The Arts Achievement Awards program begins at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 25, in McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University. The program honors a community arts advocate and seven prominent alumni whose achievements have been widely recognized.
Vice president Faye Nelson will present the 1998-99 Arts Advocate Award to Frank D. Stella of Detroit, CEO of F. D. Stella Products Co. and F. D. Stella International, Inc., New York.
Recipients of the 1998-99 Arts Achievement Awards: art and art history --Arthur C. Danto of New York, NY; art education -- Charles Canon of DeKalb, Ill.; communication -- Chad Everett of Westlake, Calif.; dance -- Alan Danielson of Brooklyn, N.Y.; English -- Bonnie Lee Moss Rattner of Franklin, Mich.; music -- Yusef A. Lateef of Amhurst, Mass.; and theatre-- Martin Pakledinaz of New York, N.Y.
The program is part of the annual "Celebration of the Arts" that will be held Wednesday-Friday March 24-26, to showcase the variety of arts programs and activities that are regular features at the university.
Most activities are free and open to the public and include displays of art, literature, music and dance. Among the scheduled events, along with phone numbers to call for information (all are in the 313 area):
Wednesday, March 24
Dance master class with Alan Danielson, 11:45 a.m., Dance Studio B, 3315 Old Main, 577-4273;
Dance master class 2 p.m. Bonstelle Theatre, 577-4273; and
Art education lecture by Charles Canon, "60 Years: Art Education Trends, Changes," 4:30 p.m., 156 Community Arts Building, 577-1823.
Thursday, March 25
Theatre lecture with Martin Pakledinaz, "Making a Life in the Theatre," 1-2 p.m., Hilberry Theatre, 577-3508;
Communication reception, "Meet with Chad Everett," 1-2:30 p.m. 4130 Old Main, 577-2943.
Presentation of Arts Achievement Awards, 4 p.m., McGregor Memorial Conference Center, 577-2246. Reception follows ceremony;
Art and Art History lecture with Arthur Danto, "The Work of Art and the Historical Future," 7 p.m., Detroit Institute of Arts Lecture Hall, 577-2980;and
Theatre performance, The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge, 8 p.m. Hilberry Theatre, 577-2972.
Friday, March 26
* Spring Dance Concert, 8 p.m., Bonstelle Theatre, 577-4273; and
* Theatre performance of The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge, 8 p.m., Hilberry Theatre, 577-2960.
An original laurel sculpture designed by noted artist Sergio Di Giusti is the award reserved for each recipient.
Profiles of award recipients:
Arts Advocate Award -- Entrepreneur Frank D. Stella supports the arts as well as education, healthcare, business, community and church. He serves as a board member for many medical, educational and religious institutions and numerous civic, business and political organizations. His biography reads like an encyclopedia of achievements, awards and honors earned serving others.
Stella was chairman of the Save Orchestra Hall effort and vice chairman of Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall and Michigan Opera Theatre. He was decorated by the government of Italy three times and received its highest decoration "Grande Ufficiale" in Rome. Among his 1998 awards are the Governor's Arts and Culture Award and Civic Leader Award from Gov. John Engler and Executive of the Year Award from the Detroit Executive Association.
Art and art history -- Arthur Danto, fine arts '48, has served as art critic for The Nation since 1984. He is an author and essayist and the1998 president of the International Academy for the Philosophy of Art. His most recent awards include the Eugene M. Kwayden Award for After the End of Art, as "best book in humanities published by a university press in 1997."
Danto received a master's degree and doctorate from Columbia University and completed postgraduate studies at Universite de Paris. He taught philosophy at Columbia and has been editor, president or board of trustee member for the Journal of Philosophy since 1975.
Art education -- Charles Canon, education '46, is professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., where he began as an instructor in 1948. During his time there Canon was influential in expanding the number of art education degrees offered.
Coming from Central High School in Detroit, he began his career at Wayne State under the influence of Jane Betsy Welling, Earl Weiley and Fern Zwickey. Canon went on to receive a master's degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
Communication -- Actor Chad Everett, liberal arts '60, has appeared in more than 30 feature films and makes numerous television appearances. His work includes a remake of Psycho and Hard to Forget, both 1998 films. Recently, he appeared in multiple episodes of Melrose Place and in The Nanny and Touched by an Angel. His role as Dr. Joe Gannon on Medical Center established him as a well-known and highly regarded actor.
Everett received Photoplay's Most Popular Actor Gold Medal, a Golden Globe Award and Spain's Don Quixote Best Actor Award. He also earned a nomination for an Emmy. He received The Gift of Life International Humanitarian Award and the Better World Award in recognition of his efforts to raise charitable monies, particularly for children.
Dance -- Alan Danielson, fine arts '79, directs the Dance Study Program of the Jose Limon Institute in New York City. He is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and musician. He taught dance and music at festivals, schools and universities throughout North America and Europe. His company, Dances by Alan Danielson, performs in and around New York City since 1989.
Danielson choreographs commissions from groups around the world. He danced with international touring companies such as Senta Drive, Hannah Kahn, Gus Solomons Jr. and Clay Taliaferro. He received a master of fine arts in dance from Florida State University.
English -- Bonnie Rattner, education '63, master's in liberal arts '79,directs the New Horizons Academy in Detroit, a charter school specializing in student retention. Along literary lines, she adapted Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, for the stage. In 1983 the Hilberry Theatre produced her play, To Gleam It Around, To Show My Shine, which is slated for a New York production in the spring.
A New York Times review of a production of her play said, "The playwright has written stage worthy dialogue that is so pure and lyrical it positively sings and pierces the heart." Rattner, the author of articles and texts, also has production experience on Broadway. She taught in the English departments at Wayne State, Henry Ford Community College, and Wayne County Community College. Among her awards is a 1997 National Endowment for the Arts grant.
Music-- Yusef Lateef, '54-58, is a visiting professor of music at the University of Massachusetts at Amhurst as well as a musician, composer and author. He founded the Yusef Quartet and toured the world with Lucky Millinder, Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie. He has written compositions for and performed with symphonic orchestras here and abroad.
Lateef was the first American musician to earn the Downbeat award for oboe. A Playboy magazine poll for flute and miscellaneous instruments also honored him. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, and a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts.
Theatre -- Martin Pakledinaz, liberal arts '75, is an award-winning costume designer for theatre, opera and dance. His work appears throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Among his many opera credits are the acclaimed Santa Fe/New York City Opera production of Xerxes; Il Trovatore for the Los Angeles Opera, which showed in Washington, D.C., and Sweden; and Lucia Di Lammermoor for the Metropolitan Opera. He also designed Kevin Kline's production of Hamlet.
His recent New York theatre credits include Golden Child, which earned a Tony Award nomination and The Life, which received nominations for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. Other nominations include the Joseph Jefferson, Helen Hayes, L.A. Ovation, L.A. Drama Critics Circle and the Michael Merritt awards.
For more information about the celebration events or awards call Eileen Raider in the Office of Community Affairs at (313) 577-2246.