Getting to Know the 2014 Arts Award Winners

Hosted by CBS 2 Reporter Tony Aiello and sponsored by First Niagara Bank, the Arts Award luncheon on April 4 will honor a special group of individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to the cultural life of Westchester. Join us at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown for an 11am reception and boutique, followed by the luncheon and awards at 12pm. Guests are asked to wear a hat in the spirit on ArtsWestchester’s current “Hattitude” exhibition. For more information on tickets, visit: artsw.org/artsaward

And the winners are…

ARTS PATRON AWARD:
Hannah and Walter Shmerler
The Shmerlers’ generosity is a benefit to many organizations in our county including the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, Westchester Philharmonic and ArtsWestchester, where Hannah has served on the board since 1999. The Shmerlers trace their interest in the arts to their own upbringings: both were raised in homes that were rich in music. As a result, they share a passion for helping young people gain access to, and education in, the arts. Among their proudest accomplishments: the Shmerlers have endowed master classes at Purchase Colleges’ Conservatories of Music and Dance and support the Fellows in Residence at Tanglewood Summer Music Festival, summer home of the Boston Philharmonic. In addition, Hannah has served as chair of ArtsWestchester’s Education Committee for several years.

EDUCATION AWARDS:
Yorktown High School Dance Company
Yorktown High School Dance Company has successfully furthered an appreciation of dance among high school students, and has nurtured the skills of talented students for more than 40 years. The company performs in 19 styles of dance, including African, ballet, Broadway tap, Bollywood, hip hop, jazz, Latin, and swing. In addition to its commitment to dance education the company, which has worked with more than 4,000 students over its history, gives young men and women the type of training that encourages leadership, communication skills, and loyalty.

Westchester County Arts Leadership Association
ArtsWestchester will present the Sophia Abeles Education Award to this organization for its efforts to advance education in music, art, theater and dance in Westchester’s public schools. The association’s activities promote strong leadership through the professional development opportunities it provides to both senior administrators and teachers. Art specialists throughout the county benefit from the services Westchester County Arts Leadership Association provides and its ongoing efforts to elevate the importance of the arts to K-12 education.

ARTS ORGANIZATION AWARD:
New Choral Society
For its 20 years, The New Choral Society has presented outstanding concerts of choral masterworks, building a reputation for excellence based on the musical prowess of its all-volunteer chorus, its track record of showcasing internationally-known singers, and the commissioning of new works that expand the repertoire of classical music.

COMMUNITY AWARDS:
Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art
This organization is being recognized for its impact on the City of Peekskill over the past decade. The founders had the vision to establish a center dedicated to the development and presentation of work that broadens understanding of contemporary art in a multicultural, urban community. HVCCA’s annual Peekskill Project transforms the city into an outdoor gallery and inspired the development of a sculpture park at Riverfront Green. In keeping with its mission and vision of promoting innovative, interdisciplinary arts projects, six years ago HVCCA launched what has become an annual program, inviting local writers and actors to develop and perform literary pieces inspired by an exhibition.

Music Therapy Institute of the Music Conservatory of Westchester
The institute was founded in 1986 with one classroom and three outreach partners. Today it has grown to become the largest provider of music therapy services in the Westchester region. Along with 32 partner organizations, the Institute now serves 1,900 on-site children and adults who live with disabilities.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD:
Village of Ossining
This award is presented for the municipality’s Ossining 3D, an outdoor exhibition of twenty-five sculptures mounted throughout the village to celebrate its bicentennial. The project, which was three-years in the planning, attracted thousands of visitors, raised Ossining’s visibility, and served as a model for other municipalities. Direct and free access was provided to works of art that were created through a wide variety of approaches and materials. Significantly, the project has a long-lived impact because the Village secured three of the works for permanent display.

INNOVATOR’S AWARD:
Caramoor Center for Music and Art
This award is presented for In the Garden of Sonic Delights, a large-scale outdoor sound art exhibition that runs from June through November 2014 at five sites in addition to Caramoor: Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (Peekskill), Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville), Lyndhurst (Tarrytown), the Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College (Purchase), and Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (Pocantico Hills). The project has been in development for more than five years and features 15 new site-specific works by nationally-recognized artists including Laurie Anderson, Bruce Odland and Bob Bieleck.