Exploring Creativity through the Pattis Family Book Award At Interlochen, creativity takes many forms—including a new, donor-supported initiative about the process of creativity.
The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award at Interlochen, an annual competition in its inaugural year, identifies and celebrates books that offer illumination, inspiration, and fresh insights into the creative process. The award targets both fiction and nonfiction works that exemplify achievement in areas such as music, visual arts, film and new media, dance, and theatre. Submissions for the award were received earlier this year, with a short list of finalists released in September. The author of the winning book will receive a $25,000 prize and be invited to a multi-day visiting artist residency at Interlochen and a public event in Traverse City co-hosted by the National Writers Series. Through the vision and generosity of Lisa and Mark Pattis and the Pattis Family Foundation, each year’s winning author will join the vibrant lineup of Interlochen’s visiting artists and guest instructors who help our students along their way on The Artist’s Journey—one of Interlochen’s four core values.
“We are delighted to partner with Interlochen for the latest in our series of book awards. Each of our awards supports an organization we hold in high esteem and puts a spotlight on important books exploring subject areas we deeply care about.” — Lisa Pattis
Fueling Excellence through Dining Services With the broad array of funding opportunities that can enhance a young artist’s formative experience at Interlochen, several donors were inspired to invest in a non-traditional area: Dining Services.
“Our daughter thrived at Interlochen Arts Academy, pursuing her creative passions. Food and nutrition are especially important for growing adolescents. We are delighted to support the excellent plans for improving dining services for students and the Interlochen community.” — Marilyn Perlman Marilyn Perlman and Harry Epstein, parents of recent Interlochen Arts Academy graduate Samantha Epstein (IAC 21, IAA 21-23), also supported Dining Services through funding new food production equipment and culinary training for staff. With their experience as Camp and Academy parents, Interlochen Trustee Sonja Hoel Perkins and her husband Jon supported the Excellence in Dining Program Fund to have a significant impact on an essential, yet often overlooked, component of education. This new fund enables Interlochen to enhance Dining Services’ operations and staffing, improve meal variety and quality, increase the frequency of special dining events, and refurbish dining halls, including Stone Cafeteria. “Food is so important to so many families. With Interlochen’s focus on enhancing excellence and encouraging students to increase their time on campus, having good food and a good dining experience are equally critical to students’ overall Interlochen experience.” — Sonja Hoel Perkins
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