NEW YORK.- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was today joined by Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission Chair Agnes Gund to honor the 2005 recipients of the Mayor's Awards for Arts & Culture. The awards are given to individuals and organizations in recognition of outstanding contributions to the cultural vitality of New York City. The Mayor presented the awards at a ceremony at Gracie Mansion.

"These Awards celebrate the central role that the arts play in the vibrancy of our City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The arts transform our neighborhoods, create jobs and give the five boroughs their distinctive character and energy. The true vitality in New York's cultural community is not only an example of this City's amazing resurgence but, in many neighborhoods and communities, it's a direct instigator of it. I congratulate the recipients of this year's Awards, who exemplify what the arts can do for New York City."

Representing the extraordinary range of cultural activity that is integral to the City's life, the winners include three outstanding New York artists: poet and teacher Billy Collins, jazz musician, educator and institutional leader Wynton Marsalis, and stage and screen star Chita Rivera. In addition, Deutsche Bank received an award for outstanding corporate philanthropy in the arts, and Judith D. Zuk received an award for her leadership and vision as President and CEO of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Several awards place special emphasis on the role of arts education in the life of New York City. The Mayor presented awards to The Ghetto Film School, a not-for-profit organization based in the South Bronx, which offers young people both an artistic outlet and vocational training by teaching them the skills of narrative filmmaking, and the Annenberg Foundation, which provides major funding for arts education throughout the City. Last year, the Commission established an award recognizing outstanding public school leadership in the area of arts education. The Mayor presented this award to Oswaldo Malave, Principal of the Waverly School for the Arts, P.S. 156, in the Ocean-Hill Brownsville section of Brooklyn, to Martha Rodriguez-Torres, past Principal of the Waverly School for the Arts, who is now Local Instructional Superintendent of District 23, Department of Education.

The Mayor's Awards for Arts & Culture were created in 1976, when the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) was founded, and were given almost annually until 1994. Mayor Bloomberg revived the awards in 2004, with the assistance of DCA and a re-established Mayor's Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission

"All of us on the Commission are thrilled to serve a Mayor who has a genuine love for arts and culture," said Agnes Gund. "We are also grateful for the work of Deputy Mayor Patti Harris and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Kate Levin, whose expertise and dedication exemplify some of the best qualities of this year's honorees."

"This Award underlines the fact that it takes a collective effort by indivudal artists, organizations, sponsors and audiences alike to make New York a vibrant, world-class city," said Commissioner Levin. "It also takes a collective effort to honor the recipients. The Advisory Commission, led by Agnes Gund, represents the extraordinary efforts made for our creative community by New Yorkers from all walks of life. We are grateful for their invaluable guidance."

This year's honorees include:

The Annenberg Foundation was established by Walter H. Annenberg in 1989 in Radnor, Pennsylvania, to advance the public well-being by encouraging the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge. This goal has encompassed generous support for the arts and culture in New York City.

Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States (2001-2003) and New York State Poet (2004-2006), is a distinguished professor of English at Lehman College (CUNY).

Deutsche Bank contributes to the lives of its New York area employees and to the vitality of the City as a whole by supporting cultural organizations through Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation as overseen by Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas and Chairman of the Foundation.

Ghetto Film School is a non-profit organization, based in South Bronx, that provides young people with the education, resources technology and relationships they need to make outstanding narrative film, video and multi-media projects.

Oswaldo Malave has been an educator in the New York City public schools since 1972, serving at different times as an elementary school bilingual teacher, a science teacher, a program specialist, a Title VII coordinator, a staff developer, an assistant principal and now the Principal of P.S. 156, The Waverly School of the Arts in Brooklyn.

Wynton Marsalis is the founding Artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, which celebrated the opening of its new home in autumn 2004.

Chita Rivera has won two Tony Awards for Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Rink and received six additional Tony nominations.

Martha Rodriguez-Torres was the New York City public school principal who transformed P.S. 156 in Brooklyn into The Waverly School of the Arts.

Judith D. Zuk is President and CEO of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, serving 750,000 visitors and over 150,000 school children annually.