2009 Sally Awards
The Ordway is now seeking nominations for the 2009 Sally Ordway Irvine Awards! These prestigious awards provide an opportunity to recognize and honor extraordinary achievements in the visual and performing arts throughout Minnesota.
Each year, one person or organization receives an award in each of four categories: Vision, Initiative, Commitment and Education. Nominations are being accepted through October 31, 2009. Individuals and organizations from any artistic or cultural field are eligible, as long as their work took place in Minnesota. Nominees may be artists, professional administrators, volunteers or philanthropists.
If you have any questions concerning the Sally Awards, please contact contact Stacy Dimapelis at 651-282-3036 or sdimapelis@ordway.org.
2008 Awards
The 2008 Sally Ordway Irving Awards were presented on March 30, 2009 at the Ordway's McKnight Theatre. Since 1992, these awards have honored individuals and institutions that strengthen and enrich our entire community with their commitment to the arts and arts education. The awardees’ talents and determination help make Minnesota’s quality of life excellent and its culture unique and rich.
The Sally Award is based on the “First Trust Award” presented in 1986 to Sally Ordway Irvine, whose initiative, vision, and commitment inspired the creation of Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Her award is permanently installed in Ordway’s Marzitelli Foyer.
To honor Sally’s commitment to all of the arts, the Sally Awards are presented annually to acknowledge achievement and contribution in the three areas for which Sally herself was recognized: Vision, Initiative, and Commitment. A fourth category, Education, was added in 1996 to acknowledge the importance of education in nurturing a passion for the arts in future generations.
The winners of the 2008 Sally Ordway Irvine Awards are:
Mixed Blood Theatre: VISION. Mixed Blood Theatre is a professional, multi-racial theater promoting cultural pluralism and individual equality through artistic expression. Using theater as a vehicle for artistry, entertainment, education and social change, Mixed Blood addresses the artificial barriers that keep people from succeeding in American society. The company has been recognized for its artistic merit and political commitment with numerous awards, including the MetLife Foundation 2007 Award for Excellence in Arts Access, two 2006 Ivey Awards, the VSA Arts of Minnesota 2005 Arts Access Award, an Outstanding Achievement Awardfrom the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights, and three Drama Critics Circle Awards.
St. Francis Music Center: EDUCATION. St. Francis Music Center provides high quality arts education to the largely rural population of Morrison County and surrounding region in central Minnesota. The primary audience is comprised of students in grades K-12, but the Center also serves younger children through pre-school programs as well as senior citizens and people with disabilities. Morrison County’s median household income is $10,000 below the state average, and artistic opportunities in the local schools are limited. Thanks to several endowed funds and other private donations, the Center can subsidize its class fees so that they are accessible to families with limited resources.
Wendy Lehr: COMMITMENT. Wendy Lehr was drawn to the stage at age four and launched her acting career in high school. Now, thousands of performances later, she is one of Minnesota’s most acclaimed theatrical personalities. In 1966 she joined the newly formed Children’s Theatre Company, where she spent the next twenty years honing her craft. After a brief stint at the Arizona Theatre Company, she returned to the Twin Cities and continued her work as an actor, director, choreographer and teacher. She has appeared with many companies including Park Square Theatre, Jungle Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Great American History Theatre and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, and is now appearing in Grey Gardens at the Ordway. She was also the founding Artistic Director of the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.
Bruce Coppock: INITIATIVE. Bruce Coppock served as the President and Managing Director of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) from 1999 until 2008. The longest-serving managing director in the SPCO’s 50-year history, he presided over wholesale changes in the artistic profile of the orchestra. At the core of this work was placing the musicians of the SPCO at the center of the organization’s artistic direction. Through an evolution of contractual and structural changes, SPCO musicians now share with management in the artistic governance of the institution, and the traditional role of music director has been replaced with a series of rotating Artistic Partners. Concert attendance has increased by nearly 50 percent, thanks to innovative programming, low ticket prices and a relentless commitment to artistic quality.
The 2008 Sally Awards were generously sponsored in memory of Carl B. Drake, Jr. by Travelers, John and Marla Ordway, and Litton and Anne Field, with additional deeply appreciated support from Judy Dayton and two anonymous donors. The Ordway also thanks its partners for supporting the event: Minnesota Public Radio, Minnesota State Arts Board and the Saint Paul Hotel.
About the Sallys
The Sally Ordway Irvine Awards annually honor individuals and institutions from across the state of Minnesota who make a valuable community difference through their contributions to the region's artistic and cultural resources.
Each year, one person/organization is awarded in each of these four categories:
Vision recognizes exemplary creative thinking and/or strategic leadership in support of a particular project or development of a body of work that will have long-term impact on the community. Examples include creation of new artistic/cultural opportunities, expanding access to the arts, or leading the community in new directions.
Initiative recognizes bold new steps taken by an established or emerging artistic or cultural individual/organization that has had a significant impact on strengthening Minnesota's artistic/cultural community.
Commitment recognizes lifetime achievement, contribution, and leadership in the arts and/or culture.
Education recognizes an individual/organization or particular project that has had a significant impact on education or mentoring in the arts and has contributed to increasing knowledge about the arts throughout the community.
History
The Sally Ordway Irvine Awards were created in 1992 to honor individuals and institutions that strengthen and enrich our entire community with their initiative, vision, commitment to the arts, and ability to educate about the arts. Their talents and determination help to make this area one of the country's richest in the arts.
The Sally Awards are based on the "First Trust Award" presented in 1986 to Sally Ordway Irvine - whose initiative, vision, and commitment provided the inspiration for the creation of Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Her award is permanently installed in Ordway's Marzitelli Foyer.
To honor Sally's commitment to all of the arts, the Sally Ordway Irvine Awards are presented annually to acknowledge achievement and contribution in the three areas for which Sally herself was recognized - Vision, Initiative, and Commitment. The fourth category, Education, was added in 1996 because of its importance in building understanding and support of the arts - and hopefully igniting the spark - with both young people and adults.
Past Recipients
2007
Rick Shiomi - Vision
Michael Burgraff - Initiative
Al Milgrom - Commitment
Project SUCCESS - Education
2006
Joe Dowling - Vision
Hal Cropp - Initiative
Dale Schatzlein - Commitment (posthumously)
Arts for Academic Achievement - Education
2005
Seitu Jones - Vision
Chris Osgood - Initiative
Joan Mondale - Commitment
SteppingStone Theatre - Education
2004
Graywolf Press - Vision
Gary Hines - Initiative
Leigh Kamman - Commitment
Park Square Theatre - Education
2003
Dale Warland - Vision
BJ Shigaki/Rochester Arts Center - Initiative
Bruce Carlson - Commitment
Sheila Livingston - Education
2002
KFAI Fresh Air Radio - Vision
Textile Center of Minnesota - Initiative
Lawrence M. Redmond and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts - Commitment
MacPhail Center for the Arts - Education
2001
Minnesota Fringe Festival - Vision
Maya Lopez-Santamaria - Initiative
Philip Brunelle - Commitment
Pillsbury House Theatre's Chicago Avenue Project - Education
2000
Wing Young Huie - Vision
The Loft Literary Center - Initiative
Sage and John Cowles, Jr. - Commitment
Linwood A+ Elementary School - Education
1999
Michael Robins and Bonnie Morris - Vision
Rick Kvam - Initiative
George Morrison - Commitment
Pamela Paulson - Education
Carl B. Drake, Jr. - Distinguished (Special Award in 1999)
1998
Armando Gutierrez - Vision
Marj Hawkins - Initiative
Sen. Dick Cohen - Commitment
St. Paul Central Touring Theatre Program - Education
1997
Theatre de la Jeune Lune - Vision
Grand Marais Art Colony - Initiative
Elizabeth W. Musser - Commitment
John Caddy - Education
1996
Dorit Cypis for Kulture Klub - Vision
Patrick's Cabaret - Initiative
Judson Bemis Sr. - Commitment
Minnesota Rural Arts Initiative - Education (inaugural)
1995
Asian American Renaissance - Vision
Rebecca Petersen - Initiative
Lou Bellamy - Commitment
1993
John Davis - Vision
Native Arts Circle - Initiative
Topsy Simonson - Commitment
1992 (Inaugural)
Artspace Projects, Inc. - Vision
The Jungle Theater - Initiative
Bruce Dayton - Commitment