Media Release

Monday, June 23, 2008
For Immediate Release
Communications

Contact: Diana Paul
Telephone: 229-6501

Mayor Goodman Receives 2008 Public Leadership In The Arts Award
Award Presented Today At U.S. Conference of Mayors

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman was presented with the 2008 Public Leadership in the Arts Award today as part of The United States Conference of Mayors’ 76th annual meeting held in Miami. The awards honor elected officials and artists or arts organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts. Other recipients included Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, singer/songwriter Gloria Estefan, and musician and producer Emilio Estefan, Jr.

Mayor Goodman received the award for championing the arts as a means to spur downtown revitalization. For example, he encouraged the rewriting of zoning ordinances to allow artist live/work sites downtown. He also brought forth a Percent for the Arts ordinance that sets aside 1% of the city’s capital construction budget for public art projects.

"I am delighted to receive this coveted award based on my support and love of the arts," Mayor Goodman said. "My mother, a well-known artist and sculptress in her own right, instilled in me a love of and appreciation for the arts. As mayor I've tried to champion the promotion of arts and culture for my community. We've developed an arts district in our downtown, we've encouraged artists by providing live/work ordinances for their benefit, we've supported a monthly arts festival and have set aside construction dollars for public arts projects.  I believe that artistic creativity transforms the way a city is perceived and how its residents think of themselves.  If you aspire to be a world-class city, the arts have to be embraced."  

 Tom Cochran, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said, “Every year, the U.S. Conference of Mayors recognizes the efforts of those who believe as much as we do, that the arts are the heart of our society. Arts and culture help shape a city’s quality of life, but mayors also understand the connection between the arts and business and the arts’ impact on the local economy.”

Americans for the Arts is a leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Additional information is available at http://www.americansforthearts.org/ .

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