encore awards

Join members of the arts and business communities of New York City to celebrate the spirit and innovation of exemplary arts/business partnerships, creative business volunteers, and excellence in arts management. The evening will include networking, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres in addition to the awards presentation.

You will receive one free raffle ticket with each event ticket purchased. Grand Prize: a gift certificate for $150 at the Union Square Café. Additional raffle tickets may be purchased for $5 each, or 6 for $25. Raffle tickets will automatically be entered to win. Winner will be announced at the event and does not need to be present.

2011 HONOREES

Arts & Business Partnership:  Chase & Bronx Council on the Arts
With its recent gift of a former bank building to the Bronx Council on the Arts, Chase demonstrates leadership and vision for a revitalized arts and cultural community in the Bronx. For many years, the JPMorgan Chase Foundation has been an exemplary corporate citizen that has supported arts and culture commerce in the Bronx and beyond. On April 4, 2011, Mayor Bloomberg presided at a press conference announcing that through the strategic and philanthropic support of JPMorgan Chase, a former Washington Mutual bank branch is to become BCA’s new headquarters that will serve as a vital anchor for the revitalized Westchester Square business district in the Bronx. BCA has leveraged this gift to develop collaborations with the Westchester Square community, the Westchester Square Merchants’ Association, local businesses, and local artists. This creative and lasting support provides a model for growing and sustaining communities by spotlighting the arts and their role as economic catalysts.

Creative Business Volunteer:  Linda L. D'Onofrio, Of Counsel at Day Pitney LLP, for her work with Roundabout Theatre Company
Ms. D’Onofrio, Of Counsel in Day Pitney LLP’s Public Finance Group, is nationally recognized in the field of tax law and was recently named one of the New York area’s best lawyers by New York magazine. As a member of Roundabout’s Leadership Council and its Development Committee, she spearheads outreach to enhance the organization’s sustainability and financial strength. She has spent hundreds of hours volunteering with Roundabout’s management on the tax-exempt financing structure for the Studio 54 theater. Combining her passion for the theater with unique professional expertise, she is a tireless ambassador and an indispensable leader who has helped ensure Roundabout’s future success for generations to come.

Excellence in Arts Management:  Patricia Cruz, Executive Director of Harlem Stage
As executive director of Harlem Stage, Ms. Cruz led the organization through a $26 million capital project, resulting in the first new performance facility developed in Harlem in over 20 years. An abandoned part of the 19th century Croton Aqueduct system was transformed into The Gatehouse, a 192-seat state-of-the-art flexible performance space and administrative home for the organization—and was awarded by the Landmarks Conservancy for outstanding preservation efforts of a historic site. Her savvy in fostering creative partnerships that extend Harlem’s rich cultural legacy with artists of color has provided maximum access to new audiences, talents, and revenue streams for Harlem Stage. The cost-effective business model also provides for an exponential increase in marketing exposure for Harlem Stage and for its partners.

Special Award:  New York Live Arts (Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company & Dance Theater Workshop Reimagined)
In 2010, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Dance Theater Workshop (DTW) announced a merger of the two organizations to form New York Live Arts, a new model of artist-led organization that aims to support movement-based artists through adaptive approaches to creation, presentation, touring, education, and community engagement. New York Live Arts is based at DTW’s home, the Doris Duke Performance Center at 219 West 19th Street in Manhattan, and is led by Bill T. Jones (who first performed at DTW in 1980) as Executive Artistic Director, Carla Peterson as Artistic Director, and Jean Davidson as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director.

Encore 2011 Sponsors:  Con Edison, Deutsche Bank

Read the press release.

View our past honorees:        

• Arts & Business Partnership
• Creative Business Volunteer
• Excellence in Arts Management

For general inquires about the Encore Awards, please call 212.279.5910, x1126 or e-mail encore@artsandbusiness-ny.org.