Business Committee For the Arts salutes five businesses By Robyn Bradley Litchfield Montgomery Advertiser

Owen Aronov accepts the Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award for The Asron Aronov Family Foundation during Thursday's Montgomery Area Business Committee For the Arts awards luncheon. -- Photos by Julie Bennett Advertiser The Montgomery area's business and arts communities congregated Thursday at Embassy Suites to celebrate the arts -- and the businesses that help make it all happen. At lunch Thursday, the Montgomery Area Business Committee For the Arts honored five businesses that support the area's arts organizations, thereby improving the quality of life and encouraging economic development in the area, said Kelton Morris, executive director of the Business Committee For the Arts. But for Tom Bryant of ALFA Insurance, support just makes sense. "The arts are an integral part of the community," Bryant said after accepting a Business in the Arts Award for supporting such programs as the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's SchoolFest. 2004 BUSINESS IN THE ARTS AWARDS The Montgomery Area Business Committee For the Arts announced its 2004 Business in the Arts Awards on Thursday during its annual luncheon. Here are this year's winners: 2004 Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award winner: The Aaron Aronov Family Foundation 2004 Small Business winner: Harmon, Dennis and Bradshaw 2004 Medium Business winner: LWT Communications 2004 Large Business winner: ALFA Insurance 2004 Arts In Education Award winner: BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama/BCBS Business in the Arts Awards also went to Harmon, Dennis and Bradshaw and LWT Communications. Each of the three companies accepted an original watercolor painting by Montgomery area artist Carol Barksdale Meredith. BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama/BCBS won the Arts in Education Award and received a painting by Dothan high-school student Gaelle Gourmelon. And the Aaron Aronov Family Foundation was honored with the 2004 Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award. About 360 individuals attended this year's luncheon. Morris said, "We are very pleased (with turnout). It's up about 60 people from last year." And that is promising, as more businesses are supporting the area's arts organizations through sponsorships, in-kind donations and other means, she said. Arts organizations also participated in Thursday's celebration by entertaining the crowd and helping to decorate the ballroom. The Montgomery Chorale Ensemble and the Booker T. Washington Magnet High School Show Band performed for everyone, and ASF dressed up the tables with a variety of colorful costumes. Other highlights were the original watercolor paintings by Barksdale Meredith, whose commission proposal was selected from about 10. Morris said, "Mainly, the board was looking for someone who covered the Montgomery area, not just Montgomery. Carol definitely does, with Wetumpka, Tallassee, Montgomery and Prattville," Morris said. "And then there's the whole feel of her work. That's really why she won." The artist received about $1,750 in addition to the community exposure, Morris said. Local artist Carol Barksdale Meredith gets a round of applause from the crowd at the Montgomery Area Business Committee For the Arts luncheon Thursday. After seeing the displayed paintings and hearing the groups perform, Joe A. Lee, president of Alabama State University, said he was excited to be a part of the celebration. Recently named to the Business Committee For the Arts, Lee said, "Community development and cultural awareness go hand in hand in building a great community." David Allred of LWT Communications agreed. Preparing to leave the luncheon with his company's newly acquired Barksdale Meredith watercolor painting, Allred also stressed the importance of supporting the arts. With his company's help, Montgomery area arts organizations can develop professional-level marketing materials, which lend credibility to their work, he said. "We help raise the bar," he said. "And that encourages visitors to come here." That, in turn, benefits everyone in the area, he said.

 

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