Seven artists, advocates and organizations will be honored Friday, Oct. 2, as the Farmington Area Arts Commission marks its 50th anniversary.
The free awards ceremony begins at 7 p.m. at The Hawk Blackbox & Mainstage Theatres, 29995 W. 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills. An afterglow reception follows in the Blackbox Theatre. Tickets can be reserved at TheHawkTheatre.com.
The Farmington Area Arts Commission (FAAC), established in 1976 with members appointed by the Farmington Hills and Farmington city councils, has presented its Artist-in-Residence Award for all 50 of those years. This year's recipient is Willie McAllister Jr., a conductor, educator and producer, according to the Oakland County Times.
The ceremony also includes a posthumous Nancy Coumoundouros Distinguished Service to the Arts Award for Ismael Ahmed, a Farmington Hills resident who died Jan. 31. Ahmed co-founded the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and the Concert of Colors multicultural music festival. He co-founded the Arab American Museum in Dearborn and hosted "This Island Earth," a world music show on WDET-FM, according to BridgeDetroit.
Ahmed also served as director of the Michigan Department of Human Services under Gov. Jennifer Granholm. President Joe Biden nominated him to the National Council on the Arts. The Senate confirmed him Dec. 18, 2021.
Chaula Thacker shares the distinguished service award with Ahmed.
"The arts connect people, inspire creativity and help make Farmington and Farmington Hills vibrant places to live," Rachel Timlin, cultural arts supervisor for the Farmington Hills Special Services Department, said in a statement announcing the awards.
Two young artists, Liam Rinehart and Tania Chavez Gomez, will receive Youth Art Awards. In the Mitten Productions, a theater company founded in 2016 by Kim Gearns that has staged 40 productions in Farmington Hills and Novi, earns the Arts Advocacy Award. Karen Reasoner receives the Arts Volunteer of the Year Award.
The Farmington Hills City Council approved $2,500 for the fiscal year 2027 awards, according to FAAC meeting minutes from June 11.
The FAAC's next regular meeting is Oct. 8 at The Hawk.
