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For Immediate Release

06/12/2005

Contact:
John Bianchi
Goodman Media International for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700


Americans for the Arts Presents National Leadership Award for Community Arts Leadership to Missouri Resident

Austin, TX—June 12, 2005. Americans for the Arts today presented the 2005 Selina Roberts Ottum Award to Jill McGuire, executive director of the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, at its annual convention in Austin, TX. The award recognizes the achievements of an individual who has made a meaningful contribution to his or her community through local arts leadership.

“With boundless energy and dedication, Jill McGuire has established herself as a real powerhouse in community arts leadership,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Despite being fully involved in arts programs throughout her region, Jill’s enthusiasm is uncontainable; she has brought her talent and expertise to local arts leadership throughout the country, to the benefit of communities everywhere.”

As the executive director, Ms. McGuire leads all functions of the organization and serves as a liaison to the broader community, advocating for the advancement of the arts in the region and beyond. She has led the Regional Arts Commission since its inception in 1985 and presided over a period of consistent growth in tax revenues, resulting in a larger grant pool that has allowed more opportunities for cultural institutions in the region. In fall 2003, Ms. McGuire, her staff, and the board of the Regional Arts Commission marked a major milestone for the organization by opening its new home and site of the area’s first Cultural Resource Center, which was developed to meet the everyday needs of the region’s arts groups, both emerging and established.

Ms. McGuire’s leadership in the arts extends beyond the St. Louis region and the state of Missouri. A founding board member of Arts for America, a national political action committee for the arts, McGuire has been a long-time advocate for greater public support for the arts. In addition, she is often invited to consult with local arts and civic leadership in other cities. The Arts Alliance of Jackson-Hinds County, MS; the Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh; and arts agencies in Newark, NJ, Charlotte, NC, and Albuquerque, NM, have all benefited from her vast expertise.

An adjunct professor for Webster University, Ms. McGuire is the community and cultural policy instructor for the Masters of Arts Administration Program, and has been a guest speaker, lecturer, and presenter at other major universities in the area, including University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University, and Webster University.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 40 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.