Dorset Theatre Festival's founder John Nassivera will be honored at the Vermont Arts Council’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 4th at 4 PM the State House in Montpelier. Following a short business meeting, Nassivera will be presented the prestigious Walter Cerf Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. Jane Lendway will receive a Citation of Merit Award for her commitment to Vermont’s Historic Preservation and grant recipients including musician Anais Mitchell, poet Stephen Cramer and visual artist Brian Cohen will showcase their work. Members in good standing can cast their vote for proposed bylaw changes and trustee nominees by mail, in person, or online at www.vermontartscouncil.org. Balloting on the day of the event begins at 8 AM and closes at 5 PM. Trustee nominees include David Carris of Marshfield, James Clubb of Dorset, Jay Hathaway of Dorset, Melinda Moulton of Huntington, Gary Reis of St. Johnsbury, Gerianne Smart of Vergennes and Steve Swayne of Quechee.
The Walter Cerf Award was created to honor Vermont artists who have made significant contributions to the development of their field, and to the quality of life and culture in America. John Nassivera was as the 2009 recipient for his dedicated work as producing director and co-founder of the Dorset Theatre Festival. Under his direction, DTF has been a launch pad for acclaimed plays and playwrights, receiving the Moss Hard Award for Outstanding Theatre in 1995 and 1997. Nassivera received a National Endowment for the Arts Playwriting Award and has authored several plays that have been presented in the U.S. and Canada. He is currently working on a play titled Sherlock Holmes and the People's King, and an adaptation of George Aiken's 1852 dramatization of Uncle Tom's Cabin. He is also writing two non-fiction books, Keywords and Becoming Roman Catholic: a secular humanist's story.
Jane Lendway took a position at the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation in 1975 and worked in just about every one of its programs by the time she retired in December 2008. Jane was the co-coordinator of The Vermont Downtown Program which has the most comprehensive “Main Street” program in the nation. In 2007 the World Travel and Tourism Council named Vermont’s downtowns 1st runner-up, after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, in an international competition for best destination.
The meeting will take place in the Senate Chamber at 4 PM and a public reception will follow in the Cedar Creek Room. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.vermontartscouncil.org.
