Local business honored for promoting films

Local law firm Mallor, Clendening, Grodner, and Bohrer received the 2006 Arts Leadership Award in business Feb. 22. This award, presented by the Bloomington Area Arts Council, recognizes businesses that have shown outstanding support of the local arts scene.\n"We wanted to recognize a business that supported the arts through more than just financial giving," said Danise Alano, assistant director of economic development for the city and member of the selection committee. "(The firm) has donated countless hours of pro-bono legal work for various causes."\nThe long list of causes to which the firm has donated includes arts organizations like the Bloomington North High School Band Boosters, WFIU public radio and The Lotus Foundation. \n"Personally, I really enjoy art," Managing Partner Geoffrey Grodner said. "I think it is an important component of the character of our community here."\nGrodner said Bloomington has a unique art scene.\n"One of the things that make Bloomington so different from similar size communities in Indiana and the Midwest is the arts community," he said. "We are really proud to have been selected for this award."\nTwo of the seven partners grew up in Bloomington and the others have been in the city for many years. They said they feel a strong responsibility to strengthen the community to which they belong.\n"If you are going to live and be part of a community, you have an obligation to that community," Grodner said. "And that obligation includes giving back."\nGrodner said the firm also put effort into the recently troubled Buskirk-Chumley Theater. When Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres sold the theater, there was a covenant in the deed which stipulated that it could not show films. In 2002, working with then-Mayor John Fernandez and state Sen. Vi Simpson, the law firm negotiated with the former owner, Tony Kerasotes, to allow the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to show alternative films and major Hollywood releases that are at least a year old. \nMembers of the firm provided this legal counsel free of charge, according to the Web site www.artlives.org.\n"It is something that you should do and that you should want to do," Grodner said. "We ... strongly believe in that, and I think we work very hard to give back to the community."\nAccording to the Web site, this is the third year the BAAC has given this award. \nAlano said the firm was chosen this year from among five other candidates. \n"People recognize them as leaders in the art community," he said.\nThough Grodner said he admits the recognition is nice, he said it is not the reason they give so generously to the community.\n"We do it because we believe that it is our obligation as members of the Bloomington and Monroe County community," he said.