Community Corner
Kwanza Hall named 2012 recipient of the Rialto Pioneer Award
Award given annually to distinguished leaders who have contributed significantly to the health and vitality of the city's arts and cultural communities and/or Georgia State's far-reaching mission as a great university in the heart of a major city.
Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall has been named this year's recipient of the Rialto Pioneer Award. The award will be presented by Georgia State University President Mark Becker at the Rialto’s performance of The Idan Raichel & Vieux Farka Touré Quartet – Two Cultures, One Voice: Israel Meets Mali on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University.
The Rialto's Pioneer Award is given annually to distinguished leaders who have contributed significantly to the health and vitality of the city's arts and cultural communities and/or Georgia State's far-reaching mission as a great university in the heart of a major city. It was named to honor the "pioneering spirit" of the remarkable vision that led to the renovation of the Rialto by Georgia State in the early 1990s.
"I am grateful to Georgia State University and the Rialto Center for the Arts for this honor,” said Hall in a press release. “Under the leadership of GSU President Mark Becker, and thanks to the programming genius of the Rialto's Leslie Gordon, the Rialto has become a unique live performance space where Atlanta meets the world."
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Hall is in his second term on the Atlanta City Council. He represents District 2, the city’s most socially and economically diverse district. District 2 includes Downtown and Midtown Atlanta, Castleberry Hill, the Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, and Poncey-Highland. Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology are in the district. District 2 is also home to two Nobel Peace prizes, at the King Center and the Carter Presidential Museum and Library.
The award is named the "Pioneer" since the renovation of the neglected Rialto theater property was a pioneering choice for Georgia State. The restoration served as an anchor for the Fairlie-Poplar district and its renovation turned around the historic area. The Rialto campaign was the first ever for Georgia State, and raised $14 million.
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For more information, visit www.rialtocenter.org. Group and Georgia State University student discounts are offered for this show. The Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University is located at 80 Forsyth Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia. Free Parking available for all Rialto Series events.
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