Architect Jan Soukup has received the award from Plzeň; he is a patron of culture

Ing. arch. Jan Soukup (*1946)

Plzeň - Plzeň architect Jan Soukup has been honored as the first patron of Plzeň culture. The city of Plzeň awarded him for many years of dedicated work in the field of revitalization and restoration of cultural monuments in Plzeň and the Plzeň Region. Other artistic awards, which the city presents to exceptional personalities in the field of culture and art, have been given to young documentary filmmaker Bohdan Bláhovec and violinist Jan Sedláček. This was reported today by the spokesperson of the municipality, Zdeňka Kubalová.
    "The artistic awards are being given by Plzeň for the second time. However, the award named Society Friendly to Arts and Culture/Patron of Plzeň Culture is being awarded for the very first time, as it was not awarded in this category last year," she stated.
    Jan Soukup is a prominent architect and the author of several publications documenting the fates of mainly ecclesiastical monuments. He is a guide and the author of lecture series on Plzeň's sacred buildings; his interest in the preservation of monuments is evident through his involvement in various foundations, such as the Foundation for the Preservation of Monuments in Rokycany, which also ensured the repair of the Plzeň chapel U Ježíška. He holds many awards and, in 2012, became a Plzeň icon.
    The award for extraordinary artistic achievement for an artist under 30 was given to Bohdan Bláhovec for the documentary film Show!, which maps the artistic journey of the teenage band 5Angels. Bláhovec is currently completing his master's studies at FAMU and is preparing a documentary about the project Plzeň - European Capital of Culture 2015. Besides his filmmaking, he is among the top in Czech slam poetry.
    The city also awarded Jan Sedláček for his lifetime achievement, as he has significantly influenced the musical life of Plzeň. Since 1946, he worked as a violinist in the Plzeň Radio Orchestra and became the concertmaster in 1961. In that year, he founded the Plzeň Radio Quartet. After a year’s engagement in Japan, he formed the Sedláček Quartet in 1973.
    Plzeň also recognized the cultural event of the year, awarding the project Modeli da Torino, which was a collaboration between the Faculty of Design and Art Ladislav Sutnar at the University of West Bohemia and the Plzeň 2015 association. The artistic director of the project Plzeň - EHMK 2015, Petr Forman, took charge of directing the final performance of students from the Circus School Flic from Turin, in collaboration with students from the Plzeň faculty of design.