The Finance newspaper started the “Patron
of the Year”campaign this year that aims to find managers who care about Slovenian culture
and Slovenian art, and endeavour to help cultural creators at home and abroad
through patronage. The expert committee selected Janez Škrabec as the first
patron of the year in the field of culture.
The expert committee of the Finance
newspaper composed of Maja Hawlina, Mitja Čander, Jani Virk, Simon Kardum and
Tatjana Pogačnik wrote the following, among other things, in their
justification of the award, namely that “one of his [Škrabec] traits is
continuous investment into various cultural projects and that all of his moves
seem to be well-thought out. His backing of culture is fascinating and his
contribution to the development of his birthplace is outstanding. He sees that
art and human sciences hold a special significance as they are urgently needed
in today’s society.”
The recognition and a statue by Dragica
Čadež was bestowed on Janez Škrabec by Peter Frankl, Director and
Editor-In-Chief of the Finance newspaper.