Wolf Trap Foundation Receives 2012 Dominion ArtStars Award

On August 24, Virginians for the Arts announced that the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts is the winner of the 2012 Dominion ArtStars Award in the Northern Virginia region. Wolf Trap Foundation was selected as winner of the Shining Star Award for its extraordinary impact on the community; successful community partnerships; proficiency in garnering business, legislative, and local community support; contribution to K-12 education; and sustained excellence through the years. This award reinforces Wolf Trap’s position as a premier center for the integration of performing arts, education, technology, and environmental sustainability. It also celebrates the organization’s operational effectiveness and financial strength, and its continued growth and reach over the past 41 years.

“Creativity is essential to vibrant communities and a strong economy,” said Virginia M. Board, president of The Dominion Foundation. “Dominion is committed to fostering that health through programs such as ArtStars.”

“We are honored to receive the 2012 Dominion ArtStars Award, and extend our appreciation to Virginians for the Arts and Dominion Resources for this recognition,” said Terrence D. Jones, President and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation. “It is a wonderful tribute to Wolf Trap for the work we have done for so many years, and inspires us to keep moving forward. We will continue to develop programs and partnerships to address the needs of the Northern Virginia community, as well as those communities across The Commonwealth and around the country.”

These awards, presented in collaboration with Dominion Resources, recognize two arts organizations in each of five regions of The Commonwealth of Virginia including Central Virginia, Hampton Roads/Eastern Shore, Northern Virginia, Southwest, and Shenandoah Valley/Piedmont. The first award, the Shining Star, is bestowed upon an arts organization that has been in operation for over 10 years, and the second, the Rising Star, on one that has been in existence for 10 years or less. Both awards follow the same criteria by honoring remarkable organizations that enhance communities, lift our spirits, and build a better quality of life. Wolf Trap was weighed against 76 competing entries, and ultimately selected by a top-notch panel of judges from the around Commonwealth.

The 2012 Dominion ArtStars Awards are made possible by a $30,000 contribution from The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources. Through their generosity, Shining Star recipients will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and Rising Stars will be awarded $1,000 each. Winners will be recognized at upcoming celebration events in each region later this fall, and at the January 2013 ArtWorks conference in Richmond, Virginia.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded by Catherine Filene Shouse (1896-1994), produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally and internationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues, the outdoor Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located down the road from the park and adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. In partnership with the National Park Service, the 7,028-seat Filene Center annually showcases an extensive array of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theater, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns operates year round, and during the summer months is home to the GRAMMY-nominated Wolf Trap Opera Company, one of America’s outstanding resident ensemble programs for young opera singers. Wolf Trap’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, arts education classes for all ages, scholarships, and a nationally recognized internship program that was included in Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s 2009 List of “Best Places to Intern.” As part of its ongoing commitment to protect and preserve the environment, Wolf Trap is metro accessible and is a founding member of the Green Music Group. For more information, visit www.wolftrap.org.

More Articles by This Author...