Bradenton has an opportunity to be included in the 2010 AmericanStyle Top 25 Arts Destination listing, but it’s going to take everyone who lives in the Bradenton area, and visitors to the area, to vote and write in Bradenton, Florida, as your favorite small city for contemporary art.
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Vote in Bradenton, Florida, as a place where the arts thrive for the 2010 AmericanStyle Top 25 Arts Destination contest. |
First step: Go to this link and scroll down the page until you reach the section that states to please select up to 3 of your favorite small cities for contemporary art.
(Note that Sarasota is already listed because its art community voted for the city in previous years, and Bradenton is not yet a listing.)
Second step: Check the "Other" box and type in the box area below Bradenton, Florida.
Third step: Scroll further down the page to the box that wants you to write: Why did you select these particular cities? In this area, type why you wrote in a vote for Bradenton.
Fourth Step: Enter in Contact Information and at the bottom of the Web page click the gray box that with the words ”Thank you for participating!“
Tim McCann, Bradenton's public information officer, said he is ready for the arts in this town to be recognized on a national level.
”I think the more recognition the city of Bradenton gets for its art scene, the higher the possibility we will attract artists to the area and more tourists,“ he said. ”Maybe even attract people who want to come and live in the Village of the Arts.“
Bradenton has an excellent opportunity to be a candidate for the AmericanStyle listing because it has a strong community committed to the arts and the Village of the Arts, the Downtown Development Authority and Realize Bradenton, art galleries, and arts and crafts street exhibits, such as Mainly Art and ArtCenter Manatee.
”I want people like you to write in Bradenton as a candidate,“ McCann said. ”If we get enough voting for Bradenton, we may see it as a city next time.“
Jean Thompson, the public relations director for AmericanStyle magazine, said the contest has evolved over time and is decided by the readers.
The magazine mainly targets readers across the U.S., but its readership extends to Canada and England. Its readers are collectors of art, art enthusiasts and people who love art and craft on a professional level. The magazine can be found on newsstands, in bookstores or coffee shops.
Thompson said the contest originally listed the top 25 cities in the U.S. as art destinations, but in 2005 the magazine's publishers decided to split the contest into three geographical groups of 25, so smaller cities aren’t competing against larger ones like New York or Chicago.
”Readers who vote really believe there’s a connection between the arts and tourism and the well-being of the community,“ Thompson said.
She said the smaller cities that tend to win, like Asheville, N.C., have a real identity in that town where the arts are a part of the fabric of that community.
”Whether it’s a big city or a small city,“ Thompson said, ”they tend to be towns and cities where the community supports the arts as a vital part of the community.“
So what happens if this year, or one year, Bradenton is voted in on a list as an AmericanStyle Art destination?
Thompson said it offer the city a chance to be known on a national level for its arts community, as the lists are circulated all over the country and through the Internet. The mayor of the city receives a trophy and there is a press conference planned by the city to share the news throughout the city.
”This is not a scientific poll and it’s not about art experts coming in to rank,“ Thompson said. ”This is strictly coming from the readers.“
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