Altoona Mayor Brendan Pratt will receive a statewide award for arts advocacy later this month. Pratt, who was elected mayor in 2016, will be honored with an Arts in the Community Award by Arts Wisconsin on Oct. 24 in Green Bay. The organization called Pratt “an enthusiastic champion of the arts as a means for civic engagement, placemaking, and community investment.” Arts Wisconsin cited Pratt’s advocacy for “artful design” in the creation of the public spaces in Altoona’s River Prairie development, including city investment in a major sculpture, “Nexus at River Prairie”; his support and fundraising for three free concerts series at River Prairie; and his backing of continued integration of art into the park, including a partnership with the school district that led to the creation of houses for birds, toads, and even fairies! Arts Wisconsin presents the Arts in the Community Awards in partnership with the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. Learn more at artswisconsin.org.