Huntington Arts Council Named as Finalist in
2nd Annual Long Island Imagine Awards
Long Island Imagine Awards Winners to Be Announced on Tuesday,
May 6th at the Crest Hollow Country Club
The Huntington Arts Council, Inc. was named a Finalist in the Pilot Benefits Innovation Award category in The Second Annual Long Island Imagine Awards. Launching in spring 2013, the Huntington Arts Council’s SPARBOOM™ initiative was designed as a collective initiative to create vibrant events and opportunities to foster Long Island’s emerging creative talent.
The Long Island Imagine Awards was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. This will be the second annual event. Last year’s event attracted over 260 attendees from the nonprofit and business communities. Winners will be announced during a gala event at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Nominated organizations, their constituents and the Long Island business community are expected to attend.
More than 120 entries were submitted for consideration in 5 categories, including Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Social Entrepreneurism, Rising Star, and Social Impact. The Huntington Arts Council is one of four finalists in the Innovation category for its SPARKBOOM™ initiative.
The Huntington Arts Council, Inc. conceived of SPARKBOOM™ with twelve partners in the summer of 2012 to respond to the attrition of Long Island’s Gen Y creative population to other areas offering a richer creative environment. Moving quickly, SPARKBOOM™ was launched in its pilot phase in April 2013 with activities located at the center hub of the Long Island arts scene in Huntington, NY and its surrounding villages. During its first season, eight multi-disciplinary arts events were held at a variety of local cultural institutions, drawing strong attendance from a wide cross-section of the community. “Long Island is rich with both creative talent and creative opportunities. The SPARKBOOM™ mission is to connect young emerging artists with the establishments and professionals in creative careers. When that happens, there’s a wonderful, mutually beneficial exchange that happens as both sides bring unique perspectives and talents to the table. We’re thrilled to be an Imagine Awards Finalist as a result of our efforts.” stated Diana Cherryholmes, Executive Director of the Huntington Arts Council.
Finalists were chosen by Long Island business professionals during preliminary judging. Members of the Awards’ Distinguished Judging Panel selected the Imagine Awards winners from among the Finalists during final judging. “Being named a Finalist in The Long Island Imagine Awards is an important achievement,” said Ken Cerini, Founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards. “It means that independent business executives have agreed that the nominee is worthy of recognition for their innovation, leadership, entrepreneurism, and sustainability. Congratulations to all of the Finalists on their achievement.”
Details about Long Island Imagine Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at http://www.ceriniandassociates.com/imagine-awards.