Sharon Albert spent hours reading applications for art
scholarships, Mike Kennedy helped finish the Willey house, a
historic cultural building, and Sylvia Myrvold publishes a
community calendar and promoted the 5th Street Live event during
the downtown construction.
By Betsy Avelar Staff Writer
Gilroy – Sharon Albert spent hours reading applications for art scholarships, Mike Kennedy helped finish the Willey house, a historic cultural building, and Sylvia Myrvold publishes a community calendar and promoted the 5th Street Live event during the downtown construction.
They will all be awarded Tuesday for their support of the arts by the Theater Angel Arts League, a nonprofit volunteer organization that has worked since 1972 to support the arts in Gilroy.
Board Member Sally Connell was one who voted for these recipients.
“We want to be sure that people are honored that have given of their time, talents and funds,” said Connell, 72, who has been with the organization for 35 years. The 12 other board members voted on these recipients based on the criteria of the interest shown, and their time spent working toward the cultural development in Gilroy.
This year was centered around the construction of downtown Gilroy. Both Kennedy and Myrvold contributed in ways that helped promote activities downtown.
“We’ve tried many years to have a calendar in the community, and it wasn’t something that had jelled. She and her husband worked very hard to have the music program 5th Street Live,” said Connell.
Myrvold started printing a calendar in her magazine Out & About beginning in 2000. Much of the content of the magazine pertains to some form of art including a full page called Onstage dedicated to publicizing performances that are going on within an hour from Gilroy. She will be recognized for the effort of promoting the 5th Street live performances downtown and selling raffle tickets to pay the performers.
“In the past years Mike decided that it was a very important thing to have the back area at the Willey house finished,” said Connell. There’s cement, a little stage, trees are planted, and there’s a new fence around it and according to Connell, the Kennedy’s promoted it.
The vision for the building was for the site to serve as a venue for indoor and outdoor meetings, retreats, weddings, and other social or cultural gatherings.
“I consider the Willey House to be a landmark, a great venue to show the talents of the local young artists,” Kennedy said.
Connell mentioned that Kennedy’s father and grandfather gave lumber to refurbish the porch before they died, so he knew how interested his family was in the project.
Sharon Albert has dedicated endless hours reading applications for scholarships from high school and college students for more than 20 years. She has done this voluntarily.
Art plays a major role in all of their lives, and for Myrvold, humans express everything through art. which is why it is so important to her.
“That’s where I find life,” she said. “Without the arts it becomes a very dull community.”
