LOUISVILLE, KY, June 5, 2015- The Fund for the Arts announced Thursday night at the opening of ‘The Tempest’ that Matt Wallace, Kentucky Shakespeare Producing Artistic Director, is the recipient of the 2015 Allan Cowen Innovation Award. The annual award promotes strong Arts leadership by providing Arts administrators and artists the opportunity to further develop their skills and learn best practices to drive innovation in our community.
“The Fund for the Arts is leveraging resources to foster a tangible creative exploration in the pursuit of Arts leadership and organizational evolution,” said Christen Boone, Fund for the Arts President & CEO. “We are grateful to the Klein Family for creating this award and supporting innovation in the Arts.”
The award will allow Wallace to visit six national Shakespeare festivals to better understand organizing operations, community engagement, and how to best produce a World-class theatre experience. In his second year as Producing Artistic Director at Kentucky Shakespeare, Wallace oversaw a record-setting year with performances reaching over 27,000 individuals in over 58 counties served in 2014. The Fund for the Arts is committed to creating a greater impact in the coming season and beyond.
“Beyond a simple innovation process the award seeks to fuel the intellectual journey, the personal journey that inspires greatness in our next generation arts leaders. In the end it’s about great leaders building great arts for a great community,” said Allan Cowen. “I’m thrilled to congratulate Matt Wallace on this deserving award.”
“Our community will benefit from even higher quality work and expanded reach at Kentucky Shakespeare thanks to the Fund for the Arts Allan Cowen Innovation Award.” said Wallace. “I am deeply interested to learn how we can better serve our community, serve more people, and a more diverse demographic as we work together to create a stronger, more vibrant region through the Arts.”
About Fund for the Arts
The Fund for the Arts builds a stronger community by investing in world-class Arts organizations, driving collaborative initiatives and fueling innovative arts-in-education programs throughout the region. A national leader in corporate partnerships; business and creative find a unified voice, a more educated workforce, and attract talent through the Arts. The annual Fund for the Arts campaign has generated more than $188 million for the Arts since its establishment in 1949. More than 20,000 donors contribute to the campaign each year. For more information visit www.fundforthearts.com.
