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 White Plains, NY - Former Westchester County Executive Alfred (Al) Delbello, a partner at the law firm of Delbello, Donellan, Weingarten Wise & Wiederkerh LLP, and his wife Delores (Dee) Delbello, publisher of the Westchester County Business Journal, will receive ArtsWestchester’s prestigious Arts Patron Award for their successful and longstanding initiatives on behalf of the arts in Westchester County.
The annual Arts Award recognizes individuals and organizations whose vision, commitment and leadership enrich the cultural life of Westchester County, its communities, and its citizens. The Delbellos will be joined with their fellow 2009 honorees, including six individuals and five organizations, during a special luncheon, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on April 3rd at Doral Arrowwood in Rye Brook.
A highlight of the spring season, more than 500 Westchester residents attend the Arts Award luncheon each year. Luncheon participants typically include a diverse range of county leaders including County Executive Andy Spano, public officials, executives of Westchester County’s major companies, artists, and representatives of the County’s numerous arts organizations.
Arts Award Luncheon tickets, sponsorships, and journal ads are still available. For more information call (914) 428-4220 x 273 or email
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The Arts Award has been presented annually for over 32 years to recognize those individuals, artists, and arts organizations that have made significant contributions to the arts and the community. Past honorees include Nelson Rockefeller (1977), Roy Neuberger (1985), Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis (1994), U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins (2002), as well as the The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College (2001), the Music Conservatory of Westchester (2003), the Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts (2006), and writer Cynthia Ozick (2008).
ArtsWestchester welcomes nominations from the community and is open to a broad and diverse definition of artistic endeavor. Categories include Arts Patron, Artist, Arts Organization, Community and Education. More than one award may be given in a particular category and previous award recipients may be nominated. Recipients are selected by an independent awards panel comprised of professionals in the field, with an additional President’s Award bestowed directly by ArtsWestchester’s Board of Trustees.
“This year we are proud to recognize an especially outstanding roster of local residents and organizations who are at work every day to make Westchester County a world-class arts community,” says Westchester County Executive Andy Spano. “The annual Arts Award luncheon is a nice opportunity to salute our neighbors and to put a spotlight the many wonderful things that are happening here.”
And the 2009 Winners are:
The President’s Award: established by ArtsWestchester’s Board of Trustees.
Awardees: JP Morgan Chase and Entergy, for their support of All Fired Up!
Arts Patron: A person (or persons) who lives or works in Westchester County and has made a significant contribution to the arts through his/her extraordinary leadership, personal commitment, and philanthropic activities, thereby advancing artistic excellence and enriching the community.
Awardees: Al and Dee DelBello (Waccabuc)
Artist: An Artist who lives or works in Westchester County and whose achievements in his/her discipline are nationally recognized, whose work has demonstrated a unique or compelling vision, and whose body of work has produced a record of performance that has had an impact on the cultural world and upon the general public.
Awardee: Peter Pucci (Choreographer and Professor at Manhattanville College)
Arts Organization: A Westchester county non-profit arts organization that has made an important contribution to the growth of Westchester’s cultural life over a significant period of time, and has had an impact beyond its immediate community.
Awardee: Jazz Forum Arts (based in Dobbs Ferry)
Community: An artist, individual, group, school district or organization or agency that has demonstrated extraordinary vision and leadership in using the arts to enhance community life, to increase access to cultural experiences, and to enrich the county’s cultural heritage.
Awardees: Hudson River Museum Junior Docent Program & Rebecca Kraus and
New Rochelle Public Library & Barbara Davis
Sophia Abeles Award for Community Arts: A Community Award in honor of the late Sophia Abeles, a dedicated arts patron and educator.
Awardee: Miriam Bernabei (Greenburgh Central 7 School District)
Education: An artist or individual, group, school district or organization who, through extraordinary vision and leadership, has enriched arts education in Westchester.
Awardees: Grace Powers Fraioli (New Rochelle High School) and Tracy Gilman (Harrison High School)
ArtsWestchester is your connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester. Our grants help fund concerts, exhibitions and plays; we bring artists into schools and community centers; we are the premiere marketer of the arts in Westchester. In 1998, ArtsWestchester (as the Westchester Arts Council) purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue. After acquiring Historic Landmark designation, renovation and restoration, the old bank was transformed into what is now known as the Arts Exchange, a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community.
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