The MacDowell Colony

Photographer Nan Goldin accepting the 2012 Edward MacDowell Medal.

A picnic and open studios are features of Medal Day, the one day each year the grounds are open to the public.

Medal Day 2013

Stephen Sonheim 202 Stephen Sondheim is the 54th Edward MacDowell Medal winner. The Edward MacDowell Medal is an award given each year by The MacDowell Colony to an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to his or her field. On Sunday, August 11, 2013, the Medal will be awarded to the composer and lyricist during an award ceremony that begins at 12:15 p.m. Read our press release about Stephen Sondheim’s selection as this year’s Medalist.

The award ceremony will feature welcoming remarks from MacDowell’s Chairman, Michael Chabon, and an introduction of the Medalist by writer and critic Frank Rich. This year marks the first time a luminary has been chosen from the realm of musical theatre. After the ceremony, Medal Day guests can then enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds of the Colony at 1:15 p.m., followed by open studios hosted by MacDowell artists-in-residence from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring their own picnic lunches or to purchase a picnic basket for $20. A more detailed schedule of the day’s events will be posted in mid-July. Medal Day is free and open to the public, and takes place rain or shine.

The MacDowell Colony is grateful for the continued support of Lincoln Financial, which has served as the Medal Day Corporate Partner for more than 10 years.

For more information about Medal Day, please contact Dean Klingler at dklingler@macdowellcolony.org or 212-535-9690.

Medal Day 2011 Sunday, August 14th
ART:21 MACDOWELL MOMENTS Screening	10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
As a counterpoint to the hundreds of visitors enjoying ready access to the Colony’s artist studios and buildings on Medal Day, this short film reveals a more tranquil side of life for artists-in-residence at MacDowell. Produced in 2007 by renowned filmmaker and MacDowell board member Susan Sollins-Brown, this intimate documentary featuring first-person narratives from a diverse group of MacDowell artists will screen continuously in Colony Hall. 7 minutes.
A DELICATE BALANCE Screening	11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
This 1973 film version of Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name will be screened in the Eaves. Directed by Tony Richardson, this explosive film about a well-to-do Connecticut family that is seized by a nameless terror features stellar performances by Katharine Hepburn, Lee Remick, and Joseph Cotten. 133 minutes, rated PG.
AWARD CEREMONY	12:15 p.m.
The 2011 Edward MacDowell Medal is presented to playwright Edward Albee under the Medal Day tent. The award ceremony will feature speeches by:
Michael Chabon, Chairman of the Board Susan Davenport Austin, President Cheryl Young, Executive Director David Macy, Resident Director Mike Nichols, Presentation Speaker Edward Albee, Medalist
PICNIC BASKET LUNCH	1:15 p.m.
Enjoy an old-fashioned picnic lunch on the grounds of the Colony and relax in the summer beauty of New Hampshire. Guests may bring their own lunch or purchase a Medal Day picnic basket. Picnic baskets are available for pre-order through August 7th for $20 by clicking here.
MAKE ART: MAKE A SCENE	2:00–3:00 p.m.
MacDowell has joined forces with Andy’s Summer Playhouse of Wilton, NH, for this special Medal Day community engagement program sponsored by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. During the month of July, MacDowell playwrights Stephen Karam and Alexandra Napier collaborated with Jennifer Emerson Foreman, Andy’s Summer Playhouse lab director, to produce the John C. Russell Playwriting Lab. Karam and Napier mentored a group of young writers as they developed 10-minute plays that will be presented on the Medal Day stage in honor of 2011 Medalist Edward Albee.
OPEN STUDIO TOURS	2:00–5:00 p.m.
Tour the Colony's artist studios and interact with artists-in-residence, who provide an illuminating and compelling glimpse into the artistic process that takes place every day of the year at MacDowell.