Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, will be honored by the Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY with its second annual Himmel Award, celebrating leaders in the world of the arts for their significant achievements and innovations.  Following a cocktail reception on October 17, 2010, Campbell will deliver the second annual Himmel lecture, entitled "What's Public About Public Art."

"This lecture series and award was conceived as a celebration and validation of original scholarship, innovative achievement, and visionary thinking in the arts," explained Betty Himmel, Katonah Museum Overseer and past President, for whom the award is named. "Dean Campbell is now at the helm of one of the most prestigious schools in the country - a place that, in her words, incubates courageous artists, scholars, and intellectuals who will be the lightning rods and change agents for their generation. Her penchant for asking difficult questions, re-examining assumptions, and challenging unthinking orthodoxy will be evidenced in her talk which will explore some well-known successes and failures of public art of the past 50 years and will suggest how each example reveals as much about a people, a country, or given community as it does about the individual artist."

Neil Watson, Katonah Museum's Executive Director, noted, "The nominating committee was unanimous on Dean Campbell as this year's recipient.  Her outstanding leadership in both museums and education dovetail perfectly with the Katonah Museum's mission and its programs."

For more information about the Katonah Museum Himmel Award and the Katonah Museum of Art, please contact Laura Bass at 914.232.9555, ext. 2978.