Lewin will be honored on Thursday, May 10 at an award dinner at the Arts Club. Lewin is a writer, editor, dancer, and choreographer. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Barnard College and Columbia University and has performed with several dance companies, including her own. Night’s Dancer is her first book. She lives in New York.

Night’s Dancer chronicles the career of Janet Collins (1917–2003), a classical and modern dancer who in 1951 became the first African-American prima ballerina with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. She also worked with influential choreographers Lester Horton and Katherine Dunham; was the only teacher of color during her time at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet; appeared in films; and danced on Broadway for Agnes de Mille and Hanya Holm.

Beginning with Collins’ unfinished memoir detailing her early life, Lewin continues the fascinating portrait of the pioneering dancer and choreographer, drawing on her own extensive research and interviews with Collins and her family, friends, and colleagues.

On Wednesday, May 9 at 7:00 p.m., Lewin will speak about Collins and her book in a free public program at the club.

Night’s Dancer was selected from among five finalist titles that also included The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun by Robert Greenfield (Simon & Schuster); Lee Krasner: A Biography by Gail Levin (William Morrow); The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster); and Modigliani: A Life by Meryle Secrest (Alfred A. Knopf).

The 2011 award judges are E. Ethelbert Miller, poet and director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University; Ted Libbey, critic and author of The NPR Listener’s Encyclopedia of Classical Music; and Sophy Burnham, award-winning playwright, novelist, and nonfiction writer.

Inaugurated in 2006, The Marfield Prize annually honors the author of an outstanding nonfiction book about the arts written for a general audience, and carries a cash award of $10,000. It is one of the largest literary prizes given to a single author and is the only American award focusing on arts writing. The award’s endowment was established by long-time Arts Club member Jeannie S. Marfield in honor of Florence Berryman and Helen Wharton.

Bailey Kelliher, Virginia Commonwealth University (First place);
Marie A. Jarrell, Hampton University (First runner-up); and
Andrea Santelices, Georgetown University (Second runner-up).

The annual competition awards three scholarships ($1,500, $1,000, and $750) to students between between the ages of 18 and 26 studying in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, and focuses on a different discipline each year. The 2012 competition recognizes students whose work reflects an outstanding use of digital technology and techniques in 2-dimensional art and design.

Jurors for the competition were curator Jennifer Wexler, who most recently served as the director of visual arts for VSA, the International Organization on Arts and Disability, and Jayme McCelland, director of Civilian Art Projects in the District.

The scholarship recipients will be recognized at an April 26 member dinner event at the Arts Club.

As of this writing, September is fading with fond memories of an exceptional month for the Arts Club.  To begin, we had our memorable retrospective exhibit of the works of Mathilde Mueden Leisenring, one of our founding members. Special accolades to Pat Moore, the exhibit’s Curator.  Secondly, we had an extraordinary exhibit of contemporary art entitled “Hanoi 1000,” an exhibit sponsored by Vietnam’s Ambassador to the United Nations and curated by Raquelle Azran, an expert on Vietnamese art.  The exhibit was accompanied by a workshop given by Professor Trinh Tuan from the Hanoi Academy of Fine Arts.   Our annual Bristor Dinner was entertained by the area’s newest company, the talented Hub Opera Ensemble.  As of this writing, the Club has gained 25 new members since the month of June, the largest gain of members for such a short period in recent history!  Lastly, our state-of-the-art(s) website has grown phenomenally popular with 500-600 visitations per day!!  We are rapidly becoming “The” site to visit in the Washington area for information on the arts.  Many thanks to our website team, Henry Sienkiewicz, Skip Keats et al for their time and effort.  And many thanks to all Club members and friends for your help and support.

We anticipate a great end of September and October.  Please visit our website often to keep up-to-date with our enriching programs in the arts and special camaraderie.

All of the best,
Jack Hannula

If interested, please contact the Cinematography Committee Chair, Larry Jarvik.

-an ancient Vietnamese art form-

1 hr. video – demo of materials -discussion

by Master Painter  Prof. Trinh Tuan

Fee $9

-includes refreshments-

(free for weekend workshop participants )

Thursday, September 15^th, 6:30 – 8:30

[ information 202-549-7245 ]

Annie Leibovitz photographed Eileen Collins -- the first female pilot (Discovery, 1995) and first female commander (Columbia, 1999) of a space shuttle mission

NASA/ART: Space as Artistic Inspiration is the topic of a presentation at the Smithsonian on Monday, September 12 at 7:00 pm. One of the founding and current directors of NASA’s Art Program, club member Bert Ulrich, will show highlights of the works in the exhibition and tell stories of working with artists like Robert Rauschenberg and William Wegman as they captured and interpreted space exploration in their work.

Since 1962 more than 200 artists have contributed their time and talent to document and interpret the accomplishments, setbacks, and sheer excitement of space exploration, creating thousands of pieces. An assortment of their work is on view at the National Air and Space Museum through October 9.

Mr. Ulrich, Jim Dean and NASA curator Tom Crouch will show highlights of the works in the exhibition and tell stories of working with artists like Robert Rauschenberg and William Wegman as they captured and interpreted space exploration in their work.

For Tickets Contact: 202‐633‐3030.

Sean C, Hall, Non-Resident, (Orlando, FL), sustaining.

Lori Lofts, Non-Resident, (Tampa, FL), painting, sculpture, literature.

Margery Benson, Non-Resident, (Waynesboro, PA), music and painting.

Jeanne Sullivan, Resident, (Washington, DC), design arts and painting.

Bruce White, Non-Resident, (Caldwell, NJ) architecture, photography.

Lenora Conway, (reinstatement -Nonresident (Palmyra, VA), music and drama.

In addition, we have our Bristol Dinner, a black tie soirée; Café Spilsbury, and Friday concerts.

Be sure to bookmark the events you wish to attend.