In
photograph from left to right are some of the awardees:
Chike
Nwoffiah, Director, California Black Arts Alliance; Brenda Jew Waters,
Arts consultant, West Coast Connections; Barry Hessenius, Director
of California Arts Council; Ramaa Bharadvaj, dancer/dance activist
and director of Angahara Dance Ensemble; Michael Alexander, Director,
Grand Performances; Vinay Patel, Administrative Director, Asian
Improv Arts.
Ramaa Bharadvaj,
the Director of Angahara Dance Ensemble, was one of 11 recipients to be
honored by the California Arts Council with its prestigious DIRECTORS AWARD
FOR 2003. This annual award recognizes outstanding leaders in the
California arts field for their extraordinary commitment to, and dedicated
support for the arts in the state and is given to those who embody the
highest commitment to the arts in California. She was the only performing
artist to be honored with this award this year.
The awards
were handed out at a public ceremony in San Francisco on Jan 14th 2004.
In introducing Ramaa Bharadvaj, Barry Hessenius, the director of the Arts
Council said "she is a woman with an infectiously positive spirit and a
never-say-no attitude, who has made a tremendous difference in the arts
community through her activism." The awardees are not selected by
a nomination process, but by unanimous choice by the council members.
The California
Arts Council is a state government agency, which was slated for elimination
by the government in 2003. Ramaa initiated a grassroots campaign
in May 2003. She organized the first public "aRTS aLIVE" Rally in
Santa Monica, gathering together the community of leaders, artists and
arts advocates. She raised great media awareness and spearheaded
a campaign to save the Arts Council even speaking at a public Rally in
Sacramento in front of the Capitol building. A logo designed by her
was used as a symbol for the fight for Arts funding in California.
A renowned
dancer and choreographer, Ramaa Bharadvaj is the recipient of multiple
Lester Horton Dance Awards in Los Angeles.
|
