Arts Alive 2025

Award Categories

Emerging Artist: An individual in the visual or performing arts with less than five years working in their discipline, who illustrates outstanding potential for making a significant impact on his or her discipline through creativity and growth.

Outstanding Artists: Individual artists whose work within their field has made a significant impact within the discipline over five years or more.

• Outstanding Visual Artist
• Outstanding Artist in Music
• Outstanding Artist in Dance
• Outstanding Artist in Theater
• Outstanding Literary Artist

Arts Educator: An arts educator at the elementary, secondary, or university level who has shown exemplary dedication and commitment to teaching, advising and mentoring art students.

Collaborative Project:  Recognizes an original project in the performing, visual or multi-disciplinary arts illustrating the power of collaboration to advance and support arts and culture in the community.

Artist Empowerment Award: The Artist Empowerment Award honors a local artist, artist-supporting organization, or artist advocate that/who uses their voice and platform to challenge traditional notions about who can become a practicing artist, and how. Nominees exemplify the breadth and depth of our communities, inspire and facilitate change, and help create and strengthen inclusive artist-centered connections and spaces. (Formerly the IDEA Leader)

Rising Arts Leader: An individual arts contributor, manager, advocate, volunteer or patron with fewer than five years of involvement in this role.

Arts Patron: An individual or organization or business that has sustained and enhanced arts and culture in our community through generous support, leadership and financial resources.

In addition to these nomination categories, Summit Artspace will select and honor artists for the following awards:

Summit Artspace Champion: The award recognizes an individual, group or organization that has been a true champion for Summit Artspace; who has provided extraordinary and ongoing support for its mission as a place for the creative.

Arts Alive Award:  An individual or individuals who give selflessly to the cause of advancing arts and culture in the community. Whether an artist, arts administrator, volunteer or patron, the nominee gives willingly and does so without seeking recognition.

Lifetime Achievement: An individual who has dedicated their life to the arts and achieved distinction within the community. The award recognizes an individual artist, arts manager, advocate or other who has strengthened arts and culture in the community through decades of service.