47th Annual Arts Achievement Awards honors WSU alumni, community members

For 47 years, Wayne State University's Arts Achievement Awards have celebrated the visionaries, creators, educators and advocates who make an impact through the arts.

In total, six recipients will be recognized for artistic achievements and dedication to their craft during the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts' 47th Annual Arts Achievement Awards.

The College will celebrate the awardees during a special ceremony that is free and open to the public on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Detroit Jazz Hall in the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center. Guests are welcome to gather in the lobby at 5 p.m., prior to the celebration for a pre-glow ceremony.

"The Arts Achievement Awards recognize the extraordinary creativity, talent and dedication that make our artistic and professional communities so vibrant," said CFPCA Interim Dean Kelly Young. "They underscore Wayne State University's enduring commitment to the arts and to the artists and professionals who bring them to life - from the classrooms and studios where creativity and scholarship takes shape to the careers and communities our alumni continue to influence. Their impact extends well beyond campus, enriching culture and inspiring future generations."

See below for a list of this year's honorees, and click here to read their detailed bios :

• Stephanie James | James Pearson Duffy Department of Art, Art History, and Design
• Cletus Lewis | Department of Communication
• Dr. James Hartway | Department of Music
• Sarita Colon | Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance
• Andrew L. Camden | Dean's Arts Advocate
• Andrew McGuire | Dean's Arts Educator

In addition to the awards ceremony, a variety of workshops will be held throughout the week with the honorees:

• McGuire, deputy executive director of Fine and Performing Arts for the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) will host Organizing Sound: From Chaos to Collaboration on Nov. 10 in Old Main on WSU's campus. The workshop will feature an interactive music education experience that invites everyone, musician or not, to discover the power of sound, collaboration and creative problem-solving.

Through conversation, audience participation and live sound-making, McGuire will share his personal journey in the arts, work with DPSCD and the lessons learned from bringing people together through the arts. Students are encouraged to RSVP and come ready to participate, experiment and discover how to support the sounds, ideas and people around us. No musical experience is required.

• James, curator of modern and contemporary art, will host a workshop for Professor Samantha Noel's class on Nov. 11 in the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art, Art History, and Design. James will speak to Noel's Art and Design of the 1960s students.

• Hartway, a composer, along with harpist Kersten Allwin, will host the workshop The Cultural Process: Genesis of a Piece on Nov. 13 in Schaver Music Recital Hall during Prof. Shannan Hibbard's Introduction to Music Education class. Also in attendance will be theory and composition students, along with General Lectures.

Shawn Wright, communications liaison, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.