Amanda Aldridge
The Arts Alliance Mountain Empire has chosen its 2016 Arts Achievement Award winners.
They include Amanda Aldridge, the resident choreographer and costume designer at Barter Theatre; Nancy DeFriece, a prominent arts advocate who has been chair of both the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Barter Theatre board of trustees, among other positions; Michele Plescia, artistic director of Bristol Ballet; Bill and Diane Thomas, retired musicians and choir directors, who had distinguished careers in college and public school music education; and Betsy White, who was the founding director of the William King Museum and has published two books on the functional and decorative arts of the region.
The Gala celebration is held Saturday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Bristol, Virginia. The evening consists of cocktails, dinner, an awards ceremony and entertainment by a jazz combo.
Tickets to the event are $100 for individuals, with tables for eight available for $600. Tickets can be purchased by sending a check to AAME, Box 94, Bristol, TN 37621 or online at the AAME website, www.aame.info/gala.
The Arts Alliance Mountain Empire is an arts council formed as a service organization for artists, arts organizations and other cultural endeavors throughout the Mountain Empire. The mission of AAME is to nurture, advocate and celebrate the arts. AAME fulfills its mission primarily as the publisher of A! Magazine for the Arts, and it has published an arts directory and sponsors a lecture series and workshops on arts-related topics.
