June 15, 2018
Cleveland Art Prize Recognizes CIM Trustee Barbara Robinson
On Wednesday, June 13, Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP) celebrated CIM Trustee Barbara S. Robinson with a new special prize named in her honor. The new prize will be awarded annually to an individual or organization for extraordinary commitment to advancement of the arts through leadership in public policy, legislation, arts education and community development.
CIM President & CEO Paul W. Hogle spoke at the CAP event, and said: “Barbara has given of her time, her talent and her treasure to ensure a vibrant, thriving, dynamic arts community that ranks Cleveland among the most cultured cities in the world. Her unflagging enthusiasm for our work has contributed in countless ways to CIM’s success.”
Robinson – known as a driving force for the arts in Cleveland – has served as a trustee for organizations including CIM, Ohio Dance, Opera Cleveland, Cleveland Children’s Museum, Maltz Museum, Young Audiences, Inc., and Americans for the Arts. She served as chair of the Ohio Arts Council for 14 years, Arts Midwest, and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.
Robinson told Ideastream that she hopes the new prize will help create a new generation of arts advocates. “I do hope that it does encourage others to step forward, not to stand back from the challenge and say: ‘Oh, it’s a challenge, I can’t do anything about it,’ but to say, ‘Yes, there’s something I can do.’”