It's a great honor in Connecticut to be chosen as a winner of the Governor's Arts Awards, and this year, Yale may feel as pleased as the winners, since three of the four award recipients are members of its faculty.
Alison Chase, John Hollander and Aldo Parisot -- along with Connecticut artist Paul Cadmus -- were selected for the award, which recognizes the achievements and contributions of "exceptional state artists, organizations or businesses." The awards were presented by Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland during the 1997 Connecticut Arts Gala, held May 31 at The Bushnell in Hartford.
The artists, who are all nationally or internationally known, were selected by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. This year, in response to the decline in federal support for artists, the awards were presented only to individuals.
Ms. Chase, a lecturer in theater studies at the School of Drama, is primarily known for her work with the Pilobolus Dance Theatre. Since 1973, she has been artistic director of the dance company, which is renowned for its inventive combination of body sculpture, acrobatics and theater into a singular repertoire. Pilobolus has performed on Broadway and has appeared on the PBS programs "Dance in America" and "Great Performances," as well as on the "Tonight Show." In addition to her work with Pilobolus, Ms. Chase has also choreographed for La Scala Opera, Geneva Opera, the Fete du L'Humanite and the Ballet du Rhin, among others. She teaches dance at art schools and universities across America.
Mr. Hollander, Sterling Professor of English, has published 21 collections of poetry, including "A Crackling of Thorns," which won the Yale Series of Younger Poets competition in 1958 and the 1986 volume "In Time and Place," which was heralded in the Times Literary Supplement as "a landmark in contemporary poetry." He also has written numerous books of criticism and is a contributor to such magazines as The New Yorker, Paris Review, Commentary and Esquire. He has been characterized in the New Republic as "one of our language's true mythographers and one of its very best poets." According to J.D. McClatchy, editor of the Yale Review, Professor Hollander's work "as scholar, teacher and editor is held in high esteem, and no critic of poetry is his superior." Mr. Hollander's other honors include a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Bollingen Prize and the Levinson Prize for Poetry.
One of the world's master cellists, Aldo Parisot has been teaching students of the instrument at Yale since 1958. Born in Brazil, he came to the United States in his early 20s and has since performed with the world's major orchestras. He has premiered numerous works for cello, including many written especially for him. Considered one of the world's foremost cello teachers, he has also conducted master classes across the globe, including in such countries as China and Israel. His numerous awards and accolades include the United Nations Peace Medal.
The Connecticut Commission on the Arts has presented awards to Connecticut citizens since 1978. Among the 79 previous recipients are playwright Arthur Miller, jazz musician Dave Brubeck, visual artist Helen Frankenthaler and vocalist Marian Anderson, as well as the National Theatre of the Deaf, the Artists Collective and Xerox Corporation.