That Uppity Theatre Company

PRESS RELEASE

St. Louis/September 25

Grand Center, Inc. proudly announces the winners of the First Annual Visionary Awards honoring women dedicated to advancing the arts in the St. Louis community. In a ceremony to be held Wednesday November 19th, 6:30 pm at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis in Grand Center.

GCI will honor exceptional women in the following categories:

Major Contributor to the Arts: Donna Moog, President of the Trio Foundation of St. Louis.

Outstanding Arts Professional: Carol North, Artistic Director of Metro Theater Company

Successful Working Artist: Joan Lipkin, Founder and Artistic Director of That Uppity Theatre Company and The DisAbility Project

Emerging Artist: Jenna Bauer, Founder of the South City Open Studio and Gallery for Children

All were chosen as women who are dedicated to advancing the arts in the St. Louis Community. Honorary Co-Chairs of the event are KEZK�s Cindy Collins and KSDK�s Leisa Zigman.

Major Contributor to the Arts, Donna Moog, has devoted much of her adult life to improving the community through involvement in nonprofit organizations. She has served on the boards of numerous agencies, including Craft Alliance, Paraquad, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, Loyola Academy and the Metropolitan Association for Philanthropy. Donna has also served as president of the boards of the Forum for Contemporary Art, now the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis. During her tenure as President of the Contemporary, she led the museum as it developed a strategic plan which included a $12 million capital campaign for its first permanent facility, and the selection of internationally-acclaimed architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture to design the 27,000 square foot building which opened in September 2003. As President of the Trio Foundation of St. Louis, Donna has lead efforts to donate to hundreds of nonprofits, including more than $1.8 million to arts and cultural organizations since the Foundation's inception in 1991. Donna's leadership in the philanthropic community also includes involvement in several funders' groups, including the Family Foundation Roundtables and Gateway to Giving, both through the Metropolitan Association for Philanthropy, as well as the Arts Funders Group.

Outstanding Arts Professional, Carol North, is Artistic Director of Metro Theater Company, St. Louis� premiere professional theater for young people and families the internationally acclaimed touring ensemble known for its original pieces combining theater, music and movement. Carol joined the company in 1977 as an actor and succeeded the founder as the company�s second artistic director in 1980. Under her direction, Metro Theater Company has toured 39 states and performed in numerous international festivals. An adjunct instructor at Maryville University, Carol designed and continues to teach Metro Theater Company's professional development program for educators, Reaching All the Learners Through the Arts. Carol has served the National Endowment for the Arts as a panelist and site reporter since 1988 and currently serves as vice president of the National Board of ASSITEJ/USA, the international organization of professional theaters for young people.

Successful Working Artist, Joan Lipkin. For over 15 years, Joan has worked successfully and has provided outstanding leadership as a playwright, director, social activist and educator, attracting international attention for her groundbreaking work. In 1989, Joan founded That Uppity Theatre Company to put the principals of cultural diversity into innovative theatrical practice and developed several critically acclaimed and long-running performance series including The Alternate Currents/Direct Currents Series and, with the Center of Creative Arts, Women CenterStage. Additional theatre projects have included creating The Real Deal with breast cancer survivors for the Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure, and Diverse Works on fostering diversity in the workplace for SSM Healthcare. Performing for over 16,000 people, The DisAbility Project which Joan founded in 1996 is an internationally recognized ensemble of disabled and able-bodied professional and amateur actors using a workshop format to craft theatrical material about the culture of disability. Most recently, Joan has been commissioned to write a song cycle for the New York City Gay Men�s Chorus to be performed at Lincoln Center this Spring.

Emerging Artist, Jenna Bauer, earned her BFA in painting from Webster University in 2000 and is a graduate of the CAT (Community Artist Training) Institute. Prior to pursuing visual art, Bauer studied Music Education and Elementary Education at Indiana University. She has twice been the director of the Summer Day Camp for the City of Ballwin and has worked with children in numerous settings including the Point at Ballwin Commons, Garfield Elementary, The New City School, and the Center of Contemporary Arts (COCA). She lives in Downtown St. Louis and maintains a studio in the Leather Trades Building. In addition to directing and teaching at The South City Open Studio and Gallery for Children (SCOSAG), she exhibits her prints, paintings, and drawings at various St. Louis art venues.

Grand Center, Inc. headed by Vince Schoemehl, is the non-profit organization charged with creating a vibrant urban neighborhood by facilitating the development of an arts, entertainment, and education district. The area included extends from St. Francis Xavier Church on Saint Louis University�s campus to St. Alphonsus The Rock Church in the 1100 block of North Grand and from Compton Avenue to Vandeventer Avenue. Tickets for the event are $75 or $35 for emerging supporters and students, and can be obtained by calling Colleen Carlton at 289-1519.

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