Arts and Education Council’s 2014 St. Louis Arts Awards

Arts and Education Council’s 2014 St. Louis Arts Awards

The Arts and Education Council hosted its 23rd Annual St. Louis Arts Awards, Monday, January 20, 2014, at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel. The evening began with a cocktail reception, sponsored by NOVUS International, at 5:30 PM, followed by the dinner, awards program, and entertainment at 7:00 PM. The evening, chaired by Lynne and Jim Turley, recognizes individuals who achieve a legacy of artistic excellence and organizations and businesses that enrich St. Louis’ arts and cultural community. Presented by Emerson, proceeds from the event benefit the Arts and Education Council’s annual campaign which funds nearly 70 arts and arts education organizations throughout the 16-county bi-state region.

2014 St. Louis Arts Awards Honorees:

Excellence in the Arts – St. Louis Symphony  

Founded in 1880, the St. Louis Symphony is recognized internationally as an orchestra ensemble of the highest caliber, performing a robust musical repertoire with skill and spirit. The symphony continues to build upon its stellar reputation of musical excellence, which includes six Grammy® Awards and 56 Grammy® nominations, while maintaining its commitment to local education and community outreach. In doing so, the musicians of the orchestra have shared their love of music with millions and introduced classical music to new audiences of all ages. Each year, STL Symphony musicians participate in more than 250 free performances and events throughout the St. Louis region.

Lifetime Achievement in the Arts – Carol North and Nicholas Kryah, Metro Theater Company                                                                                                

After joining Metro Theater Company as a performer in 1977, Carol North became its artistic director in 1980. Under North’s tutelage, Metro has grown from an experimental troupe, originally called Metro Theater Circus, to an award-winning regional theater company that draws on visual arts, dance and music to create distinctive work geared toward young audiences.

North has directed most of Metro’s acclaimed repertory works.Helping to cultivate and broaden Metro’s success is her husband, Nicholas Kryah, who also joined the company in 1977. Since then, he has served as Metro’s resident artist and technical director and has directed, designed or acted in every company production for the past 36 years.Both North and Kryah plan to retire from Metro Theater Company in 2014.

Excellence in the Arts – Lee Nolting, COCA                                                  

Lee Nolting’s achievements over the past 35 years as a dance teacher remain legendary. She has inspired myriad students, ranging from grade-schoolers discovering the joy of dance to young professionals in some of the nation’s top dance companies.

Since joining the faculty of COCA upon its founding in 1987, “Miss Lee” as she is widely known, developed a pre-professional dance program to offer students high-level training, a Talent Identified Program to help gifted dancers from disadvantaged neighborhoods train at COCA and student performance companies. She also proved instrumental in establishing a scholarship program for COCA students and transported them to and from classes when necessary. Nolting, one of the most beloved and respected dance teachers in the area, is known for setting high standards for her students, and through patience and instruction, giving them the tools to aim for and achieve excellence.

Arts Collaboration – E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative 

The E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative supports fine arts teachers in the St. Louis region by funding the delivery and promotion of arts curricula. One of its goals involves making the region’s fine arts institutions accessible to all students, regardless of their economic, ethnic or cultural backgrounds.

Currently, the collaborative provides services for more than 120 schools from 16 districts. Approximately 7,500 students from collaborative schools attend in-school programs annually and more than 14,000 attend local classical concerts, operas, dance performances, jazz concerts, and tour art museums each year. The collaborative also makes it possible for students to perform at such storied places as Powell Hall and the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Corporate Champions of the Arts – Edward Jones Partners and Associates

For the past 30 years, the partners and associates of Edward Jones have epitomized true champions of the arts, donating more than $6 million to the Arts and Education Council with nearly $4 million coming from its workplace giving efforts. In 2013, Edward Jones contributed over $766,700 to A&E’s annual Workplace Giving Campaign, with three out of every four associates participating in the program.

Workplace Giving Campaigns have become the life-blood of the Arts and Education Council; they account for one-third of the donations received each year. At Edward Jones, these campaigns not only are embraced but also turned into not-to-be-missed events.

Art Educator of the Year – Heidi Morgan, University City High School  

Heidi Morgan has taught dancing at University City High School for more than 20 years. She also is an alumna of the school and a major piece of the heart and soul of the district. With a clear desire to ensure that all young people are exposed to the joy of dancing, she has recruited countless students with disabilities to her dance classes, even requesting that classes be “opened up” to allow for additional enrollment.

Morgan received the 2008-2009 Special Ambassador Award, the highest recognition given by the Special School District of St. Louis. So beloved is Morgan that students in her advanced dance class insisted on participating in the nomination process for the St. Louis Arts Awards.

Excellence in Philanthropy – Thelma and David Steward                        

From just five people and 4,000 square feet of office space in 1990, the Stewards have built a $4 billion global company based in Maryland Heights. Today, World Wide Technology comprises one of the federal government’s largest suppliers of advanced technology solutions. Along with achieving financial success, the Stewards have fulfilled their passion to give generously to the arts as well as other causes that focus on family, children and education. They serve, or have served, on a plethora of local boards, including the St. Louis Symphony, The Sheldon, St. Louis Science Center, Civic Progress of St. Louis, St. Louis Regional Chamber, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Webster University, and Variety.

The entertainment line-up for the St. Louis Arts Awards always dazzles the senses. A spirited opening act by the 120-voice IN UNISON®  Chorus glorified the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with its rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” arranged by Roland Carter. Kevin McBeth directed with Henry Palkes on the piano.

Lee Nolting, artistic director of COCA dance, has mentored dozens of promising young students during her 35 years at COCA, with many going on to earn top spots at world-renowned dance companies. Among her former students is Antonio Douthit-Boyd, 32, a principal dancer with the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which has performed for more than 23 million people worldwide.   Douthit-Boyd performed a swirling ballet duet in tribute to her with dance partner Alicia Graf Mack, a nationally recognized dance professional and Alvin Ailey principal dancer who at one time taught alongside Nolting at COCA.

In tribute to Thelma and David Steward, The Peter Martin Trio and jazz vocalist Denise Thimes performed a few of the Stewards’ favorite jazz selections. Martin, a renowned jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator,  received an Excellence in the Arts Award at the 2012 St. Louis Arts Awards. Thimes, a St. Louis-based singer, along with Martin, widely is known as an outstanding jazz vocalist.

Arts and Education Council

Established in 1963, the Arts and Education Council comprises the St. Louis region’s United Arts Fund providing financial, technical and educational support for arts organizations. Since its inception, the Arts and Education Council has raised and distributed over $100 million in private funding for the arts — a significant contribution that directly impacts the quality of life in our 16-county, bi-state St. Louis metropolitan region. With funds raised, the Arts and Education Council has given more than 2,800 grants and annually assists approximately 70 nonprofit arts and arts education organizations. Additionally, the Arts and Education Council offers office, rehearsal and performance space for 17 arts nonprofit organizations in the Centene Center for Arts and Education, a unique arts incubator located in the Grand Center Arts District.