First Lady of Pennsylvania Announces '2008 Governor's Awards for the Arts' to be...

First Lady of Pennsylvania Announces '2008 Governor's Awards for the Arts' to
be Held in Williamsport

Community Arts Center will be Venue for Awards Ceremony

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judge Marjorie O.
Rendell, First Lady of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, today said that
Williamsport and its historic Community Arts Center will be the venue for the
2008 Governor's Awards for the Arts, Nov. 12.

"On behalf of the Governor, we are excited to continue Pennsylvania's
long-standing tradition of celebrating artistic achievements," said the First
Lady, who was joined in the announcement by Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Executive Director Philip Horn and Marilyn Santarelli, one of 15 gubernatorial
appointees to the council. "When we return to host the Governor's Awards for
the Arts, Governor Rendell will proudly proclaim Williamsport the 'Cultural
Capital of the Commonwealth' for the day."

With the selection of Williamsport as this year's host city, Governor Edward
G. Rendell continues the tradition of holding the awards in a different
Pennsylvania location each year.

Holding the state ceremony in different commonwealth venues enables new
regions of the state to share in this celebration of the arts and their
contributions to the vitality of Pennsylvania. It also provides the host
region the opportunity to showcase their unique cultural assets to an audience
that draws cultural leaders from across the state. Past host cities have
included Wilkes-Barre, Greensburg, Reading, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Harrisburg,
Altoona, Philadelphia, and Gettysburg.

The Governor's Awards for the Arts recognize artistic accomplishments in five
categories: a distinguished arts award, a patron award, the outstanding
leadership & service for youth/arts in education award, the Pennsylvania
creative community award, and the artist of the year award (The Hazlett
Memorial). Past recipients have included Jimmy Stewart, Marian Anderson,
Andrew Wyeth, James Michener, Chaim Potok, Peter Nero, Fred Rogers, M. Night
Shyamalan, Marilyn Horne, Lang Lang, August Wilson, Nelson Shanks, Santo
Loquasto, and Rob and Kathleen Marshall.

Award recipients are identified through an open call. The public may submit
nominations though the May 23rd deadline. A panel comprised of members of the
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts reviews the nominations and makes
recommendations. To download an application or to receive a nomination form,
visit PCA's website, www.pacouncilonthearts.org, or call 717-787-1526.

The Governor's Awards for the Arts are administered by the Pennsylvania
Council on the Arts, a state agency under the Office of the Governor, whose
mission it is to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in
Pennsylvania, and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts
throughout the state.

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public
education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing
economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out
more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly
newsletter, visit www.governor.state.pa.us.

CONTACT:
Susan Woods
717-783-1116

Heather Doughty
717-787-1517
717-512-8730 (cell)

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

Susan Woods, +1-717-783-1116, or Heather Doughty, +1-717-787-1517,
+1-717-512-8730 (cell), both of Pennsylvania Office of the Governor