In appreciation for their service to New York City, we are honored to recognize the 2008 recipients of the Spotlight Awards for preeminence in dance, music, theater, and visual arts education. We also want to say a special thanks to our special hosts and the individuals that made P.S. Arts Week possible.

At each of the four evening events of P.S. Arts Week, we are proud to honor these individuals for their continued support of the arts in New York City's public schools with the 2008 Spotlight Awards. It's a chance to pay tribute to accomplished public school alumni, and to the aspiring students who hope to follow in their footsteps.

We are also privileged to have some of the most accomplished artists in their field and prominent arts supporters serve as our hosts for each evening of P.S. Arts Week. Read below and learn about the stars that will help our city celebrate student accomplishment in the arts!

Special Host:
Arthur Mitchell, Founder, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Arthur Mitchell is known around the world as an accomplished artistic director, astute educator, talented choreographer, and extraordinary dancer. As the founding artistic director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, with an illustrious career that has spanned over fifty years, Arthur Mitchell has been the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, a National Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the New York Living Landmark Award, the Handel Medallion, the NAACP Image Award, and more than a dozen honorary degrees.

Spotlight Award Winner for Dance:
Jody Gottfried Arnhold

Jody Gottfried Arnhold is a dance educator and advocate for the arts. She is the founding director of Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). DEL is based on her 25 years' experience teaching in the New York City schools and her interest in promoting an effective methodology for training dance teachers. Jody received a BA in English (University of Wisconsin), an MA in Dance Education (Columbia University) and is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University in Dance and Curriculum and Teaching. She is a Certified Movement Analyst (C.M.A.-Laban Institute for Movement Studies). Jody is chairman of the board of Ballet Hispanico and serves on the boards of the 92nd Street Y and the Center for Arts Education in New York City. Jody is co-chair of the Dance Curriculum Blueprint Committee, creating the New York City Department of Education Curriculum Blueprint for Teaching & Learning in Dance.

Special Host:
Joel I. Klein, New York City public schools Chancellor

Spotlight Award Winner for Music:
Clive Gillinson

Clive Gillinson became Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall in July 2005. He also oversees the management of all aspects of the world-renowned venue, including strategic and artistic planning, resource development, education, finance, and administration and operations for The Weill Music Institute which taps the resources of Carnegie Hall to bring music education to people in the New York City metropolitan region, across the United States, and around the world.

Mr. Gillinson joined the London Symphony Orchestra cello section in 1970 and was elected to the Board of Directors of the self-governing orchestra in 1976, also serving as Finance Director. In 1984 he was asked by the Board to become Managing Director of the LSO, a position he held until becoming the Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall in 2005.

His initiatives with the London Symphony Orchestra included the development of the LSO Discovery music education program, reaching over 30,000 people of all ages annually; and the creation of LSO St. Luke's, the UBS and LSO Music Education Center; which involved the restoration and reconstruction of St. Luke's, a magnificent, but previously derelict 18th-century church. Mr. Gillinson also created LSO Live, the orchestra's award-winning international CD label.

Mr. Gillinson has served as Chairman of the Association of British Orchestras; was one of the founding Trustees of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts; and was founding Chairman of the Management Committee of the Clore Leadership Programme. He serves on the Board of the American Symphony Orchestra League, and the Board of Overseers for the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia from which he received an Honorary Doctorate in May 2007.

Special Host:
Patti Harris, First Deputy Mayor

Spotlight Award Winner for Theater:
Gerald Schoenfeld

Gerald Schoenfeld is Chairman of the Board of the Shubert Organization, perhaps the most well-known owner and operator of live-performance theaters in the U.S. The Shubert Organization, which traces its roots back to the turn of the century, has played a key role in the history and development of the American theater, overseeing the production of countless classic plays, musicals, and other dramatic pieces.

Mr. Schoenfeld and his former partner, the late Bernard Jacobs, together gained control of the Shubert Organization several decades ago and are credited with revitalizing the operation. The Shubert Organization has brought to the stage dozens of productions, including such works as Amadeus, An Inspector Calls, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Most Happy Fella, Children of a Lesser God, The Heidi Chronicles, Little Shop of Horrors, and Cats. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr Schoenfeld has played a key role in community development and civic affairs in New York City. He has helped lead the effort to renew and improve Times Square and the surrounding area. Mr. Schoenfeld received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois and a law degree from New York University.

Special Host:
Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor

Spotlight Award Winner for Visual Arts:
Caroline Kennedy, Vice-Chair, The Fund for Public Schools

We would also like to say a special thanks to the following individuals for their contribution to P.S. Arts Week, and for their steadfast commitment to ensuring all of New York City’s public school students receive a full education in the arts.

• Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor
• Joel I. Klein, Schools Chancellor
• Patti Harris, First Deputy Mayor
• Dennis Walcott, Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development
• Allison Jaffin, Office of the First Deputy Mayor
• Megan Sheekey, President of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
• Kate D. Levin, Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs
• Jeanne B. Mullgrav, Commissioner, Department of Youth and Community Development
• Dr. Marcia V. Lyles, Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning
• Dr. Sharon Dunn, Senior Instructional Manager for Arts Education
• Paul L. King, Director of Theater Programs
• Joan Finkelstein, Director of Dance Programs
• Barbara Murray, Director of Music Programs
• Karen Rosner, Coordinator of Visual Arts
• Honorable Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., New York City Council Member, District 47
• Honorable Robert Jackson, New York City Council Member, District 7
• Bonnie Rosenberg, Project Director, Out-of-School Time Initiative, Office of the Mayor