O.C. Arts Groups, Individuals Honored

Three lifetime achievement awards and 17 annual achievement awards were presented at the third annual Orange County Arts Awards ceremony Thursday at the Four Seasons hotel in Newport Beach.

Arts Orange County, a nonprofit countywide arts council, hosted the event.

Receiving Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Awards for lifetime achievement--named after the 19th century Shakespearean actress who lived in Orange County--were Judith O’Dea Moor, executive vice president of the Orange County Performing Arts Center; choreographer Donald McKayle, professor of dance at UC Irvine; and John and Elizabeth Stahr, community arts philanthropists.

Honored for outstanding work completed in 2001 in the category of Outstanding Arts Organization were Stages (Theater), Rude Guerrilla (Theater), Festival Ballet Theatre (Dance), Pacific Chorale (Music), Laguna Art Museum (Visual Arts), and Irvine Barclay Theatre (Multidisciplinary Arts).

Outstanding Individual Artist honorees were Laurie Brown (Visual) and Teri Ralston (Performing). In the category of Outstanding Arts Patron, the honorees were John and Sandy Daniels (Individual/Couple), and the city of Laguna Beach (Government). Honorees in the category of Outstanding Volunteer were Vesta Curry (Individual/Couple), and the Committees of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County (Support Group).

Honorees for Outstanding Arts Educator were Beverly Chaffee and J.H. McGaugh School (School); After School Arts, city of Santa Ana (District); Helen Seigel (District/Individual); Pacific Symphony Orchestra Education Programs (Professional Arts Organization); and Troy Botello (Professional Arts Organization/Individual).

The lifetime achievement awards were selected by a committee of about 20 members, who convened a panel of nine arts professionals to determine the other awards, according to Arts Orange County Executive Director Bonnie Brittain Hall.

The panel is drawn from the 120 members of Arts Orange County, she said.

The emcees for the event were Jerry Mandel, president of the Performing Arts Center, and Cynthia Harriss, president of Disneyland Resort.