The MacDowell Colony's Annual Benefit will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2003, in New York City. This year, the Colony is pleased to honor art patron and collector Werner H. Kramarsky for his longstanding commitment to supporting emerging artists. By widely exhibiting his collection of works by younger artists alongside those of established artists, and by generously donating works to important institutions, Mr. Kramarsky has opened doors for new talent. His exemplary activities are in harmony with MacDowell's mission of nurturing contemporary creative artists.

The annual benefit raises a major portion of the Colony's budget and makes possible residencies for more than 240 artists each year. The gala evening will feature cocktails, dinner, and an array of performances. Author, veteran newsman and MacDowell Colony Chairman, Robert MacNeil, will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the program featuring internationally-known actress Jane Alexander, Colony Fellow and writer Jonathan Franzen, jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, Colony Fellow and composer Eric Moe, and theater legend Elaine Stritch.

The MacDowell Colony is the nation's oldest and most distinguished artists' colony. Founded in 1907 by American composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, Marian MacDowell, the Colony has allowed artists of all disciplines the time and space to pursue creative work without interruption for nearly 100 years. Fellowships to artists consist of room, board, and the exclusive use of one of the Colony's 32 private studios for up to two months. The sole criterion for acceptance is talent. Situated on 450 acres of tranquil woodland in rural Peterborough, New Hampshire, the colony welcomes more than 240 composers, writers, visual artists, architects, interdisciplinary artists, and filmmakers from the United States and abroad each year. It stands now on its own record with over 5,500 artists having worked there.

The MacDowell Colony has had a profound impact on the fields of music, literature, and the visual arts during the past 100 years. Aaron Copland composed parts of Appalachian Spring at the Colony; Virgil Thompson worked on Mother of Us All; Leonard Bernstein completed his Mass; Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town. Benny Andrews, Milton Avery, James Baldwin, E.L. Doctorow, Janet Fish, Spalding Gray, Meredith Monk, and Alice Walker have all come to MacDowell to concentrate on their work. More than 100 Pulitzer Prizes, Rome Prizes, and MacArthur Awards have been awarded to Colony Fellows. In 1997, the National Medal of Arts was awarded to MacDowell “for nurturing and inspiring many of this century's finest artists.” It was only the fourth time in the history of the Medal that an arts organization had been so honored and the only time an artists' residency program has been cited. The MacDowell Colony is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the Register of Historic Places.

Tickets to the Benefit are $750, $1,000 and $1,500 per person. Tables of ten for the Benefit are $7,500, $10,000, and $25,000. For details and reservations, call (212) 535-9690. For additional information, visit www.macdowellcolony.org.