murals throughout the world and mobilizing artists to create in culturally neglected communities. TMI Project, Artivist Awardee, reclaims the power of the untold story. Through true storytelling workshops they help craft and share true stories of unsung heroes, people who don’t often have the chance to be heard.
Anastasia Solberg, Arts in Education Awardee, is a violinist with international credits from all over the world. She is also the founder/director and instructor at “MISU”, a community music school in Ellenville, as well as the director of “Music on Market”, a concert series based at St John’s Episcopal Church, Ellenville, adjunct professor of Music at SUNY Ulster and teaches at Northern Academy of the Arts in Middletown. Ars Chorlais, Arts Organization Awardee, has been delighting and inspiring audiences throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond since 1965. Composed of talented and diverse Ulster County singers, their mission is to unite people through the power of choral music and deliver messages of hope, peace, and love.
Catskill Art Supply, Business Awardee, was created over 40 years ago by Paul Solis-Cohen out of admiration and respect for artists, and the sheer joy of communing with them. MHA in Ulster County, Creative Arts Program, Inclusion in the Arts Awardee, is part of Wellness Services offered to the community at no cost. Enrolled members participate in various art activities that range from drawing, painting, basic printmaking, and creative writing.
Staats Fasoldt, Individual Artist Awardee, is a former President of the Board of the Woodstock School of Art’ and has taught painting and drawing for 35 years. He is an active member of the Woodstock Artists Association, the Vice President of The Art Society of Kingston and member of Longreach Arts, the Hudson Valley’s premier mobile Artists Co-op. Carol Zaloom, Special Citation Awardee (Posthumously), worked in several media, but was best known as a maker of hand-colored linoleum prints. Her work was featured in many national and regional magazines, on book covers, posters, flyers, and CDs throughout the Hudson Valley.
Susan Shaw, Volunteer Awardee, majored in Art History at Vassar College and was a New York State lawyer for most of her career. After retiring, Shaw became a volunteer at the Dorsky Museum, where she maintained the online collection, wrote for the “Friday Finds” section of the Dorsky’s website and mentored youth. Hudson Rowan,Youth with Exceptional Promise in the Arts Awardee, is a freshman at Rondout Valley High School in Stone Ridge. Rowan is the winner of the 2nd Annual Ulster Votes “I Voted Sticker Contest.” This design became a viral sensation garnering media attention far and wide including late night talk shows, The New York Times, Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and more.
These incredible individuals and organizations uplift and enhance the arts in our region, knowing the importance they provide to those who live and work here. All proceeds from this event go to supporting the arts in Ulster County. For more information, visit www.artsmidhudson.org/ucartsawards
If you go:
11th Annual Ulster County Executive’s Arts Awards
Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern, 25 South Partition Street., Saugerties, NY 12477
Date: June 6, 2023
Time: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Contact: (845) 454-3222
www.artsmidhudson.org/ucartsawards
