For Immediate Release
March 25, 2003
Contact: Brent Sverdloff 781/259-3628, bsverdloff@decordova.org
Sarah Smith 781/259-3663, ssmith@decordova.org
DeCordova Receives Commonwealth Award for Best Cultural Organization
LINCOLN, MA-On March 11, the Massachusetts Cultural Council announced the six winners of its 2003 Commonwealth Awards—the state's highest honors in the arts, humanities, and sciences. Chosen by a committee of arts and business leaders, the recipients were drawn from a pool of 150 statewide nominations received in December 2002. The award to DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park for Best Cultural Organization is given for an institution's overall artistic excellence and its impact on public life in the Commonwealth.
Each Commonwealth Award winner received a medal from Reed & Barton, designed by Deborah Bluestein, as well as an original photo collage by Cambridge-based multi-media and installation artist Genara Banzon.
The 2003 Commonwealth Awards were presented to the winners in person at a luncheon ceremony on March 25 at the Sheraton Framingham, sponsored by FleetBoston Financial. The luncheon was hosted by WBZ-TV arts reporter Joyce Kulhawik and was part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council's "Arts in the Balance" conference. "Arts in the Balance" was the first statewide conference designed for cultural leaders from the arts, humanities and sciences.
The following awards were also presented in four other categories:
For Individual Achievement: Poet Stanley Kunitz, of Provincetown and Actress Julie Harris of Cape Cod.
For Catalyst: Joseph Thompson, Executive Director, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams
For Education: Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, Boston
For Community: Cambridge Arts Council, Cambridge
Below is a brief overview of DeCordova's history and current programming, as prepared by the Massachusetts Cultural Council:
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2000, draws its inspiration from the spirit of founder Julian de Cordova, who believed that the visual arts serve as a medium for self-improvement and enlightenment. In his will, de Cordova stipulated that his estate would become a public museum of art following his death, which occurred in 1945. In 1950 the museum opened to the public and quickly established a reputation for ground-breaking exhibitions that introduced New England audiences to important trends within contemporary art both regionally and nationally, including Pop Art and Boston's post-war expressionist movement. DeCordova is also dedicated to the exhibition, collection, and preservation of works by living New England artists.
Today, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park offers the only permanent public Sculpture Park in New England. With an ambitious program of expansion and continuous renewal, the museum currently has more than 80 modern and contemporary works in its 35-acre Sculpture Park. In addition, the Sculpture Terrace, which was the region's first open-air gallery, annually features exhibitions by nationally recognized sculptors.
Over the years, DeCordova Museum has expanded and adapted to meet the changing educational needs of its diverse constituents. DeCordova Museum School, the largest non-degree granting studio art program in Massachusetts, provides instruction for more than 4,000 students, from child through adult, each year.
General Information
DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. Admission is $6 per person, $4 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6-12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours and is free. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 3 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Wednesday and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.
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