Brendan Ring & Nighttown Winners of the Cleveland Arts Prize
Martha Joseph Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts

On June 28, 2007, Brendan Ring and Nighttown received the prestigious Cleveland Arts Prize's Martha Joseph Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts. 

This prize is awarded annually to an individual or organization that because of exceptional commitment, vision, leadership or philanthropy has made a significant contribution to the vitality and stature of the arts in Northeast Ohio. 

This contribution may be made through the conception and implementation of innovative arts, events and programs; through the demonstration of visionary and/or strategic arts leadership; through extraordinary acts of arts patronage or arts advocacy; through dedicated and inspiring teaching; through the sensitive and effective nurturing of artistic talent; or through superb performance and/or mastery in an arts discipline.

Click on this link to see Brendan Ring talk about winning this award on

WVIZ-TV's Applause, hosted by Dee Perry.

Brendan was introduced at the Arts Prize ceremony by local writer Jeff Hagan, who also awarded another Arts Prize to Cindy Barber, owner of the Beachland Ballroom, a rock venue.  Hagan said, in part, "Cindy and Brendan consistently bring to Cleveland an embarrassment of high-quality performances that enrich the daily lives of thousands and thousands of us and we would be so poorer without them doing what they do with the integrity with which they do it. They are the real deal. Because they present one-of-a-kind art in one-of-a-kind venues, they truly are what makes Cleveland different from other cities and, therefore, what makes Cleveland Cleveland." 

You can read Jeff Hagan's entire remarks here.

Below, you can see pages from the Arts Prize booklet given out at the event.