News
July 25, 2008
Arts Commission Announces Recipients Of 24th Annual Raleigh Medal Of Arts
Five individuals and one organization have been selected to receive the 24th Annual Raleigh Medal of Arts, the City of Raleigh Arts Commission has announced. The recipients are Dr. Lucy Daniels, Chuck Davis, Lenard D. Moore, Susan Newberry, Jeffery H. Richardson, and Capital Bank.
The Raleigh Medal of Arts is awarded for lifetime extraordinary achievement in the practice of, or in support of, local arts. Originally based on the National Medal of Arts program, the Raleigh Medal of Arts program was inaugurated in 1984 by the Arts Commission so that excellence in the arts could be given special recognition. Over the past 24 years, 122 medals have been awarded. The recipients have ranged from businesses such as Progress Energy to artists including sculptor Thomas Sayre and choreographer Robert Weiss.
The 24th Annual Medal of Arts ceremony will take place on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. in Fletcher Opera Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The ceremony will feature special guests (to be announced) and performances, followed by a festive reception. The event will be free and open to the public.
Following is additional information on each of the 24th Annual Raleigh Medal of Arts recipients:
- Dr. Lucy Daniels holds a Ph.D. and is a writer and clinical psychologist based in Raleigh. In 1989, she founded the Lucy Daniels Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering emotional and creative freedom through psychoanalytic treatment and research, education, and outreach; and the Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood, which uses psychoanalytic principles to promote the emotional development of young children and their parents. A prolific author, Dr. Daniels works both in her private practice and her foundation to help other creative individuals overcome emotional conflicts. In 2002, she published her memoir, “With a Woman's Voice: A Writer's Struggle for Emotional Freedom.” She also simultaneously published a primer, “Dreaming Your Way to Creative Freedom,” and her first novel in more than 40 years, “The Eyes of the Father.” The primer chronicles her 30-year struggle against writer's block and offers a road map for others to use on their personal journeys. “The Eyes of the Father” is a compelling story of people controlled by the past;
- Dr. Charles “Chuck” Davis is founder and artistic director of the African American Dance Ensemble. A native of Raleigh, Mr. Davis attended Howard University and majored in theater/dance. Continuing his study in African dance under the guidance of Babatunde Olatunji, Eleo Pomare, and the Bernice Johnson Dance Company, Mr. Davis was recruited by the American Dance Festival in 1982 as an artist-in-residence to organize and manage its outreach program. From this effort sprung the African American Dance Ensemble in 1984, one of the most beloved dance companies in the country. Mr. Davis’ awards include: North Carolina Dance Alliance Award, North Carolina Artist Award, North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina Award in Fine Arts, Triangle Community Foundation Kathryn H. Wallace Award for Artists In Community Service; the Dance Heritage Coalition recognition as one of 100 Irreplaceable Dance Treasures in the United States; NY Bessie Award and the very prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music Award for distinguished service;
- Jeffery H. Richardson graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1978. He then moved to Wake County where he accepted a position as the Broughton High School band director. He proceeded to transform the Broughton band into a powerhouse music program that has gained national and international respect. Mr. Richardson currently splits his time between Underwood Elementary School, where he teaches music education in the morning, and Broughton, where he directs nearly 200 adolescent band students. Mr. Richardson’s tireless devotion to music in Wake County Public Schools has touched the lives of thousands of students, with his motto: “Excellence is our standard – not our goal.” He has taken the Broughton Band to countless competitions and on trips throughout the United States and Europe, including marching in the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade;
- Lenard D. Moore is a Raleigh resident and native of Jacksonville. He earned his master’s degree in English/African American Literature from North Carolina A&T State University, and his bachelor’s degree with Magna Cum Laude honors from Shaw University. He was also educated at Coastal Carolina Community College and the University of Maryland and is currently assistant professor of English at Mount Olive College. He is a writer of more than 20 forms of poetry, drama, essays and literary criticism. In 2008, he became the first Southerner and the first African-American to be elected president of the Haiku Society of America. Mr. Lenard is the haiku editor for Simply Haiku, and he is the founder of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective. He recently won the Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award for his contribution to the fine arts of North Carolina. Mr. Moore is executive chairman of the North Carolina Haiku Society; Haiku Editor of the online magazine Simply Haiku, and cofounder of the Washington Street Writers Group;
- Susan Newberry was hired as PineCone’s first full time director in 1987, about two and a half years after the organization was incorporated as a non-profit. Under her leadership, PineCone became the largest, most active traditional music organization in North Carolina. During Ms. Newberry’s long tenure, PineCone has presented a list of performers that reads like a “Who’s Who” in the world of roots music, including Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Taj Mahal, Mary Black and many more. While bringing stellar national and international acts, Ms. Newberry remained equally committed to showcasing the very best traditional musicians found in our own city, state and region. She is particularly proud of the fact that Pinecone has presented nearly every musician honored by the North Carolina Arts Council with the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award, including Etta Baker, Doc Watson, Joe Thompson and others; and,
- Capital Bank, under the visionary leadership of their Chief Executive Officer B. Grant Yarber, has been a steadfast and valiant supporter of the Raleigh arts community through sponsorship and advocacy. The bank supports numerous arts agencies including Artsplosure, Artspace, Carolina Ballet, Opera Company of North Carolina and Raleigh Little Theatre. The bank also purchases and displays works of local artists in all branches and in the lobby of its headquarters downtown. Two examples of Capital Bank’s outstanding arts leadership are highlighted through the bank’s sponsorship of North Carolina Theatre’s Capital Awards program (beginning in 2007) and the North Carolina Symphony’s statewide “Blue Skies, Red Earth” series of concerts (2007). In both cases, Mr. Yarber personally led fundraising campaigns that fueled the success of these significant art programs.
The City of Raleigh Arts Commission holds the distinction of being the first municipal arts commission created in North Carolina. The Arts Commission serves as the official advisory body and advocate for arts to the Raleigh City Council.
For more information about the 24th Annual Raleigh Medal of Arts, contact the Arts Commission office at 890-3610 or email Belva.parker@ci.raleigh.nc.us.
Prepared by:
John Boyette
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
Belva Parker
Arts Program Coordinator
City Manager Department
222 West Hargett, Suite 504
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-890-3456
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