The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) recently announced that the Short North Business Association (SNBA) has been nominated for a 2009 Artistic Excellence award for Art al Fresco. Each year, the GCAC staff nominates up to five organizations, events, or accomplishments. The award is given to a local arts initiative that demonstrates risk, innovation, and excellence. The winner of the Artistic Excellence Award receives a $10,000 prize. The 2009 recipient will be decided by the GCAC Board of Trustees and announced at the GCAC’s annual Commmunity Arts Partnership Awards luncheon, which will take place from noon to 1:30p on Friday, March 6 at COSI Columbus.

The SNBA is excited by this nomination. Although we do not have information about the other 2009 nominees, we are immensely honored to be in the company of former nominees and winners including Anna and the Annadroids, BalletMet, CATCO, the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, Columbus Movement Movement, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Jazz Arts Group, the King Arts Complex, the Ohioana Library Association, and the Wexner Center for the Arts.

The first annual Art Al Fresco was held on August 16, 2008. In addition to gallery and boutique showings, this public art day showcased performing and visual artists in unconventional spaces. Temporary installations lined High St, perched on rooftops, parked on sidewalks, and propped in courtyards. Musicians entertained the crowd on street corners. Dancers and actors performed in storefront windows. And interactive pieces got everyone involved in the fun. The second annual Art Al Fresco will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2009. Admission is free.