[TAM_LogoBlack] Nominations sought for 2016 AMOCAT Arts Awards The Tacoma Arts Commission is currently accepting nominations for the 2016 AMOCAT Arts Awards. Nominations can be made through July 31 using this online nomination form<https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/amocat16>. "Arts, culture, and creativity are essential keys to Tacoma's distinctive identity. They enrich people's lives, enhance communities, and have a significant economic impact on our city. Nonprofit arts and culture is a $64.72 million industry in Tacoma - one that supports 1,735 full-time equivalent jobs and generate $6.58 million in local and state government revenue," said Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland. "The AMOCAT Arts Awards recognize the people, organizations, and patrons in our community who invest their energy and passion into building a vibrant future through arts and culture." The three award categories are: 1. Community Outreach by an Individual - Community outreach, engagement and involvement in the arts in Tacoma by an individual 2. Community Outreach by an Organization - Community outreach, engagement and involvement in the arts in Tacoma by an organization 3. Arts Patron - A community partner who significantly supports or contributes to the arts in Tacoma The Tacoma Arts Commission will review all nominations and select one finalist in each award category based on the breadth and depth of the nominee's community impact as well as the quality of the work being done by the nominee, not by the number of times the nominee has been nominated. Strickland will present the 2016 AMOCAT Arts Awards at the Tacoma Arts Month Opening Party on September 29. In the category of Community Outreach by an Individual, past winners include: Lynn Di Nino, Jared Pappas-Kelley and Michael S. Lent, Laura and Matt Eklund, Lance Kagey and Tom Llewellyn, Linda Danforth, William Kupinse, Oliver Doriss, Stella Haioulani, Katy Evans, David Domkoski, Jessica Spring, and Connie K. Walle. In the category of Community Outreach by an Organization, past winners include: Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass Education Programs, Arts Impact, Tacoma School of the Arts, Barefoot Studios, Victory Music, King's Books, Hilltop Artists, Fab-5, D.A.S.H. Center for the Arts, The Grand Cinema, Puget Sound Book Artists, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, and Tacoma Public Library. In the category of Arts Patron, past winners include: Sound Transit Art Program, Pierce Transit, Sixth Avenue Business District, The Weekly Volcano, Hotel Murano, City Arts, Urban Grace Church, The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, Key Bank, Erivan and Helga Haub and family, ArtsFund, and University of Washington Tacoma. Additional information about the AMOCAT Arts Awards can be found online<http://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_departments/community_and_economic_development/arts_program/programs/amocat_arts_awards/>.