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Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities - 03-24-2011
Nevada Humanities recognizes Wally Cuchine and Sundance Bookstore for outstanding contributions to Nevada’s cultural life.
Reno, NV (March 8, 2011)–On March 31, Nevada Humanities will present the Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities to Sundance Bookstore and Music of Reno, Nevada, and Wally Cuchine of Eureka, Nevada. The award recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses that make an outstanding and lasting contribution to Nevada communities by using the tools of the humanities to strengthen and enhance the lives of Nevadans.
Jim Leach, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will present the awards on March 31, 5:30 pm, at a ceremony held at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City. Each of the two honorees will receive an original, framed photographic print of a Nevada landscape by Eureka photographer Deon Reynolds.
Wally Cuchine recently retired as Director of the Eureka Opera House and Eureka Sentinel Museum and Director of Cultural Tourism and Economic Development in Eureka County. In these roles he regularly brought music, poetry, theater, and literary events to Eureka County, he has created a permanent county art collection, and he has built the largest personal collection of Nevada art in the state. Cuchine has also served as Humanist-in-Residence in the communities of Caliente, Lovelock, Fallon, and Hawthorne, where he hosted speakers and offered field trips to expand awareness of local history and culture.
Eureka photographers Deon and Trish Reynolds nominated Wally Cuchine citing his commitment to developing and enhancing artistic and cultural offerings throughout rural Nevada and his lifelong passion for the work of Nevada artists.
The Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities is not Cuchine’s first honor. He received a Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nevada Commission on Tourism in 2010, the 2011 Governor’s Arts Award for Leadership in the Arts in 2011, and was named a ‘Distinguished Nevadan’ by the Nevada system of Higher Education for advancing the cultural well being of Nevadans.
Eureka County Commissioner Jim Ithurralde noted that Cuchine’s work “ensures that Eureka County residents and visitors have an abundance of visual and cultural opportunities that are rarely, if ever, seen in a community this size.”
Sundance Bookstore and Music, one of the few remaining bastions of independent bookselling, has also earned the 2011 Nevada Humanities Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities. Co-owners Dan Earl and Christine Kelly share this honor with a staff that is noted by supporters as both incredibly well versed in literature and incredibly generous with their time, talent, and resources.
According to nominator Joe Crowley, President Emeritus of the University of Nevada, Reno, “The store’s owners and staff think of themselves as servants first. The cause they serve is culture.”
Sundance’s contributions to the northern Nevada literary and cultural community are many. The store regularly brings authors to town and hosts them for signings and readings. They are steadfast supporters of local authors and area small presses providing enthusiastic support and a public forum in which to market their books. Sundance is a valuable program collaborator with Nevada Humanities and other nonprofits.
According to their supporters, Sundance engages with their customers in a unique and enriching way. They regularly host literary discussion groups and sponsor events that enhance civic discourse.
Shaun Griffin, well known Nevada poet, activist, and Director of Community Chest in Virginia City, said of Sundance, “They believe in something greater than the marketplace: reading is central to the health and well being of a community.”
The Nevada Humanities Board of Trustees established the Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities in 2008 to honor the exemplary work of Judith Winzeler who served as executive director of Nevada Humanities from 1984 to 2009. Past Nevada Humanities Award recipients include: Rollan Melton, Scott Slovic, Christopher Hudgins, and former Congresswoman Dina Titus.
For additional information about Nevada Humanities and the Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities, contact Christina Barr, Executive Director of Nevada Humanities, 775-784-6587, cbarr@unr.edu.
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