NOV-DEC
2014
THE 2015 ST. LOUIS ARTS AWARDS
T
he 24th St. Louis Arts Awards will be held Monday, January 19, 2015 in the Khorassan Ballroom at the Chase Park Plaza. This year’s gala will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and awards at 7 p.m. The event is chaired by Jim Turley, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Ernst & Young, and his wife, Lynne, a board member of STAGES St. Louis. The presenting sponsors for the 2015 St. Louis Arts Awards are World Wide Technology, Inc. and the Steward Family Foundation. Presented since 1992, the St. Louis Arts Awards is the preeminent award ceremony honoring individuals who achieve a legacy of artistic excellence, and organizations and businesses that enrich St. Louis’ arts and cultural community. Proceeds from the evening benefit the Arts and Education Council’s annual campaign, which funds nearly 70 arts and arts education organizations throughout the St. Louis region. Lifetime Achievement in the Arts – Jill McGuire, Regional Arts Commission In announcing her retirement, Michael Scully, chairman of the Regional Arts Commission (RAC), said, “Jill McGuire has been a visionary for the arts and for the community Jill McGuire during her tenure. The Commission is grateful for her leadership and innumerable contributions to RAC over the past 29 years.” Indeed, it’s hard to imagine the organization without McGuire, who has been the executive director of RAC since it was created in 1985. Under her leadership, RAC has awarded more than 5,000 grants, totaling $65 million.
Excellence in Philanthropy – Ken and Nancy Kranzberg Thanks to the Kranzbergs, more than 500 civic, social and arts organizations have benefited from the Kranzbergs’ Nancy and Ken Kranzberg philanthropy. Through their dedicated service and generosity, they have built an important legacy of community involvement and collaboration, which will have an enduring impact on the region. Their passion and leadership created the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center and through the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, the Northside Workshop. They led the successful capital campaign for Laumeier Sculpture Park that will add an education laboratory for art and a fine arts center. Additionally, the dynamic duo has provided board leadership and financial support to organizations such as A&E, Regional Arts Commission, Grand Center, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Dance St. Louis, Jazz St. Louis, Saint Louis Art Museum, KDHX 88.1 FM and many more. Corporate Leadership in the Arts – Warner Baxter and Tom Voss, Ameren
Warner Baxter
Tom Voss
Ameren, its leaders and employees have been longtime champions of the
arts in the St. Louis region, raising over $2.7 million for the Arts and Education Council’s Workplace Giving Campaign over three decades. Both Tom Voss, who retired in July as Chairman, President and CEO, and Warner Baxter, who succeeded Voss, personify a passionate commitment to the arts. Ameren’s support of our cultural community is broad and deep; and helps ensure that the St. Louis area’s legacy of artistic excellence will continue to provide adults and children with exceptional art and culture experiences for generations to come. Ameren’s outstanding support for organizations such as the St. Louis Symphony, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, COCA, Craft Alliance, Circus Flora, The Black Rep, Dance St. Louis, Jazz St. Louis, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, The Muny and many more, ultimately strengthens the neighborhoods and communities where we live, work and play. Excellence in the Arts – Denise Thimes In a career that spans over two decades, Denise Thimes has become one of the most cherished voices of modern jazz. An accomplished Denise Thimes performer, she has toured America, Europe and Asia with numerous critically acclaimed productions. She has performed with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Tony Bennett, Clark Terry, James Moody and Cyrus Chestnut. Since 1997, Thimes has headlined a special Mother’s Day show at the Sheldon Concert Hall to raise money for the organization she started in her mother’s name, the Mildred C. Thimes Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer. Continued on page 3