Last night the Raleigh Arts Commission presented their 2008 Medal of Arts awards in a ceremony that ranged from touching to hilarious to truly bizarre. Each year since 1984 around five people who have most positively impacted arts in the Raleigh area are honored by the city’s official arts advisory body. This year’s awards went to:

• Capital Bank (accepting: Grant Yarber)
• Susan Spurlin Newberry (of Pinecone fame)
• Lucy Daniels
• Lenard D. Moore
• Jeffery H. Richardson
• Dr. Charles “Chuck” Davis

The host of this year’s ceremony was Tift Merritt, who gave a wide-eyed welcome before handing over the bulk of the hosting duties to Arts Commission members Laura  Raynor and Brian Starkey. The evening  was dotted with a hugely diverse complement of live entertainment beginning with the Broadway Series South Student Ensemble’s performance of “One” (from “A Chorus Line”). Alternating with official presentations were performances by Al Batten and the Bluegrass Reunion, Tift Merritt and the Community Music School Honor Vocal Ensemble, Poet (and honoree) Lenard D. Moore, and the African American Dance Ensemble.

The evening was about the award winners, though, and and rightly highlighted each one’s contributions with a short introduction by an esteemed colleague, a top-notch profile video package not dissimilar from those seen on American Idol, and a short acceptance speech by the recipient. For example, the presentation for Broughton High School’s band director, Jeff Richardson (“JR”), began with a presentation by Elizabeth Grimes-Droessler who is in charge of the arts in the school system. The package, hosted by Ira David Wood, III showed JR in action, teaching the marching band at school, and even included plenty of snippets revealing his unique nature. “By nurture I don’t mean ‘nurture’,” Grimes-Droessler quipped. The real meat here, though, was impressions by school faculty and band alumni. JR, just like the others, has passionately made an indelible mark on the arts in Raleigh. Each presentation quickly opened a window into the interesting, sometimes creepy, but always endearing, characters that we are lucky to have here.

The night’s strangest moment came with Merritt’s performance with the children’s choir. I didn’t recognize the song, but it was an outstanding piano ballad along the lines of Sarah MacLachlan’s “Angel” (except it was in 4|4). While the song was stunning and the nervous choir was adequate, the ballad’s moment was doused by Merritt’s incessant foot stomping; not tapping, stomping!

The highlight of the night had to be the presentation for Chuck Davis and his Dance Ensemble. Davis needs no microphone and radiated his inclusive love throughout the audience when speaking. However the banter between him and the perky, adorable Raynor was something of which Hollywood producers dream. Hilarious and honest!

Davis and Merritt closed the ceremony with the evening’s keynote. While the accomplishments of many in the room are well known, we all need to share that energy and inspire tomorrow’s recipients. “The children are always watching. Lead the way and they will follow.”

A reception followed where the Broughton Jazz Band offered their take on some big band classics. That was the point where the evening truly jelled. Artists interacting with each other; a true community.

Read more about the evening by downloading the official program (.PDF)