Three Tennessee organizations have been recognized by the Atlanta Olympic

Committee for their excellence in promoting multicultural diversity.

Knoxville’s African American Appalachian Arts, Chattanooga’s

Southeast Center for Education in the Arts, and Nashville’s

Tennessee Association of Craft Artists all received Regional

Designation Awards in the Arts from the Cultural Olympiad.

The Regional Designation Awards in the Arts were developed by the Atlanta

Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) Cultural Olympiad in 1993 to honor

excellence in cultural programs throughout the Southeast. The purpose of

these awards is to promote opportunity for artists and artistic programs to

participate in the Cultural Olympiad in conjunction with the 1996 Olympic

Games.

This year’s winners were chosen from 165 applications by three panels of

experts from various artistic fields. The 30 winning programs were selected

from the nine-state region of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The Knoxville-based African American Appalachian Arts group received an

award for its Haley Heritage Square project. A component of

the Inner City Revitalization Through Cultural Enrichment Program, the

Square will serve as a public art memorial celebrating the contributions

and achievements of the African American community. The centerpiece of the

Square is a statue of author Alex Haley by artist Tina Allen.

The Southeast Center for Education in the Arts, located in Chattanooga,

received recognition for “The Arts in Education: Multicultural School Staff

Development Program.” This program recognizes ethnic contributions of

immigrants to the United States and their inspiration to the arts world

through performances, workshops and technology. The program will take place

June 19 through July 21 at UT-Chattanooga and in schools throughout an

eight-state region.

The Tennessee Association of Craft Artists had two award-winning projects.

The TACA’s annual Fall Crafts Fair takes place Sept. 29 through Oct. 1,

featuring crafts, food and live music. The 24th Annual Tennessee Crafts

Fair, which will be held May 5-7, features crafts, demonstrations,

children’s activities and live entertainment.

The Cultural Olympiad sponsors many ongoing programs, such as the Regional

Designation Awards in the Humanities, with the winner being announced in

June of this year. Also, “100 Years of World Cinema,” a two-year program

featuring 100 landmark films, will be held at the High Museum of Art. In

April, the Cultural Olympiad hosts a gathering of Nobel Laureates of

Literature in a series of readings and panel discussions at The Carter

Center with the keynote address given by President Jimmy Carter.