Cultural Arts Director Patty Granville will be honored with the Juror’s Award at the 33rd pObelisk Awards presented by Business Council for the Arts Wednesday, Nov. 17, in Dallas.
The Obelisk Award honors businesses, nonprofits and individuals for their extraordinary support of arts and culture in North Texas.
Granville was nominated by Michelle Norris, Cultural Arts Supervisor at the city of Garland. In her nomination, Norris noted that Granville is the embodiment of cultural arts in Garland. She has served as the Cultural Arts Director since 1982, and the legacy she leaves behind with her retirement at the end of August is vast.
Granville opened the Granville Arts Center in 1982 (which was renamed for her in 2003) and she has continued to pursue the cultural arts for Garland and its residents throughout her nearly 40 years of service.
She is a strong proponent of Garland Civic Theatre and Garland Summer Musicals, both advocating for them as well as performing in them and directing them. Granville, along with the Garland Cultural Arts Council, launched one of the first major public art pieces, “Vision of the Arts,” created by renowned sculptor Barvo Walker, which spurred a public art movement throughout the Downtown district. In her final years at the helm of the Arts Center, Granville worked diligently to complete a Cultural Arts Master Plan to lead Garland’s cultural arts into a new and creative future.
Granville will continue to support the arts long after her retirement. She will direct “Something Rotten” for Garland Civic Theatre next spring, and she will continue supporting and performing with Garland Summer Musicals for as long as she desires.
Granville’s years of avid dedication and continuous support of the arts, along with her service building an artistic community in both Garland and regionally, serve as a testament to her legacy as an icon for the arts.
Business Council for the Arts encourages, inspires and stimulates businesses and municipalities to support the arts in the workplace, in education and in the community. Its programs bring wellness and equity into the workplace through the arts, develop next-generation business leaders for arts boards, inject creativity into work teams, measure the economic impact of the arts in North Texas, and enrich arts organizations with business best practices. Learn more at ntbca.org.
Information and photo provided by city of Garland.