WABE announces winner of inaugural honor named for Lois Reitzes

WABE has announced the establishment of a new award named in honor of retiring City Lights host and longtime Atlanta arts advocate Lois Reitzes.

The inaugural Lois Reitzes Leader of the Arts Award is being given to Chris Escobar, Atlanta theater owner and executive director of the Atlanta Film Society.

The announcement of the award notes that it “celebrates an individual whose work has strengthened the cultural fabric of the region, actively advocated for the arts and demonstrated a lasting commitment to advancing Atlanta’s creative community.”

Reitzes personally selected the first recipient, recognizing Escobar’s leadership in independent film and his investment in preserving and promoting Atlanta’s arts scene.

“For his tireless dedication to community and belief in the power of the arts to unite people, Chris Escobar is an ideal recipient of the inaugural Lois Reitzes Leader of the Arts Award,” Reitzes said in the press release.

In addition to his work with the Atlanta Film Society, Escobar was instrumental in revitalizing the Plaza Theatre and reopening the beloved Tara Theatre.

“Lois Reitzes has been the voice of Atlanta’s arts scene for as long as I can remember, and to receive an award that bears her name is both humbling and deeply meaningful,” Escobar said in the press release. “The arts are how our city tells its story, and I’m honored to play a small part in helping preserve and elevate those voices.”