The 2017 Fete was truly a celebration of excellence!
Over 200 people came together on October 17th in the Mayo Civic Center Ballroom 2 for an evening of camaraderie and celebration of the best in the arts. Celebrating its 5th year milestone, the Ardee Awards honored past nominees in attendance, and were entertained by fifty 3rd and 4th graders from the Honors Choirs of SE MN who received a standing ovation for their efforts.
Keynote Speaker Dudley Riggs shared personal tales, including an international incident he unknowingly provoked with Japan (read his book if you missed it) and gave sage advice regarding the arts. He was aided in his repartee by well-known Rochester humorist Nick Mezacapa.
And thanks to the generosity of Park Place Motors Cars, 75 attendees received a free, autographed book by Mr. Riggs entitled: "Flying Free: My Life Without a Net".
While all the semi-finalists were deserving of an Ardee in their respective categories, or they wouldn't have been nominated, only one could take an Ardee home. The Finalists are listed below in bold and italicized.
The Semi-finalists and Finalists chosen by an independent panel of judges, the public (People’s Choice) and Mayor Ardell Brede (Mayor’s Award for Public Art) are:
Mayor’s Award for Public Art
1. Austin Ferguson
2. Matt Holt
3. Richard Brubaker
Leadership in the Arts Award
1. Dylan Hilliker
2. Judy and Jim Sloan
3. Southeastern MN Visual Artists
Arts Collaboration Award
1. Choral Arts Ensemble and University of MN Rochester
2. Riverside Concerts and Think Mutual Bank
3. Rochester Civic Theatre, Rochester City Jazz Festival and Rochester Downtown Alliance
Outstanding Artist Award
1. Annie Mack
2. HeeJune Shin
3. Kathleen Keech
Outstanding Volunteer in the Arts Award
1. Jay Beck
2. Judy Hickey
3. Jan Ulrich
Excellence in Arts Education
- Frank McIlmail
- Honors Choirs of SE MN
- Simon Huelsbeck
Outstanding Youth in Arts Award
1. Emily Lin Deng
2. Logan Ackerman
3. Spencer Ketterling
Outstanding Greater Rochester Arts Award
1. Brave Community Theatre-Spring Valley
2. MN Beethoven Festival-Winona
3. Sheldon Theatre-Red Wing
People’s Choice Award
1. Rochester Flower and Garden Club Tour
2. State Fair Summer Musical- Honors Choirs of SE MN
3. The Elephant Man- Commonweal Theatre
Call for 2018 Ardee Award Nominations
We use rolling nominations so you can submit for 2018 starting now. Click on the green block to the right to get started.
Dancing for the Arts Take VI
Held in the new Mayo Civic Center Ballroom I, the event grossed close to $120,000 for youth arts education and the programs/services of the Trust.
- DFTA Take VI Trophy: Kelly Miles and James Geroux
- Judges' Choice Award: Katie Kirckof and Gary Dahl
- Community Support Team Award: Tom DeVinny and Christine Miller
- 2017 Event Information here.
- 2017 Youth Arts Education Grantees here
- 2017 Photo Gallery here.
DFTA Take VII will be held April 21, 2018. Tickets on sale March 1st, 2018.
Announcements & Blog
Current Priorities
Public Art Master Plan
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Equitable Distribution of Legacy Funding
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Youth Arts Education
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Six Generative Goals
WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT
Leverage Rochester's arts and culture to attract and retain high-quality talent that leads to long-term prosperity for the community
ARTS CONSUMER CULTIVATION
To grow the Rochester region's capacity for individuals to have engaging experiences with arts and culture, thereby creating additional demand
POLICY
DEVELOPMENT
To facilitate discussion and recommend policies of the highest quality on key topics in art and cultural policy for the benefit of Rochester
Trust Public Art Master Plan Executive Summary
ARTS EXPERIENCE ENHANCEMENT
To collaborate with arts and cultural partners to inspire and enhance the overall arts scene for consumers
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
To leverage arts and culture in Rochester to broaden and define placemaking and existing economic development initiatives
Economic Impact Study
REGIONAL
INITIATIVES
To identify and engender regional arts and culture to further define and market assets and opportunities
Our Mission
The mission of the Trust is "to enrich the greater Rochester area by ensuring the continued celebration, promotion and advocacy of the arts and humanities".
Programs/services include Dancing for the Arts (benefiting youth arts education), public art (Goose is Loose! and Life's a Bench!), The Fete/Ardee Awards (celebrating excellence in the Arts) and connecting resources for arts-related matters.
Our Vision
Inspiring a milieu where arts and culture flourish.
FEATURED GALLERY
Dancing for the Arts VI
Ten Rochester celebrities practiced their dancing skills by pairing with professional dancers in the Greater Rochester Arts & Cultural Trust's "FUN-raising" event Dancing for the Arts -Take VI, to benefit youth arts education and the programs/services of the Arts and Cultural Trust.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Trust is eligible to receive matching grants through the IBM Matching Grants Program. We want to thank all the current employees and retirees who not only donated to us, but completed the matching grant form. If you are a current or former IBM employee, and a donor to the Trust, please consider the matching program.