Birmingham, MI— For Immediate Release, August 25, 2018
The Cultural Council of Birmingham/Bloomfield is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Birmingham Bloomfield Cultural Arts Awards. James Tocco is to receive a Special Lifetime Achievement award, honoring his world-renowned reputation as a musician, and his co-founding of the august and internationally-acclaimed Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. The festival, which has brought diverse communities together, fostered musicians and composers and has had a profound impact on the region’s cultural life, is celebrating its 25th year.

The annual Cultural Arts Award honoree is Julie Dawson. She is being honored for her artistry and humanitarian work. The jury was impressed by the breadth of her generosity to hospitals and her presence in our community as a cultural arts ambassador, hosting numerous cultural events in her garden and studio, volunteering and supporting the Girl Scouts and The Community House, and especially the joy she has brought to children at Beaumont Hospital and The Care House who have benefited from the cheering effects of being surrounded by her murals and her ‘Sillybillies’ illustrations.

The Cultural Arts Awards are sponsored by the Cultural Council of Birmingham/Bloomfield, in partnership with The Community House, The Observer and Eccentric Newspapers, and the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. Link Wachler, of LINK Jewelry Designs will design the presentation award.

The public is invited to the honor’s reception Friday, October 5 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd., Birmingham 48009.
Contact Information:
• Marcy Heller Fisher 248 705-1101, marcy1fish@gmail.com Co-chair, Cultural Council of Birmingham/Bloomfield Cultural Arts Awards
• James Tocco 513 236-3812, JamesTocco@aol.comac
Special Lifetime Achievement Honoree
• Julie Dawson 248 647-1879, pmdawson@sbcglobal.com
2018 Cultural Arts Award Honoree