For Immediate Release

 

Contact:         Maryjane Briant
                        News and Media Relations Director
                        Galloway, N.J. 08205
                        Maryjane.Briant@stockton.edu
                        (609) 652-4593
                        stockton.edu/media

Galloway, N.J. - Stockton University was honored with the Lillian Levy Standing Ovation Award from the South Jersey Cultural Alliance (SJCA) at the Paul Aiken Encore Awards ceremony held in Oaklyn, N.J. on May 15.

“This is the highest honor in our community, which Stockton University deserves for its commitment to the arts in South Jersey,” said SJCA Executive Director Karen Pinzolo.

The university was cited for its support for the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton, which has four locations, the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage at the university’s Woodbine, N.J., instructional site, the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, with a large gallery in the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City, and for partnering with the SJCA to create an internship program.

The SJCA offices are located in Kramer Hall, 30 Front St. in Hammonton, N.J., Stockton’s instructional site which also hosts an art gallery and many cultural events. Kramer Hall is home to the Murphy Writing Center and the South Jersey Cultural and History Center, both of Stockton.

Stockton also supports the Bay Atlantic Symphony, its orchestra-in-residence, and the Ed Vezinho/Jim Ward Big Band, its jazz orchestra-in-residence. Dante Hall Theater in Atlantic City, operated by Stockton, presents year-round cultural programming including plays, musicals, lectures and film festivals. The School of Arts and Humanities also presents theatre, dance and other programs which are open to the community.

“Stockton’s commitment to the arts is simply boundless and we are so honored to be recognized for our authentic and genuine desire to support the arts throughout all of South Jersey,” said President Harvey Kesselman.

Kesselman quoted former First Lady Michelle Obama on the centrality of the arts: “‘The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.’”

The purpose of the awards ceremony “is to increases community awareness of the region’s vibrant arts and history and cultural organizations which contribute to the quality of life, lifelong learning and economic revitalization of communities,” said Pinzolo. The Standing Ovation award is named for the late Lillian Levy, former chair of the State Council of the Arts and a talented musician and artist. The late Paul Aiken, for whom the overall awards ceremony is named, was executive and artistic director of the South Jersey Regional Theater, formerly located in Somers Point.

For more information about Stockton University, visit stockton.edu.