CalArts
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Seven CalArts Students Receive $50,000 Beutner Scholarships
Beutner Family Award recipients (from left) Alice Holland, Jesse Lee Stout, Robert Cucuzza, Whitney Smith, Diana Arterian, Keaton Macon and Richard Valitutto.
Austin Beutner, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and his wife Virginia have awarded seven new scholarships of up to $50,000 each to support CalArts Bachelor of Fine Arts (bfa) and Master of Fine Arts (mfa) candidates during their final year of study. The awards for the 2010–2011 academic year, which mark the first round of a $1 million, four-year gift by the Beutners to support 20 exceptional students, originally comprised five scholarships only. The creative skill and passion of the finalist students, however, galvanized the Beutners to supplement their original pledge and give two additional awards this year. The new scholarship is called The Beutner Family Award for Excellence in the Arts. The awards are designed to reward each recipient’s proven excellence in his or her chosen métier and ease the progression from college to professional life during that student’s last year at CalArts. “Each applicant made such an impressive and heartfelt application for the award,” said Virginia Beutner. “After getting to know the candidates and their work, Austin and I felt a personal connection to each one and a real desire to help them achieve their creative goals. We are truly honored to help support their work, their dreams, and the vision that each recipient has to make a difference in the world through their art.” The 2010–2011 recipients of The Beutner Family Award for Excellence in the Arts are Diana Arterian (mfa Writing Program, School of Critical Studies), Robert Cucuzza (mfa Directing Program, School of Theater), Alice Holland (bfa Program in Dance, The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance), Keaton Macon (mfa Program in Art, School of Art), Whitney Smith (bfa Program in Film and Video, School of Film/Video), Jesse Lee Stout (mfa Program in Graphic Design, School of Art) and Richard Valitutto (mfa Piano Program, The Herb Alpert School of Music). “Austin and Virginia Beutner’s far-sighted gift allows these talented students to spend their final year at CalArts without incurring debt and make a smooth transition to the next phase of their artistic careers,” said CalArts President Steven D. Lavine. “The Beutner Family Award affirms the Institute’s commitment
not only to educate the artists of the future but also to help launch them into productive careers after graduation. Austin and Virginia’s generosity will continue to make an enormous difference in the lives of these outstanding young artists long after they graduate from CalArts.” “As a recipient of the Beutner Family Award,” said poet Diana Arterian, “I feel a new a sense of validation concerning my poetry and the directions in which I hope to take it. This is a wonderfully generous recognition of my work, and I am very thankful.” Dancer and choreographer Alice Holland said the Beutner Family Award has now made it possible for her to complete her fourth year at CalArts. “Transitioning from student life into the professional world can be difficult,” she noted, “but because of the Beutner family’s gracious contribution, I can focus on my career.” “This generous award,” remarked painter and sculptor Keaton Macon, “will undoubtedly contribute to the resources that I will need to further my practice, and I am very pleased to be one of the lucky recipients. The next step is to break into the art world to continue and elaborate on the conversations I have been concerned with here at CalArts.” The scholarship recipients were chosen by a committee consisting of Austin and Virginia Beutner, Steven Lavine, Dean of Enrollment Management Carol Kim, music faculty Marc Lowenstein, and alumnus Stephen Hillenburg (Film/Video mfa 92), the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. Austin Beutner has chaired the CalArts board since 2006. He is the first deputy mayor of Los Angeles and the city’s chief executive of economic development and business policy. He and Virginia are passionate advocates for the arts, especially for young people. The couple is the main sponsor of the International Children’s Film Festival held annually at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (redcat). He also serves as co-chair of CalArts’ Community Arts Partnership (cap) Council, while she serves on the redcat Council.