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DETROIT -

FOR RELEASE: August 1, 2001

General Motors Announces The GM Olympic Art Legacy Program

Special Art Activities Will Create a Legacy for Park City

DETROIT -General Motors, the official domestic automotive partner of the U.S. Olympic Team, announced today the launch of the GM Olympic Art Legacy Program, a two-tiered initiative designed to celebrate the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and create an everlasting link between GM and the Park City community. As part of its local commitment, GM has commissioned the Kimball Art Center in Park City to help develop each project. Park City is home to three of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games venues, including Utah Olympic Park, Park City Mountain Resort, and Deer Valley Resort, which will collectively host one third of the Olympic Winter Games competitions.

The GM Olympic Art Legacy Program, an extension of GM's commitment to Park City and the Kimball Art Center, will be comprised of two separate projects, each celebrating a different GM Olympic sponsorship initiative. They will include:

  • GM's Eternal Flame Sculpture Project - An Olympic flame sculpture, designed and created by a local Park City artist, that will be displayed at the Kimball Art Center throughout the Games and then donated to the Park City community.
  • Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team School Program - A series of artists-in-residence programs, designed to unite a local artist with each of the seven schools in the Park City school district for the creation of an art piece. Unveiling ceremonies at each school will take place this fall.

"General Motors is very proud of its role in the Olympic Movement, as well as its partnership with Park City and the Kimball Art Center," said Steve Tihanyi, Director of Marketing Alliances & Regional Operations, General Motors. "The GM Olympic Art Legacy Program not only provides an opportunity for the local art community to express itself in the spirit of the Olympic Winter Games, but cements the link between GM and Park City."

The centerpiece of the GM Olympic Art Legacy Program is GM's Eternal Flame Sculpture Project. GM will commission the creation of an Olympic flame sculpture by noted Park City artist Bill Kranstover. "We believe in the Olympic Spirit that the flame symbolizes," said Tihanyi, who referenced the fact that Chevrolet, GM's largest division, is a presenting sponsor of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay, which kicks off on December 4 and arrives in Park City on February 7.

The sculpture will be on display at the Kimball Art Center during the Games, and will subsequently be dedicated permanently to Park City, serving as a legacy to the partnership between GM and the Park City community.

The Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team School Program will provide students at the seven Park City area schools the opportunity to create an art piece celebrating the Olympic Spirit. Local artists will serve as instructors and work with students on the pieces, which will range from murals to drawings and paintings. The program will commence in mid-September and run until the end of November. During that period, each school will hold a ceremony to reveal their pieces.

"We're very excited about this special Park City program and the support we continue to receive from General Motors," said Sarah Behrens, CEO, Kimball Art Center. "GM's creation of the GM Olympic Art Legacy Program will serve as a long-standing symbol of our relationship with GM and the commitment they've made to our community."

General Motors, the world's largest vehicle manufacturer and official domestic automotive partner of the U.S. Olympic Team through 2004, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide. By providing transportation solutions for the Olympic Games through its significant commitments to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC), General Motors is helping to bring the Olympic Spirit to communities everywhere.

Chevrolet, General Motors' lead division for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, is a presenting sponsor of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay, with a convoy of 50 Chevrolet vehicles helping to carry the Olympic Flame across the United States.

GM is also sponsoring the Cadillac Park City Art Festival, Kimball Art Center's largest fundraiser, which supports its many educational programs. During the Olympic Winter Games in February 2002, the Kimball Art Center -- which was a Pontiac dealership from the 1950s through the early 70s -- will serve as the focal point for GM's corporate hospitality program.