Contact (Media only): Joia Jefferson Nuri by email or call (240) 603-7905

(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian Fenty will preside over his first Mayor's Arts Awards, the highest honor conferred by the District of Columbia in recognition of artistic excellence and service among artists, organizations, and patrons in the District. The 22nd Annual Mayor's Arts Awards will be held on Monday, March 19 at 6 pm in the Concert Hall at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Grammy Award(R) winning a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock will perform and accept the Lifetime Achievement Award.

WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi is the evening's Master of Ceremonies. Legendary choreographer, director, producer Debbie Allen, DC Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Clifford Janey, and Norman Scribner, Artistic Director, Choral Arts Society of Washington are among the presenters.

The evening will highlight a number of local performers and feature an award presentation for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Excellence in Service to the Arts, and Innovation in the Arts and others. Winners will be announced "live" from the stage the night of the event and receive a statuette specifically commissioned for the ceremony. The program also brings awareness to the presence and vitality of the arts community in the city through on-stage performances by some of the finest talent in DC. Each year, more than 1,200 dignitaries and residents pack the theater.

Artists from throughout the city apply for the honor. Finalists were chosen by the 22nd Mayor's Arts Awards Advisory Jury. On hand as a presenter will be legendary choreographer, producer and director Debbie Allen who got her start in the arts at Howard University.

Since 1968, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities has supported community development through the arts by promoting artistic excellence in the nation's capital. Since its inception in 1981, the Mayor's Arts Awards has honored some of the most outstanding artists and art patrons in our area. Past recipients of the Mayor's Art Award include Leonard Slatkin, Roberta Flack, Shirley Horn and Peggy Cooper Cafritz.

The 22nd Annual Mayor's Arts Awards is a Millennium Stage presentation. The Millennium Stage was created and underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs to make the performing arts accessible to everyone in the fulfillment of the Kennedy Center's mission to its community and the nation. The Millennium Stage is brought to the public by Target Stores and Fannie Mae Foundation.

The evening is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary for the award ceremony, however, reservations are recommended. Email your RSVP or call (202) 724-5613.

View a listing of the Mayor's Arts Awards Nominees for 2007.*

View additional information about Mayor's Arts Award categories.