Alumni News

Actress Holland Taylor ’64 has earned this year’s Public Leadership in the Arts Award from the Americans for the Arts organization. Given in recognition of “an elected official or artist who plays an important role in the advancement of the arts and arts education,” past recipients include public officials Nancy Pelosi, Edward Kennedy, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as artists Herbie Hancock, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, and Gloria Estefan.

When alumni return to campus, they remember what Bennington meant to them, what endures, and what has transformed. We asked several alumni to take us off on their tour of campus, both recalling it as it was when they were here and seeing it anew.

The entire Bennington community mourns the loss of Helen Frankenthaler ’49, one of the most influential figures in contemporary American art and a former Bennington trustee, who died on December 27, at the age of 83.

Laura-Lee Whittier Woods ’48 honors former faculty member Peter Drucker with a $10 million gift to Bennington in his name.

Choreographer Liz Lerman ’69 (below, center) was one of 50 artists this year to receive a $50,000 fellowship from United States Artists (USA).