News Release

Jose Martinez to receive Governor's Arts Award

Nov. 6, 2007

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov

Oklahoma City, OK – Jose Martinez, Moore, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 32nd Annual Governor’s Arts Awards. Martinez will receive a Community Service Award which recognizes individuals for significant contributions to the arts in specific Oklahoma communities in the areas of leadership and volunteerism.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and four organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 28th in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol and is open to the public. Presiding at the ceremony will be Council Chair Jim Tolbert and Interim Executive Director Suzanne Tate.

Martinez is co-founder and organizer of the Louis Rocco Youth & Cultural Center, a project of the Amigo Foundation. Located in historic Capitol Hill, the Center’s mission is to develop leadership through the arts, with an emphasis on serving high-risk youth. More than 300 young people have participated in after-school programs that include the performing arts, leadership development, cultural workshops, high school tutoring and community service. By providing folkloric dance classes and hosting La Tierra del Corazon, Oklahoma’s annual Folklorico Festival, the Center has played an important role in showcasing and preserving the cultural traditions of our state’s Hispanic citizens.

Martinez served 22 years in the U. S. Air Force in Vietnam, Korea, Japan and North America. He began working with the Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services in 1977 and retired after 21 years. He has served on the Mexican-American Political Association, the Hispanic Public Policy Institute and the Governor’s Council on Hispanic Affairs.

A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.  A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov. For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, please contact Ann Dee Lee at (405) 521-2931 or at anndee@arts.ok.gov.

ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL

The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.

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