By Kathy Janich

The Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts has announced a new awards program intended to raise the profile of Atlanta artists and arts organizations. It will recognize contributions made in Fulton and DeKalb counties as well as the Emory University campus.

The Community Impact Award is open to any artist, administrator, educator, activist, supporter or group in any artistic discipline. Nominees must be current or former DeKalb or Fulton residents, and can come from any area of the arts, from grass-roots community engagement to broad-based activity. Nominees should have made an impact in the region, on the Emory campus or beyond. No self-nominations are allowed. The program has similar awards for Emory’s faculty, staff, students and alumni, and an arts campus volunteer. For details, visit Emory’s website. Nominations are due by 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20 and can be made online.

Winners will be celebrated Sept. 10 (4-7:30 p.m.) at the third annual Creativity & Arts Soirée at the Schwartz Center. The casual, drop-in event — which is free and open to the public — is Emory’s art season kick-off party. It will feature theater, dance and music performances, as well as contributions from the creative writing, film, visual arts and poetry departments. Parking in the nearby Fishburne deck is also free that night.

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