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Feature [Issue
#21]
William Pajaud:
The James Moody Scholarship By
OW
Jazz music filled
the air, artwork graced the walls, and patrons radiated positive vibes at the
fifth annual fund raising event held on Saturday, January 14, 2006 at M. Hanks
Gallery in Santa Monica, California. This year’s beneficiary was the James
Moody Jazz Scholarship Endowment, which is part of Purchase College, in Purchase,
New York. All of the proceeds went directly to the Endowment.
James Moody was
on hand to meet and greet guests and to thank them for their support. “We
want this Endowment to be part of our legacy,” Moody said, referring to
himself and his wife. “As we know, education is the key to our young people’s
future,” he went on. “There are young people who are gifted with a
special talent who will need our support for their fullest potential to be realized.
We want to recognize those talents and help them.”
Todd Coolman, PhD, director of the Jazz Studies Program at Purchase College
added that nearly 100% of the funds contributed to the Endowment goes directly
to helping the students. Furthermore, instructors in the Program are highly
respected jazz musicians. Indeed, he is a bass player who sometimes performs
with Moody. Finally, he said that their objective is to develop students as
whole persons in every respect.
While the night was primarily dedicated to raising funds, it also kicked off
an exhibition titled, Masterpieces of African American Art: An African American
Perspective. The show ran through April and included work by some of the finest
artists from the past and present. “The earliest work was created in 1851
and the most recent in 2005,” said Eric Hanks, Director and owner of the
gallery. “We carefully select each piece, so that only the finest examples
of each artist’s work is represented.”
Some of the artists in the show are: Robert S. Duncanson, Augusta Savage, Palmer
Hayden, Charles Ethan Porter, Meta Warrick Fuller, Elizabeth Catlett, Benny
Andrews, Lois M. Jones, Phoebe Beasley, William Pajaud, Michael Massenburg,
Keinyo White, Varnette Honeywood, and Richard Mayhew. n
Gallery located
at:
3008 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Hours: Wed-Sat, 12 noon to 6 p.m.
www.mhanksgallery.com.
Donations
to the James Moody Jazz Endowment are still being accepted. Call 310/392-8820
for more information.
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