2020 Distinguished Artist Award, Composer
Michael Gandolfi has a broad range of musical interests encompassing not only contemporary concert music but also jazz, blues, and rock, by which route he first became a musician. The span of his musical investigation is paralleled by his cultural curiosity, resulting in many points of contact between the world of music and other disciplines, including science, film, and theater.
Photo credit: Matthew Cavanaugh
2021 Distinguished Artist Award – Multi Media
Afaa M. Weaver credits his literary accomplishments to his lifelong engagement with Chinese culture. In Taiwan in 2019, he received the 96th Medal from the Artists and Writers Association. He now lives with his wife Kristen Skedgell in upstate New York and is a member of the MFA faculty at Sarah Lawrence. At Simmons University, where he held the Alumnae Chair for twenty years, Weaver is now Professor Emeritus.
Photo credit: Rachel Eliza Griffith
2018 Distinguished Artist Award – Performance Art
Danielle Abrams’ performances arise from the social tides that shape her mixed-race and queer identities. Her work reimagines the narratives of segregation, civil rights, and popular culture. Abrams has performed at ICA Boston; Detroit Institute of the Arts; The Jewish Museum (NY); Queens Museum; and other sites. She has received awards from The Boston Foundation, Boston Center of the Arts, New York Foundation of the Arts, and Franklin Furnace. Abrams is a Professor of Practice in Performance at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.
