Creativity & Arts Soiree and Award Winners

The Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts (CCA) will hold the Third Annual Creativity & Arts Soiree on Fri., Sept. 10 from 4-7:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. As in years past, the Soiree is free and open to the public, and will feature performances and activities from the performing, visual, and literary arts, Michael C. Carlos Museum and Emory Libraries. New additions include an interactive music activity facilitated by Emory Dance Program staff members Kendall Simpson and Klimchak, food demonstrations provided by Emory Dining, a raffle of gift cards to local restaurants for freshmen, and the first ever Creativity & Arts Awards

The Creativity & Arts Awards will spotlight core values of the Center for Creativity & Arts, including discovery, societal impact, courageous inquiry, innovation, collaboration, human spirit, and the exploration of new frontiers. Awards will be given to community members as well as Emory alumni, faculty, staff and students who have made significant artistic and administrative contributions to the arts in metro-Atlanta. The awards presentation will be in the Chace Upper Lobby at 6:45 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The CCA is excited to recognize the first ever Creativity & Arts Awards winners.

Lauri Stallings – Community Impact Award

Lauri Stallings is a contemporary dancemaker interested in the research of dance and its adherent ability to develop human potential. Unlike most professional dancers, Stallings did not attend a professional school affiliated with a company. Rather, her formal studies were at Pofahl Studios in her hometown of Gainesville, Florida, followed by Point Park University in Pittsburgh, under the tutelage of Roberto Munoz. Lauri Stallings is based out of Atlanta, with gloATL, an integrated forum of contemporary artists who aim to create language, in their respectable artistic forms, that is relevant in today's world. In its inaugural season, gloATL has commissioned works in New York City, Chicago and Vancouver, BC. As well, residencies with gloATL include Kennesaw State University and Inwood Dance. Independently in the 09-10 season Stallings created new work for River North Dance Chicago in honor of their 20th anniversary, a 1 Act work for Ballet Nouveau Colorado, and a new creation for Ballet Augsburg, Germany.

Lori Teague – Emory University Faculty Award

Lori Teague is an associate professor of dance at Emory University, an independent choreographer, and a performer. Since 1982, she has collaborated with both student and professional dancers to create work that delves into political, feminist, environmental, and social justice issues. She holds an M.F.A. in choreography and performance from The Ohio State University and certification in Laban Movement Studies. Teague is a Fieldwork facilitator in Atlanta and a member of Alternate Roots. She also trains artists to teach in under-served communities; serves as the program chair for Moving in the Spirit, a youth development program, on the board of Beacon Dance, and co-directs The Dancing Flowers for Peace, a new peace movement for women over 40.

Carlton Mackey – Emory University & Healthcare Staff Award

Carlton Mackey is the Assistant Director of the D. Abbott Turner Program in Ethics and Servant Leadership at the Emory University Center for Ethics. He also serves as the Chair of the Ethics Cente's exciting new Ethics & the Arts Initiative. Outside of Emory, Carlton is a professional photographer. Carlton's most recent project, 17 DEGREES AIN'T NOTHING, received a grant from the CCA and is currently on display in the Chace Upper Lobby in the Schwartz Center.

Dr. Jerry Cullum – Emory University Alumni Award

Dr. Jerry Cullum has written reviews and essays about visual art in Atlanta for the past quarter century, and frequently curated exhibitions for local venues. His essays and poems have appeared in national journals ever since his days in Emory's Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts, from which he received his doctorate in 1975. Cullum is Editor at Large of ART PAPERS Magazine, having previously served as Senior Editor since 1997 and Associate Editor since 1984.

Seyed Safavynia – Emory University Student Award

Seyed Safavynia is pursuing an MD/PhD dual degree at the Emory University School of Medicine. Seyed has served as neuroscience curriculum director for Emory's Pipeline Program, a program dedicated to educating underserved high school students in the health sciences; under his direction, the program placed particular emphasis on the neuroscience of music and movement. Seyed is a violinist by training, and has performed on numerous occasions on and off campus, most recently with the Emory Tango orchestra during the 2009-2010 season. In addition to composing and performing, Seyed is interested in taking the mathematical approaches used in neural processing and applying them to musical contexts, particularly in the elucidation of twentieth-century harmony.

Dr. David Schuster – Emory University Arts Volunteer Award

David Schuster joined Emory as an Assistant Professor in 2001. He is board certified in Radiology and in Nuclear Medicine and serves as Director of the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging in the Department of Radiology. David enjoys collecting art and is active in the Atlanta arts scene. He hopes that Emory can serve as a destination for the arts as well as a resource for the arts in the Atlanta region.

Edited by Kristen Gwock
Arts Associate
Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts