The ACE (arts, culture and education) Awards are presented annually by 40 North | 88 West to honor the work of artists, teachers, businesses, individuals, organizations, volunteers, community and government leaders. All seven ACE Awards highlight a different part of the cultural life of our community and celebrate those that, through hard work, dedication, and creative energy, cultivate the arts of Champaign County. This year has brought more challenges than we could have ever expected – this year’s awards hope to highlight and celebrate the remarkable people that stepped up and used their creativity and generosity to navigate unknown waters and be a vehicle for change, innovation, and advocacy.
ACE AWARD CATEGORIES:
- Advocate ACE: This award will honor the individual, organization, or group that has advocated on behalf of the arts effectively and consistently, forged creative partnerships, or stimulated collaborations that result in broader awareness, accessibility and participation in the arts, culture and entertainment of Champaign County.
- Artist ACE: This award recognizes an individual artist for their creations and contributions to the excellence of the arts of Champaign County.
- Volunteer ACE: This award will be presented to an individual or group that, through their volunteer efforts and service, has made a significant impact on the art and culture of this community.
- Business ACE: The award will celebrate the business that has demonstrated outstanding support of the arts. The winner will have cultivated opportunities and relationships that support local artists and/or organizations in Champaign County.
- Teacher ACE: This award recognizes an individual, organization, school, educator, or group that has demonstrated a unique and creative approach to merging the arts and education. The winner will have, through outstanding commitment and dedicated service to arts education, been an inspiration to students, teachers, and the community.
- Lifetime ACE: This award will honor the accumulated successes of an individual for continued, outstanding support of the arts in our community.
NOMINATION CRITERIA:
Self-nominations accepted. Must be a resident of Champaign County to be eligible to win an ACE Award.
Nominees can be artists, students, faculty, non-profit administrative staff, business owners and employees, elected and appointed officials and any other individuals and organizations actively supporting our creative community.
Nominations for 2024 are due on Monday, October 28th. NOMINATION FORM
The winners of the 2023 ACE Awards are
Advocate ACE Award – Jill Miller, for consistently acting as a beacon of light and a stalwart advisor to artists of varying levels, for consistently lending a helping hand to local artists including creating the initiative CU pARTners that encouraged artists to forge partnerships with local businesses at a time when our community was struggling to comprehend the helplessness and isolation set on by the pandemic, and for 17+ years, as a mentor and host, opening the doors to her home twice a year for shows featuring local artists.
Artist ACE Award – Ja Nelle Davenport-Pleasure, for her seemingly-endless talents including poetry, dance, fashion, jewelry, and mixed media sculpture, for her sincere support and genuine enthusiasm for other artists in this area, for recruiting and introducing young children to the art of dance, and for inspiring the community through her passion, positivity, dedication, and remarkable ability to transform recycled materials into provocative and thoughtful works of art.
Volunteer ACE Award – Gregory Stallmeyer, for his endless curiosity and magnetic energy, for his remarkable leadership and genuine encouragement of artists in this community, for his constant generosity, creativity, and selfless ability to shine a spotlight on other local artists, and for countless volunteer hours dedicated to bringing artists together and creating the ultimate successful collective experience.
Business ACE Award – Rose Bowl Tavern, for bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge as well as the heart and soul to diversify the scope of their programming, inviting a broader, more varied audience to their venue, for preserving the longstanding history of the Rose Bowl while revitalizing it as a destination for quality live music experiences, and for creating a safe plan to adjust their space to offer high quality, streaming and live performances that inspired audiences amd musicians in a time of need.
Teacher ACE Award – Abby Crull, for being a champion and a light for her students and bringing a love for music and the arts to each and every student she comes in contact with, for her compassion, inspiration, and outstanding commitment to the arts through collaboration with classroom, specials, and other area educators to create relevant and responsive curricula for our youth, and for being at the forefront of addressing the complex social-emotional needs of her students as they ventured into remote learning and grappled with racial inequalities.
Lifetime ACE Award – Carl Johnson, for countless years dedicated to teaching music and entertaining audiences all over Champaign-Urbana and beyond, for being a one-of-a-kind contributor to our community’s music scene through his capacity to engage and inspire people with his musicianship and outstanding character, for volunteering in the local high schools, providing countless clinics, concerts, sectionals and lessons to our students, and for his humble, devoted, and generous spirit that is an inspiration to all who know him.
The winners were chosen from over 65 public nominations by an independent panel of community-based judges.
The ACE Award categories are: Advocate, Artist, Volunteer, Business, Teacher, and Lifetime Achievement. Nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of community-based judges representing a broad cross-section of Champaign County. Anyone can submit a nomination for an ACE Award. You may nominate multiple candidates and self-nominations are accepted. Must be a resident of Champaign County to be eligible to win an ACE Award. Previous nominees may be resubmitted.
2019 ACE Awards winners:
Jason Finkelman– Advocate
John Curry– Teacher
EKAH– Artist
Keenan Dailey– Student
Dixon Graphics– Business
Susan Curtis– Volunteer
Bea Nettles– Lifetime
2018 ACE Awards winners:
Kelly Hieronymus– Advocate
Brandon T. Washington– Teacher
Peg Shaw– Artist
Natalie Wakefield– Student
Exile on Main Street– Business
Jim O’Brien– Volunteer
Dorothy Martirano– Lifetime
2017 ACE Awards winners:
Shaya Robinson– Advocate
Sue Aldridge– Teacher
Allen Creamean– Artist
Kamila Glowacki– Student
CU Adventures in Time & Space– Business
Lawrence McGown– Volunteer
Don Lake– Lifetime
2016 ACE Awards winners:
Mike Ingram– Advocate
Stacey Gross– Teacher
Deke Weaver– Artist
Saskia Bakker– Student
Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District– Business
Pecha Kucha Night CU– Volunteer
Aurora Villacorta (Miss V)– Lifetime
2015 ACE Awards winners:
Carolyn Baxley– Advocate
Rusty Clevenger– Teacher
Nina Paley– Artist
Xuxa Rodriguez– Student
Weiskamp Screen Printing– Business
Brenda Koenig– Volunteer
Harry Breen– Lifetime
2014 ACE Awards winners:
Pens to Lens/Thomas Nicol– Advocate
Nathaniel Banks– Teacher
Jason Patterson– Artist
Megan Diddie– Student
Art Coop– Business
Eric Robeson– Volunteer
Candy Foster– Lifetime
2013 ACE Awards winners:
Kathleen Harleman– Advocate
Chris Berti– Teacher
Steve Hudson– Artist
Emily Denis – Student
IDEA Store– Business
Leonard Doyle– Volunteer
Donnie Heitler– Lifetime
2012 ACE Awards winners:
Parkland Art Gallery– Advocate
Betty Allen– Teacher
Lisa Meid– Artist
Peyton Stewart– Student
Adams Outdoor– Business
Jamie Gossett– Volunteer
Ollie Watts Davis– Lifetime
2011 ACE Awards winners:
James Barham– Advocate
Mark Rubel– Teacher
Kathleen Everingham– Artist
Caitlin Caruso-Dobbs– Student
Shared-Space– Business
Hiram Paley– Volunteer
Kimiko Gunji– Lifetime
2010 ACE Awards winners:
Anna Hochhalter– Advocacy
Robert Smith– Arts Education
Michael’s Catering– Business
Jonathan Sivier & Thomas Anderson– Creative Community Service
James Bier– Lifetime Achievement
Community Concierge Magazine– Media
Pacifica Quartet– Spotlight
2009 ACE Awards winners:
Jo Ellen DeVilbiss– Advocacy
Mary Ellen Page– Arts Education
Iron Post– Business
Nathan and Julie Gunn– Creative Community Service
Robin Hall– Lifetime Achievement
Parkland College Television– Media
Bow-Dacious String Band– Spotlight
2008 ACE Awards winners:
Mike Ross– Advocacy
Brian Hagy– Arts Education
Precision Graphics– Business
Patrick Harness– Creative Community Service
Carl and Nadja Altstetter– Lifetime Achievement
Rantoul Press/Ian Wang– Media
Sousa Archives– Spotlight
2007 ACE Awards winners:
Jon ‘Cody’ Sokolski– Advocacy
Robin Kearton– Arts Education
Pages for All Ages– Business
Danielle Chynoweth– Creative Community Service
Daniel J. Perrino– Lifetime Achievement
Jay Rosenstein– Media
Ebertfest– Spotlight
2006 ACE Awards winners:
Jenny Southlynn– Advocacy
William Patterson– Arts Education
Main Street Bank– Business
Andy Warfel– Creative Community Service
Rick Orr– Lifetime Achievement
WEFT 90.1 FM– Media
Janet Soesbe– Arts Partner
2005 ACE Awards winners:
Yu (Ian) Wang– Advocacy
Brenda Kimble– Arts Education
Busey Bank– Business
Kathy Murphy & John Stuff– Creative Community Service
Jane Hobgood– Lifetime Achievement
Melissa Merli– Media
Virgina Theater– Arts Partner
