Avenue of the Arts 2022 Visionary Awards at Arthaus

311 South Broad Street,Philadelphia PA 19107

22 April, 2022

Description

Honoring Joan Myers Brown of PHILADANCO! and Christine Cox of BalletX Avenue of the Arts, Inc. is gearing up for our annual fundraiser and largest event with more excitement than ever, featuring the newest destination on the Avenue, two legendary visionaries, new entertainment and more! The Avenue of the Arts, Inc. is thrilled to announce the third annual Avenue of the Arts Visionary Awards on Friday, April 22, 2022, at Carl Dranoff’s magnificent new Arthaus -- the newest major building on the Avenue. This year, we will honor two of our city’s most respected arts visionaries: Joan Myers Brown, the founder/Executive Advisor and retired artistic director of PHILADANCO (Philadelphia Dance Company), and Christine Cox, the co-founder and Artistic and Executive Director of BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary dance company. The 2022 Visionary Awards will be held at the brand new Arthaus Condominium on the Avenue of the Arts. And gorgeous doesn't begin to describe it! The event will take place on the sixth and seventh Amenity floors of Arthaus -- and get ready to be wowed. From delicious food, wine and spirits to performances by the super talented University of the Arts' jazz musicians, a beyond amazing pianist and a special performance by the dancers of BalletX, to the exceptional and memorable ceremony celebrating our two extraordinary honorees, the event will stretch over two stories of magnificent indoor and outdoor spaces that make up the Arthaus amenity floors and the truly breathtaking views across the city of Philadelphia. You don't want to miss this! By attending this event, you support our continued efforts to make the Avenue of the Arts shine for everyone in Philadelphia. The Avenue of the Arts is home to renowned performance venues, hotels, eateries, universities, and residences. It is a proven economic engine for Philadelphia and the region. Attendees receive one year membership in Friends of the Avenue of the Arts. Arthaus 311 Avenue of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA 19107 April 22, 2022 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friend $175 Patron $375 (Patrons receive admission to a private reception in one of the Arthaus residences on the 24th floor with the honorees from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Patron ticket buyers will be recognized at the gala and on the AAI website, in addition to being invited to Avenue of the Arts Patron events in the coming year.) Parton Sponsor $1,000 (Patron Sponsors at the $1,000 level, will also be recognized with the other sponsors. ) Attendance is limited to 100 friends, 40 patrons, and sponsor guests. Proof of Covid19 vaccination is required at the door for this event. Please contact Laura Burkhardt at [email protected] for sponsorship opportunities. Joan Myers Brown founder of The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) Joan Myers Brown (affectionately known as “Aunt Joan” or “JB”) is the founder of The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) 1970 and The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts in 1960.  She serves as honorary chairperson for the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) established in 1991, an organization that she laid the groundwork for in 1988 with the founding of the International Conference of Black Dance Companies.  She is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, which bestowed upon her an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts; is a member of the dance faculty at Howard University in Washington, DC; and awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. In May 2015 she received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from The University of Pennsylvania. Listed in Who’s Who in America and described as an “innovator and communicator,” Ms. Brown has made significant contributions to arts communities locally, regionally, nationally and throughout the world. Ms. Brown has served a broad range of organizations, including the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project; the United States Information Agency; Arts America; the National Endowment for the Arts; the state arts councils of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, and Ohio; and the National Forum for Female Executives. Locally, she has been a part of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance; the Minority Arts Resource Council, Inc.; the Philadelphia Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council; the Philadelphia Dance Alliance; the Women’s Heritage Society; and Dance/USA. Ms. Brown was appointed to the choreographer’s panel of the Rockefeller Foundation Arts & Humanities Program, and served as vice president (and co-founder) of the Coalition of African American Cultural Organizations. In 1997, Ms. Brown was honored as one of the “Dance Women: Living Legends” during a four-day series sponsored by New York-area presenters, in tribute to five African-American pioneer women who founded distinguished modern dance companies with deep roots in black communities around the country. In 2005, the Kennedy Center honored her as a Master of African American Choreography. In 2009 she received the prestigious Philadelphia Award, and November 7, 2010, was declared Joan Myers Brown Living Legacy Day. Ms. Brown was chosen as one of 2013 Dance/USA honorees “for her extraordinary artistic guidance, her nurturance of many dancers and choreographers, visionary leadership, and grace under fire in the dance field.” She has also received a host of other accolades throughout her career, including awards from The Philadelphia Tribune and the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and membership to the Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania in 2012. She was designated as one of The Ten Best Philadelphians by Philadelphia magazine in 2012, in addition to recognition as an Outstanding Alumni of West Philadelphia High School, her alma mater. Her legacy was documented in the 2011 publication of Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance (Palgrave), written by dance scholar and critic Brenda Dixon Gottschild, esteemed author of several books on dance. Joan Myers Brown’s undisputed status as a leader in the national and international arts communities were acknowledged when she was selected to receive the 2012 National Medal of the Arts, the nation’s highest civic honor for excellence in the arts. President Barack Obama presented the prestigious honor at a ceremony that took place in July 2013 at the White House. President Obama cited Ms. Brown for carving out “an artistic haven for African American dancers and choreographers to innovate, create, and share their unique visions with the national and global dance communities.” In 2019, Ms. Brown received the prestigious New York Dance & Performance Award – The Bessie for Lifetime Achievement – for helping shape American dance for over six decades of generosity, artistry, and leadership in choreography, training, and mentoring dancers and emerging artists at her school and PHILADANCO!, and for championing and creating spaces for the work of African American choreographers through the formation of seminal organizations such as The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD). In May 2020, Ms. Brown celebrated two landmark achievements – PHILADANCO! ‘s 50th year and the Philadelphia School of Dance Arts’ 60th year. Christine Cox Artistic & Executive Director, BalletX Christine Cox co-founded BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, with Matthew Neenan in 2005. The BalletX team has produced over 100 world premiere ballets by nearly 60 renowned and emerging choreographers to date, reaching more than 150,000 dance patrons. Under her leadership as Artistic & Executive Director, the company has performed at prestigious national stages including The Kennedy Center, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Vail International Dance Festival, and The Joyce Theater. Throughout her tenure, Cox has committed BalletX to expanding dance’s vocabulary for all audiences, promoting initiatives that make contemporary ballet accessible and welcoming to new audience members. In 2013, she and her team launched The X-Process, an engagement program that invites audience members to participate in pre-show conversations with choreographers, an interactive lecture series about contemporary ballet, and open rehearsals. Through the Dance eXchange education program, she has partnered with elementary schools from the Philadelphia School District to emphasize dance as a means to promote self-confidence and acquire valuable life skills, reaching more than 2,000 local students in its first six years. Cox also led a TEDx talk at the George School about innovation in the field of contemporary ballet, from the art form’s historical traditions to today’s world of evolving definitions and globalization. Cox has prioritized making both artistic and civic connections as a leader in her Philadelphia community. As an arts leader, she has served on review panels for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Philadelphia Arts & Business Council. For her work as a choreographer, educator, and performer, Christine has been recognized with two Rocky Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, as well as fellowships from the Independence Foundation and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The 2022 Visionary Awards will be held at the recently completed amenity floors of the new Arthaus Condominium on the Avenue of the Arts.