Meredith Long (right) and fellow honoree Bettye Fitzpatrick |
Recognition
The 23rd annual New Mexico Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts were presented on December 4 to Ted Egri (sculpture), Margaret Lefranc (painting) and Luis Tapia (sculpture and woodcarving). Anne and John Marion, founders of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum scheduled to open in Santa Fe in July, were also honored for their contributions to the arts.
The 1997 Humanitarian of the Year award was presented to West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton in February by Niche magazine for his planning and development of Tamarack, the nation’s first and only statewide collection of handmade indigenous arts and crafts. More than 10,000 artworks by West Virginia residents are for sale in a new $16 million, 59,000-square-foot facility that attracted 300,000 visitors in the first three months after opening June 19, 1996.
Houston, TX, art dealer Meredith Long received the Business Leadership in the Arts Award from Business Volunteers for the Arts/ Houston at the annual Skylight Fantasy Gala in November. Long has owned and directed his namesake gallery since 1957 and also serves on the boards of several local performing- and visual-arts groups.
Tetons by Marvin Oliver |
New Mexico painter Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith was honored by the Women’s Caucus for Art at their 25th anniversary national conference in Philadelphia in February. Also recognized for their contributions to the progress of women in the visual arts were Jo Hanson, Sadie Krauss Kriebel, Moira Roth and Kay Sekimachi.
Tidbits
The Portland Art Museum announced that the exhibition Imperial Tombs of China had a direct impact of $54.3 million and an indirect impact of $38 million on the state of Oregon. The show was seen by 430,423 visitors, making it the most successful exhibition ever hosted by the museum.
Montana painter Kevin Red Star donated more than $20,000 worth of his artwork to charities in 1996. Recipients included the Muscular Dystrophy Association; Carbon County Hospital, MT; Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT; Native Roots and Rhythms Fund; American Indian
College Fund; and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Public Art
Sculptor Les Perhacs has been selected from 557 entrants to create a bronze monument entitled In Search of the Wilderness for installation at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field.
Native American artist Marvin Oliver installed a 23-foot totem pole entitled Tetons at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY, in November. Located in the rotunda just off the lobby, the totem is constructed of cedar and ornamented with cast glass, etched copper and cast bronze.
Transitions
Businessman and civic leader Kenneth W. Townsend has been named executive director of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, OK. He succeeds B. Byron Price, who resigned in December to become executive director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY. Townsend, a lifelong resident of Oklahoma City, is also chairman of the NationsBank Board of Directors in Oklahoma and has served in many civic and charitable organizations.
Carey T. Caldwell has been named chief curator of history at the Oakland Museum of California, succeeding L. Thomas Frye, who recently retired. Caldwell has been senior curator of history at the museum since 1987. James T. Sotiros has been appointed development director, succeeding Lynn Upchurch, who resigned in October. Sotiros has worked at the University of San Diego, Dominican College of San Rafael and, most recently, the University of California.
Featured in March 1997