Pasadena may be best known today as the City of Roses, but soon after it was founded in the late 19 ^th century, it was renowned as "The Crown of the Valley."

The Pasadena Arts Council celebrates the best of both these traditions when it presents its annual Gold Crown Awards to those members of the community whose efforts have helped ensure that the arts continue to blossom throughout the "Crown City" of Pasadena.

This year, Gold Crown Awards were presented to: Z. Clark Branson, owner and developer of the Boston Court Performing Arts Complex; Joan Palmer, Pasadena Arts Commissioner and Advocate for Arts Education; the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts; Lissa and James Reynolds, Artistic Directors of the Fremont Centre Theatre; painter, sculptor and sound artist Steve Roden; and Rachael Worby, Music Director and Conductor of the Pasadena Pops Orchestra.



Although the weather at the garden reception honoring the recipients on June 5 was not exactly ideal – even an award-winning optimist would have to describe the weather that afternoon as typical "June gloom" fare, chilly and overcast – the mood was decidedly bright as guests arrived at the Greene & Greene home of Pasadena residents George and Marilyn Brumder.

Or perhaps the operative word to use is "bubbly". Guests – including mayor Bill Bogaard; Jonathon Glus, Executive Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Pasadena; Kathleen Duba, Deputy Superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District; Joan Fauvre, Executive Director of the Pasadena Education Foundation; Lena Kennedy, field representative for Assemblywoman Carol Liu; and representatives from major arts organizations throughout Southern California – were treated to a glass of champagne immediately after signing in at the reception area at the front of the house.

Each year, in addition to the Gold Crown Awards, the Pasadena Arts Council offers Youth Scholarship Awards to high school students in grades ten through twelve who show artistic promise in such fields as dance, instrumental music, vocal music, music composition, theater arts, literary arts, visual arts, graphic and photographic arts, architecture and design, and video and film.

High school students who received scholarships from the Pasadena Arts Council this year are: Daniel Richardson, 16, of Altadena, for Instrumental Music; Simon Estrada, 18, of Pasadena, for Visual Arts; Morgan Shelley, 17, of South Pasadena, for Dance; and Monet Hurst-Mendoza, 17, of Pasadena, for Theater. Each student received their award from Colleen Yorke, a 2001 Scholarship Winner who, at the opening of the program, shared with the audience her goal of one day numbering among the 7% of women directors making films today.

"I wish you the best in your chosen fields," said Terry LeMoncheck, Executive Director of the Pasadena Arts Council, after the scholarship recipients were introduced. "I’m sure you’re all going to fly."

Without exception, each Gold Crown Award recipient had a long list of those they thanked for their invaluable support and encouragement in helping their artistic vision become a reality. But they also had their own unique perspective on their ‘crowning’ achievements….

Z. Clark Branson, a folk singer and actor who has appeared at many schools throughout the country, said: "I’m proud to be the instigator at Boston Court. In many ways, it was like building a schoolhouse…It’s definitely a learning experience for our patrons when they visit us."

"The theme here," Palmer explained, "is that you can’t do anything until you’ve been involved in our government somehow…It’s important to take your democratic role as a citizen seriously and to influence your representatives."

In 2004-2005, the Pasadena Showcase House donated $800,000 to arts organizations in the Pasadena-area. Charlotte Varner, President of the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, encouraged the community to continue to support the Showcase House in April 2006. "Everyone who buys a ticket to the House is making a donation to the arts in our community," she concluded.

According to James Reynolds of Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena, "We must remember, as a great society, that all that is remembered of any great society is its art. We must continue to stimulate art in our nation and our national discourse."

Painter and sculptor Steve Roden commented on his unusual artworks that incorporate sound. "Many people didn’t think I would be able to do my kind of work here. It’s so wonderful to be part of this artistic community."

Rachael Worby shared her thoughts simply but eloquently: "I just make music and thank you for liking that."

Joan Palmer, a life long advocate for the arts, reminded the audience that state and federal governments have the power potentially to undo the good that arts activists such as herself have accomplished, simply by cutting a budget.

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