Silvermine To Honor Living Art Awards Recipients

From the Silvermine Arts Center: Silvermine Arts Center has announced the recipients of its annual Living Art Awards, which honor individuals and organizations that have contributed to the arts in a significant way both at Silvermine and in the community at large. As it nears its centennial, the nearly 100-year-old artists’ community shines a spotlight on those whose influence and support have nurtured the role of the artist in our society. The Living Art Awards will be presented on the evening of May 5 during a benefit at the Tokeneke Club in Darien.

For its unique coverage of the local arts scene in its Sunday Arts & Style section, Hearst Connecticut Media Group is this year’s corporate honoree and the recipient of the Living Art Award. Providing both overview and critical, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the people and programs that enrich the arts in Fairfield County, Sunday Arts & Style fills a void left when the New York Times ceased Connecticut arts coverage. The arts section, produced by Executive Editor Barbara T. Roessner and her team, captures a vibrant local arts scene—from visual and performing arts to film, fashion, architecture and design.

The Legacy Award this year honors Bill and Barbara Hilson for their longstanding commitment and significant support of the Silvermine Arts Center. Bill Hilson, originally an architect, fell in love with type, then turned to graphic design and illustration for his professional focus. A technological innovator, designer, and professor at Pratt, Bill Hilson has devoted his time to many art-focused nonprofits, including Silvermine, where he served on the Board. Bill and Barbara continue to provide enthusiastic and broad-based support to the arts community at Silvermine.

Nancy McTague-Stock is the recipient of the Artist/Educator Award. Nancy’s work is in private & public institutions worldwide, with the latest acquisition of her work by the Library of Congress and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. She received a coveted Fellowship for post-graduate work in Experimental Drawing at The Slade School of Art at the University of London, an MFA from the Art Institute of Boston in Visual Studies, and a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Metalsmithing and Textiles. Nancy has served as a Curator and Juror for academic, private and public exhibitions. A long-time member of the Silvermine Guild, she teaches periodic workshops, mentors grad students, artists, and educators—and has brought art education to under-served communities of artists here and abroad.

Vivien White, recipient of the Outreach Philanthropy Award, has been a key sponsor of Silvermine’s Art Partners outreach education program with the youth services organization Domus and its charter schools, Trailblazers and Stamford Academy. Art Partners brings teaching artists and vibrant studio art programs to under-resourced students in Stamford and Norwalk. Vivien, a Stamford resident, served on the Connecticut Commission of the Arts for twenty-five years, and she has held leadership positions on the boards of a number of nonprofit art councils including the New England Foundation for the Arts. In addition to being an active supporter of the Silvermine Arts Center, Vivien also supports the Stamford Loft Artists Association, Treetops Chamber Music Society, The Ballet School of Stamford, and Connecticut Ballet.

The Living Art Awards Benefit, set for Sat., May 5 at the Tokeneke Club, will begin with seaside cocktails at 6:30 pm, followed at 7:30 pm by dinner, award presentations, and dancing. Live music will be provided by the Brooklyn-based band, Just Us. For more information on the event and the honorees—and to purchase tickets—visit here.

Image courtesy of the Silvermine Arts Center