The United States Urban Arts Federation (USUAF), an alliance of the arts agencies of the sixty largest cities and a program of Americans for the Arts, today announced that Michael Killoren is the recipient of the 2017 Ray Hanley Innovation Award. The USUAF established this award in 2007 to recognize outstanding individual contributions to arts and culture in American cities.

 

Killoren was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was formerly the director of Local Arts Agencies and Challenge America at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). There, he was responsible for the grantmaking processes for local arts agencies (LAAs), developing partnerships to advance the LAA field as a whole, and the Challenge America program.

 

Chair of the Morean Board of Trustees Susan Reiter said, “We are pleased to welcome Michael to the Morean Arts Center in the midst of our 100th Anniversary celebrations. As we look forward to the next 100 years of the arts in St. Petersburg, we hope to continue being a hub for art and artists in the community.”

 

Prior to his tenure at the NEA, Killoren served as director of Seattle's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, where he led the city department's funding and public art programs, developed policy initiatives to increase public access to arts and culture, and established a partnership to restore arts education in Seattle Public Schools. Prior to July 2002, Killoren was Seattle's first director of cultural tourism for Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he launched an initiative to promote the region's cultural assets. He also served as an arts program coordinator and later executive director of the King County Arts Commission, where he worked to increase access and participation in arts and culture, with a focus on rural and suburban communities. 

 

“Michael has been a leader in the LAA field for quite some time, and his dedication and hard work for the arts in every community he has touched has been invaluable,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Recognizing the outstanding work of leaders like Michael through this USUAF Innovation Award is one way to highlight the critical work and vital contributions happening in communities across the country.”

 

“I am honored to receive this award, and I look forward to bringing my lifelong passion of increasing public access to arts and culture to St. Petersburg and its vibrant arts scene as I start a new chapter with the Morean Arts Center,” said Killoren. “St. Petersburg is a beacon for artists, and as the Morean Arts Center celebrates its 100th Anniversary, so does the community whose artists continue to make the exciting growth in St. Petersburg a possibility.”

 

The 2017 Ray Hanley Innovation Award was presented today at the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in San Francisco during the USUAF Summer Meeting luncheon. 

 

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 55 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.

 

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