As we wind up 1996, it’s nice to be able to share some thank-yous handed out
to a number of local arts enthusiasts who made a difference in the arts in
Austin this past year. The City of Austin’s 1996 Partners in the Arts &
Humanities Awards have honored the following for their significant support to
the City’s arts, humanities, historic preservation, education, and
interpretation programs: Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. for funding scholarships
and improvements to the Dougherty Arts Center (DAC); Mary Alice Carnes for
chairing Playfest ’96; the Austin Circle of Theatres for promoting DAC as a
friendly performance space; the Iseley School and AISD Transportation
Department for providing transportation to DAC classes; the UT Department of
Theatre & Dance dramaturgy classes for assisting with the Texas Young
Playwrights program; Zilker Elementary School for staff support and hosting an
after-school Creativity Club; Austin American-Statesman arts critic Madeline
Irvine for reviewing DAC Gallery exhibitions; Whole Foods Market, Gateway for
donating refreshments to DAC Gallery exhibit openings; Waterloo Brewing
Company, Billy A. Forrester, Jr. for supporting the O. Henry Museum and
underwriting the 1996 “O. Henry Pun-Off”; Austin Optimist Club Downtown for
underwriting the O. Henry Museum’s “Youth-at-Arts” Writing Clubs; Karen McGraw
and Alan Marburger for providing aid and advocacy to the Elisabet Ney Museum;
Tom Mendez, Fine Host Corporation for providing 1,440 dyed and boiled Easter
eggs and refreshments for Ney Museum events; Deborah Roberts for her “Success
Comes in Cans” art program at the George Washington Carver Museum; KGSR
107.1/KROX 101 for donating $40,000 to improve the Zilker Hillside Theatre;
Bernie Gonzales for her volunteer work on the Art in Public Places Image
Catalog Project; the Austin Area Garden Council for donating $50,000 to fund
creation of the Zilker Park Gate; Lanyce Whittemore for co-chairing the
Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm’s Fall Festival and assisting in fundraising;
Friends of the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm for providing 10,000 hours of
volunteer work and advocacy; and Jeanette Nassour for chairing the University
Area Partners Task Force for the Beautification of Guadalupe Street.
Congratulations, folks, and thanks!
Getting Seen
The Medore von Koffler Studio and Gallery has been accepted for exhibition inone of the world’s most exclusive galleries. The esteemed Eleonore Austerer
Gallery of San Francisco has invited area glass artists Jay von Koffler and
Melissa Medore to feature a collection of their original works, beginning with
an exhibition in early 1997. The pieces will share space with works by Picasso,
Chagall, Miro, and other legendary artists. If you won’t be up in the Bay Area
any time soon, you can see Medore and von Koffler’s creations in their Hill
Country studio, exactly 3.2 miles from Wimberley Square on FM 3237 (Kyle Rd.).
Call 512/847-7002 for info.
This article appears in January 3 • 1997 and January 3 • 1997 (Cover).