Timken, People’s United Bank, Sequoya Technologies Group and Hampshire Hardwoods were announced as the winners of the Business in the Arts Awards and Michael A. L’Ecuyer as the Leadership winner at a gala evening presentation hosted by the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts earlier this month in Manchester.
The winners were applauded for their outstanding support of the arts through donations of time, money and resources in their communities and statewide.
Timken in Keene was lauded for its commitment to the creative economy and its involvement in Arts Alive!, as well as for their practice of connecting innovation and creativity.
People’s United Bank, which has NH headquarters in Mnchester, was cited for its support of the Currier Museum of Art’s “Visual Dispatches from the Vietnam War” in Manchester as well for support it provides to a variety of organizations statewide.
Sequoya Technologies Group in Jaffrey received accolades for its commitment to the community engagement essential for local companies to flourish and for their unique “seeds” program that gives a percent of their monthly service fee to nonprofits, which include the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough and other Monadnock area arts groups.
Hampshire Hardwoods in Concord was recognized for donating time and materials to the construction of the new Winnipesauke Playhouse in Meredith and for mobilizing more than 20 other suppliers and laborers to help complete the project.
Michael A. L’Ecuyer, president and CEO of Bellwether Community Credit Union in Manchester, was named Leadership Award recipient for his longstanding record of board service to the Palace Theatre in Manchester and for successfully leveraging his leadership and business savvy into supporting a variety of arts in the state. Described as a person that brings a thoughtful, actionable approach to every project, L'Ecuyer also is known for raising money and awareness as part of what he does.
Each winner received a framed watercolor by NH artist Bruce McColl. The Currier Museum of Art loaned the table centerpieces. The ArtsBags Cultural Trivia Show highlighted the evening’s sponsors with swag bags that contained tickets, tee shirts, CDs and books contributed by NH’s many cultural organizations.
John Herman, artist, writer, teacher and media maker, was the master of ceremonies. The evening’s performance showcase on stage featured Rodney Miller, fiddler with Max Newman on guitar, a sampling of the NH Writers’ Project Flash Fiction Slam and the NH Theatre Factory created a repertoire of musical theater, both classic and contemporary, aimed to show the dreams, challenges, and even quirks of being a performer. Providing more fun in the lobby before and at the conclusion of the event was a student jazz duo from the Manchester Community Music School, painting demonstrations by students from the New Hampshire Institute of Art, a pottery demonstration by Studio 550, and a Heart’s Accord Barbershop Harmony.
The Business Committee for the Arts presents the awards annually to recognize and honor outstanding business support of the arts. The NHBCA was founded to educate, motivate and recognize business support of and participation in the arts. For more information about the awards or the NHBCA contact the NHBCA at 603 224-8300 or visit http://www.nhbca.com.
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