On February 20, the Newington-Cropsey Cultural Studies Center presented
its eleventh annual Award for Excellence in the Arts to Dana Gioia, former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The honor was conferred at a dinner at the Lotus Club in New York City, by James F. Cooper, founding director of the Cultural Studies Center. Dana Gioia’s passion for excellence underlies both his craftsmanship as a poet and his success in public arts policy. An internationally acclaimed and award-winning poet, he has published three full-length collections of poetry, including Interrogations at Noon, which won the 2002 American Book Award. His critical study Can Poetry Matter? is widely credited with bringing poetry to a broader audience.
 
During his tenure at the NEA, Gioia strengthened the national consensus in favor of public funding for the arts and arts education, garnering bipartisan support in the United States Congress. He distributed grants to previously under- served communities and created a series of National Initiatives: Shakespeare in American Communities, which sends professional theater companies on tour to perform for students; Operation Homecoming, writing workshops for returning troops; and the Big Read, the latest literacy program in the history of the federal government.
 
The Newington- Cropsey Cultural Studies Center Award for Excellence in the Arts is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the arts and society. Previous recipients: Frederick E. Hart, Frank Mason, Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Victoria R. Sirota, Henry Hope Reed, William H. Gerdts, Burton Silverman, Alvin Holm, Robert Fagles and Donald Kuspit.