2017 Mayor's Arts Award Bestowed to Sitar Arts Center

On September 15, 2017, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities presented the Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Education to Sitar Arts Center. The award, presented at the historic Lincoln Theatre, is one of the most prestigious honors conferred by the District of Columbia to individual artists, teachers, and arts organizations.

Upon receiving the award, Sitar’s executive director Maureen Dwyer said, “The Mayor’s Arts Award is a validation of Sitar Arts Center’s commitment to the role of the arts in bringing people together and in building a stronger and more inclusive city. The need for places of belonging has never been more important as many of the children and families that Sitar Arts Center embraces each day feel more and more vulnerable and isolated. We stand with our families who share in our mission of creating community. They deserve this recognition and so much more.”

The award recognizes what Sitar Arts Center has long known to be true and what numerous studies confirm—access to the arts is linked to greater well-being in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. More than 80% of Sitar Arts Center’s school-aged students are from a low-income household—a reflection of Sitar’s pledge to help low-income families live and thrive in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods.

About Sitar Arts Center

Sitar Arts Center provides young people in its inner-city community the opportunity to discover their gifts in the visual and performing arts. The Center’s programs are built on the knowledge that exposure to the arts dramatically enhances learning skills, cognitive developments, social awareness and self-esteem.

Published: September 14, 2017