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The Record
Published Monday, Oct 16, 2006
Ian Hill
Record Staff Writer
Stockton arts awards move to Bob Hope Theatre
STOCKTON - You walk the red carpet to the doors of the Bob Hope Theatre feeling like a movie star. Men in suits and women in gowns socialize under the dramatic shadows cast by the venue's exterior lights, creating the atmosphere of a Hollywood premiere.
But you're not here to see George Clooney or Julia Roberts. The star this night is the Stockton arts scene.
That's how Stockton arts commissioners want attendees to feel Friday at the 29th annual Arts Awards Celebration. Honorees include The Haggin Museum director Tod Ruhstaller, Maxine DalBen of Harlequin House Art Center and former Record writers Howard Lachtman, Sherman Spencer and Dianne Runion.
Joel Reyna Jr., chairman of the arts commission's award committee, expects at least 500 people to attend the gala. In the past, the awards were distributed at a dinner that drew from 150 to 200 arts patrons to area country clubs or banquet rooms.
Moving the celebration to the downtown landmark enables the commission to bring residents and artists together in one of the city's high-profile venues.
"It's going to help people see that Stockton has a lot of great artists and performers, and we are more than just the (negative) headlines that show up on the nightly news," Reyna said.
Arts commissioner and host Paula Sheil, 52, described the event as an arts festival in a Hollywood awards show-type atmosphere. A red carpet will be rolled out in front of the theater, and attendees are encouraged, although not required, to come well-dressed.
The ambiance, however, isn't reflected in tickets, which start at $15. Reyna said prices were kept low so that the average person could attend and experience art.
The awards celebration opens with a reception featuring live jazz, food and wine tasting. There will be a performance by Franklin High School salsa dancers. Photographs, paintings and sculptures by local artists will be on display. That will be followed by an awards ceremony that includes spoken-word poetry, a film by Sophoan Sorn and performances by New Dance Company and the Linda Tregle International Dance Company. Also set to perform is Stockton's Patricia Mercado, a former contestant on "Objetivo Fama," a television show filmed in Puerto Rico and similar to "American Idol."
"It brings everybody into the picture, every art discipline is display," said arts commission founder Marian Jacobs, 79, a member of the event's honorary host committee.
This year's honorees were chosen by an arts commission committee after a public nomination process. DalBen, 85, will receive the volunteer award in recognition of her four decades of teaching art at Harlequin House on south Center Street.
DalBen said she is happy to receive the award, and feels honored to have taught hundreds of people over the years. She was nominated by former students.
"This has become my family, and it's a pretty extended family," DalBen said. "It's a family of every color and every ethnic group."
Ruhstaller will receive the night's biggest honor - Stockton's Top Arts Recognition, or STAR. He's worked at The Haggin for 22 years, including 18 years as director. The Haggin marked its 75th anniversary this year.
Ruhstaller, 56, said he was humbled by the award.
"(I) didn't pull this off by myself. It was everyone I worked with over the last 22 years," he said. "I feel wonderful that I have been associated with something so positive for Stockton."
Contact reporter Ian Hill at (209) 943-8571 or ihill@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at http://online.recordnet.com/blogs/?q=blog/5
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