Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize Winner Anna Deavere Smith Awarded 2012 National
Humanities Medal by President Obama at The White House.
WASHINGTON, DC
– On Wednesday, July 10, 2013 President Obama awarded a 2012 National
Humanities Medal in the East Room of the White House to playwright Anna Deavere
Smith.
The National
Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history,
literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected,
peer-reviewed proposals from around the Nation.
Anna Deavere
Smith¸ New York, NY. In awarding Smith the medal, President Obama said: I award the medal to Anna
Deavere Smith for her portrayal of authentic American voices. Through
profound performances and plays that blend theater and journalism, she has
informed our understanding of social issues and conveyed a range of disparate
characters.
I have seen Smith perform in
Washington, San Francisco and New York. Her performance in Twilight: Los
Angeles, which I saw at Ford’s Theater in Washington, was electrifying. I hope
to have an interview with Smith in a future posting.
Below is our February posting about the Gish
Prize Awarded to Anna Deavere Smith.
“It is my
desire... to give the recipients of the prize the recognition they deserve,
to bring attention to their contributions to society and encourage others
to follow in their path.” —Lillian Gish
to bring attention to their contributions to society and encourage others
to follow in their path.” —Lillian Gish
The Gish Prize Trust announced playwright, actress,
author and educator Anna Deavere Smith has been selected to
receive the 19th annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, given annually as a
legacy from the legendary film and stage actresses.
Established in 1994 by Lillian’s will, The Gish
Prize is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the arts and one
of the largest, currently bearing a cash value of approximately $300,000.
Throughout the years, the Prize's mission has helped to support artists who
have pushed the boundaries of their art forms and contributed to social change,
therefore paving the way for future generations of artistic innovators.
Lillian Gish’s guidance stated the Prize was to be awarded “to a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life.”
Lillian Gish’s guidance stated the Prize was to be awarded “to a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life.”
Of the Gish Prize Anna Deavere Smith said, “The
Gish Prize provides credibility and recognition for artists who invented a new
path for themselves and their work. The Gish sisters leave an enduring lesson
for all artists that forging their own a path is worth the effort. I am deeply
honored and can't imagine a greater honor than having my name linked with the
incomparable Dorothy and Lillian Gish."
“The Gish Prize acknowledges and celebrates artistic breakthroughs and supports the indomitable spirit of trailblazers like Anna Deavere Smith,” says Jacqueline E. Elias, Senior Philanthropy Advisor at The Philanthropy Centre at JPMorgan Private Bank.” This tremendous gift inspires us year after year and we are honored to maintain the legacy and spirit of the pioneering Gish sisters.”
About Anna Deavere Smith
Playwright, actress, author and educator Anna Deavere Smith first achieved acclaim with her one-woman theater works Fires in the Mirror (on the 1991 Crown Heights riot in New York) and Twilight: Los Angeles (on the violence surrounding the 1992 Rodney King case). On the basis of extensive interviews and research, Ms. Smith transformed herself on stage into an entire community of witnesses and commentators, creating an almost unprecedented “blend of theatrical art, social commentary, journalism and intimate reverie” in the words of the MacArthur Foundation, which presented her in 1996 with one of its “genius grant” fellowships. Ms. Smith considers these and her other one-woman shows, which began in the 1980s, to be a series, titled On the Road: A Search for American Character. Her most recent such exploration was Let Me Down Easy (2008-2012), on the subject of health care.
Ms. Smith is most recognizable in popular culture as Gloria Akalitus on the Showtime television series Nurse Jackie and as Nancy McNally on NBC’s The West Wing. She has been featured in several films, among them The American President, The Human Stain, Life Support and Rachel Getting Married. Film versions of Fires in the Mirror, Twilight: Los Angeles and Let Me Down Easy have been broadcast on PBS.
Ms. Smith’s writings include the books Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines and Letters to a Young Artist, as well as articles for the The New York Times, Newsweek, The New Yorker, O Magazine, Elle, Essence and The Drama Review, among other publications.
Ms. Smith is a University Professor at New York University’s Performance Studies Department and has been an artist in residence with The Ford Foundation, MTV Networks, The Aspen Institute, and San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, among other institutions. She is the founder of Anna Deavere Smith Works, Inc., to bring together artists, thinkers and activists across disciplines with the goal of cultivating artistic excellence that embraces contemporary social issues.
Ms. Smith has received two Tony Award nominations, an Obie, a Drama Desk Award, a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics Circle and numerous honorary degrees.
“The Gish Prize acknowledges and celebrates artistic breakthroughs and supports the indomitable spirit of trailblazers like Anna Deavere Smith,” says Jacqueline E. Elias, Senior Philanthropy Advisor at The Philanthropy Centre at JPMorgan Private Bank.” This tremendous gift inspires us year after year and we are honored to maintain the legacy and spirit of the pioneering Gish sisters.”
About Anna Deavere Smith
Playwright, actress, author and educator Anna Deavere Smith first achieved acclaim with her one-woman theater works Fires in the Mirror (on the 1991 Crown Heights riot in New York) and Twilight: Los Angeles (on the violence surrounding the 1992 Rodney King case). On the basis of extensive interviews and research, Ms. Smith transformed herself on stage into an entire community of witnesses and commentators, creating an almost unprecedented “blend of theatrical art, social commentary, journalism and intimate reverie” in the words of the MacArthur Foundation, which presented her in 1996 with one of its “genius grant” fellowships. Ms. Smith considers these and her other one-woman shows, which began in the 1980s, to be a series, titled On the Road: A Search for American Character. Her most recent such exploration was Let Me Down Easy (2008-2012), on the subject of health care.
Ms. Smith is most recognizable in popular culture as Gloria Akalitus on the Showtime television series Nurse Jackie and as Nancy McNally on NBC’s The West Wing. She has been featured in several films, among them The American President, The Human Stain, Life Support and Rachel Getting Married. Film versions of Fires in the Mirror, Twilight: Los Angeles and Let Me Down Easy have been broadcast on PBS.
Ms. Smith’s writings include the books Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines and Letters to a Young Artist, as well as articles for the The New York Times, Newsweek, The New Yorker, O Magazine, Elle, Essence and The Drama Review, among other publications.
Ms. Smith is a University Professor at New York University’s Performance Studies Department and has been an artist in residence with The Ford Foundation, MTV Networks, The Aspen Institute, and San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, among other institutions. She is the founder of Anna Deavere Smith Works, Inc., to bring together artists, thinkers and activists across disciplines with the goal of cultivating artistic excellence that embraces contemporary social issues.
Ms. Smith has received two Tony Award nominations, an Obie, a Drama Desk Award, a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics Circle and numerous honorary degrees.
About The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
Established in 1994 through the will of Lillian Gish, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize is given annually to an individual who has “made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life.” Past recipients, from 1994 through 2011, are Frank Gehry, Ingmar Bergman, Robert Wilson, Bob Dylan, Isabel Allende, Arthur Miller, Merce Cunningham, Jennifer Tipton, Lloyd Richards, Bill T. Jones, Ornette Coleman, Peter Sellars, Shirin Neshat, Laurie Anderson, Robert Redford, Pete Seeger, Chinua Achebe and Trisha Brown. Prize recipients are nominated by the arts community and chosen by a distinguished committee of arts leaders for their groundbreaking work in their chosen fields. The Gish Prize committee, a group that changes every year, has included playwright David Henry Hwang, filmmaker Mira Nair, sculptor Martin Puryear, composer Alvin Singleton and President Emerita of The Museum of Modern Art Agnes Gund. For further information, the public is invited to visit www.gishprize.com.
Established in 1994 through the will of Lillian Gish, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize is given annually to an individual who has “made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life.” Past recipients, from 1994 through 2011, are Frank Gehry, Ingmar Bergman, Robert Wilson, Bob Dylan, Isabel Allende, Arthur Miller, Merce Cunningham, Jennifer Tipton, Lloyd Richards, Bill T. Jones, Ornette Coleman, Peter Sellars, Shirin Neshat, Laurie Anderson, Robert Redford, Pete Seeger, Chinua Achebe and Trisha Brown. Prize recipients are nominated by the arts community and chosen by a distinguished committee of arts leaders for their groundbreaking work in their chosen fields. The Gish Prize committee, a group that changes every year, has included playwright David Henry Hwang, filmmaker Mira Nair, sculptor Martin Puryear, composer Alvin Singleton and President Emerita of The Museum of Modern Art Agnes Gund. For further information, the public is invited to visit www.gishprize.com.
About Dorothy and Lillian Gish
Dorothy and Lillian Gish followed their mother onto the stage at an early age. The older of the two sisters, Lillian took her first theatrical curtain call in 1902 at the age of eight in the play In Convict’s Stripes. In 1912, the sisters’ childhood friend Mary Pickford introduced them to D.W. Griffith, who launched their film careers. Lillian would become one of America’s best-loved actresses and is considered by many the First Lady of the Screen. In her 85-year career, she appeared in more than 100 films—from Griffith’s An Unseen Enemy (1912) to Lindsay Anderson’s The Whales of August (1987)—and also took numerous roles in television and on stage.
Dorothy Gish began her stage career at the age of
four and also went on to make more than 100 films, many of them with Lillian.
Dorothy’s early work in film highlighted her keen sense of humor, bringing her
acclaim as a star of comedy. At the end of the silent era, she turned her
attention to the stage, where Success in Young Love brought her
accolades with New York audiences, on the road and subsequently in London. In
1939 Dorothy and Lillian each played Vinnie Day, wife of Clarence Day, Sr., in
two extensive American road company productions of Life with Father.
Dorothy returned to film and television in the 1950s.
Dorothy Gish died in 1968 with her sister by her
side. Lillian Gish died in February 1993 at the age of 99, only months away from her 100th birthday. Dorothy and Lillian RIP. Both sisters left the bulk of
their estates to the arts, including a trust for the formation of the Dorothy
and Lillian Gish Prize.
James
Patterson
Adviser,
Dorothy and Lillian Gish TheaterBowling Green State University
(415) 516 3493
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