THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTS ALLIANCE OF CHICAGO CELEBRATES THE CITY’S RICH CULTURE AND TALENT AT THE 13TH ANNUAL BLACK EXCELLENCE AWARDS PRESENTING THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO ERNEST PERRY JR.

image001The Black Excellence Awards, a program produced by the African American Arts Allianceof Chicago, announces the 13th Annual Awards Ceremony, an elegant evening at the DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Place, on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  The Black Excellence Awards is the only interdisciplinary awards ceremony in Chicago that is dedicated to honoring and celebrating the African American Artists in the fields of theater, music, dance, film and visual arts. 

The Black Excellence Awards will honor the most outstanding talent within the African American interdisciplinary arts community, including the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ernest Perry Jr., a consummate actor and arts activist. Mr. Perry has gained status as one of the most prolific actors in the community having worked in Chicago for 40 years with the most renowned theater companies, including Black Ensemble Theater, the Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre and eta Creative Arts, among others.  Mr. Perry has also worked internationally, performing in England, Paris, Ireland and Germany.  He was one of the co-founders of Amistad Theatre, a highly political theater company dedicated to showcasing African American talent in the late ‘70s.  Mr. Perry has received numerous awards from several prestigious organizations including the Jeff Committee, The Black Theater Awards, as well as special recognition as an esteemed actor in over 95 productions.  He is an arts activist very active in fighting for equal rights within the artistic community and a board member of Actor’s Equity for the past ten years.

The Black Excellence Awards is one of the most anticipated events of the year and its purpose is to increase public awareness, interaction, communication and development of African American arts organizations and artists within the City of Chicago.  The African American Arts Alliance of Chicago is a not-for-profit professional service organization—which includes theaters, dance, music, literature, visual arts groups and individual artists—that strives to perpetuate a positive image of its membership and to enhance awareness of the strong economic and educational impact that the activities of the membership sustain within the City of Chicago.  While the award recipients are determined by the Black Excellence Committee, the African American Arts Alliance is the producer of The Black Excellence Awards.

The Black Excellence Committee

The Black Excellence Committee is a 30-member committee of the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago.  The committee is made up of community members who are patrons of the arts.  The purpose of the committee is to establish criteria in which to judge the excellence of individuals within the artistic mediums of theater, dance, film, literature, visual arts and music.  It is the role of the committee to design and implement a judging process in each artistic area which will result in the nomination and selection of specific individuals to receive The Black Excellence Awards.  Black Excellence Awards are judged and chosen solely by The Black Excellence Awards Committee.

Tickets for the Black Excellence Awards are $40 for adults and $20 for children under 12 and are available by visiting the African American Arts Alliance website: africanamericanartsallianceofchicago.org.

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