VICKY HOLT TAKAMINE, HULA TEACHER AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST, IS AWARDED THE 31ST ANNUAL DOROTHY AND LILLIAN GISH PRIZE
“It is my desire...to give the recipients of the prize the recognition they deserve, to bring attention to their contributions to society and encourage others to follow in their path.”—Lillian Gish
“E ʻōpū aliʻi: Have the heart of a chief; the kindness, generosity, and even temper of a chief.” —Mary Kawena Puku`i, `Ōlelo No`eau 1
New York, NY, November 13, 2024 — The Gish Prize Trust today announced that the 31st annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize has been awarded to Vicky Holt Takamine, a kumu hula (master teacher) of traditional Hawaiian dance whose artistic achievements are inseparable from her activism on behalf of the culture, rights, and natural environment of Indigenous Hawaiians. The Prize, established in 1994 through the will of legendary screen and stage actress Lillian Gish, known as the First Lady of Cinema, is one of the most prestigious honors given to individual artists and arts supporters in the United States and bears one of the largest cash awards, currently valued at more than $450,000.
The Gish Prize is given each year to a highly accomplished figure from any discipline of the arts who has pushed the boundaries of an art form, contributed to social change, and paved the way for the next generation. In the words of Lillian Gish, the annual Prize is intended for an artist or arts advocate “who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to [humankind’s] understanding and enjoyment of life.” The selection committee for the 2024 Gish Prize chose Vicky Holt Takamine from a field of distinguished finalists in the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, and arts administration. She now joins a list of honorees that in recent years has included Thelma Golden, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Sonia Sanchez, Ava DuVernay, Gustavo Dudamel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Meredith Monk, Spike Lee, Anna Deavere Smith, Maya Lin, Trisha Brown, and Chinua Achebe.
“Hula is how we preserve our culture, our stories, and the Hawaiian language,” Vicky Holt Takamine said. “Hula is a form of resistance. It means so much to me that the selection committee for the Gish Prize has recognized the meaning and importance of this art form. Their phone call notifying me came as a complete surprise. Now I’m overwhelmed at the thought of what the Prize will mean to our community, practically and symbolically, and deeply honored to be counted among the amazing recipients.”
Born in Hawai`i to a family of dancers and political leaders, Holt Takamine started dancing when she was 12 years old. A graduate of Kamehameha Schools, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Dance Ethnology from the University of Hawai`i. Under hula maser Maiki Aiu Lake, she graduated through the `ûniki riuals of hula in 1975 and was designated a kumu hula, and in 1977 she founded her own school, Pua Ali`i `Ilima (The Royal `Ilima Blossom), abbreviated as PA`I, meaning a sudden impact or slap. While continuing to lead PA`I, she served as a lecturer at the University of Hawai`i Mânoa Campus, Leeward Community College, and the University High School for more than thirty years.
In addition, she was the po`o (president) of `Îlio`ulaokalani, a coalition of traditional practitioners who are committed to protecting Hawaiian customs and traditions; the president of KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, a coalition of Hawaiian and environmental organizations committed to protecting the natural and cultural environment of Hawai`i; and co-founder and president of Aloha `Aina, a new Hawaiian political party.
Under Holt Takamine’s direction, Pua Ali`i `Ilima participates in many cultural festivals throughout Hawai`i and in 2024 competed in the Merrie Monarch Festival for the first time in 40 years.
This year’s Prize selection committee was chaired by author, pianist, and WQXR New York Public Radio host Terrance McKnight. Other members of the committee were Sade Lythcott, CEO of the National Black Theatre; Dr. David R. Odo, Director of the Georgia Museum of Art; Sara Reisman, Chief Curator at the National Academy of Design; and Alice Sheppard, Founder and Artistic Director of Kinetic Light.
Terrance McKnight said, “The recipient of the Gish Prize needs to be both a creator and an instigator—someone who has enhanced beauty in the world and worked to make society more whole, someone who is highly accomplished and yet remains an agent of change. This year, the selection committee rose to the challenge by lifting its eyes across the horizon and unanimously choosing Vicky Holt Takamine. It is an honor to present the Gish Prize to her, helping to bring her contributions to culture the recognition it so richly deserves.”
“For the past thirty-one years, with the help of our esteemed selection committees, we have supported Lillian Gish’s vision of celebrating extraordinary individuals who have made an indelible impact through the arts,” said David Lyon, Vice Chair at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “In choosing Vicky Holt Takamine, this year’s committee recognizes an artist and educator who is doing nothing less than perpetuating and elevating an entire culture. We congratulate Vicky Holt Takamine on receiving this high honor.”
Out of respect for the close relationship between Vicky Holt Takamine’s art and her community, the Gish Prize will be officially conferred on her at a festive, intimate dinner in Hawai`i.
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. is trustee of the Gish Prize Trust.
About The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
Established in 1994 through the will of Lillian Gish, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize is given annually to an individual who has “made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to [humankind’s] enjoyment and understanding of life.” Past recipients are Thelma Golden, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Sonia Sanchez, Ava DuVernay, Walter Hood, Gustavo Dudamel, Meredith Monk, Elizabeth LeCompte, Suzan-Lori Parks, Maya Lin, Spike Lee, Anna Deavere Smith, Trisha Brown, Chinua Achebe, Pete Seeger, Robert Redford, Laurie Anderson, Shirin Neshat, Peter Sellars, Ornette Coleman, Bill T. Jones, Lloyd Richards, Jennifer Tipton, Merce Cunningham, Arthur Miller, Isabel Allende, Bob Dylan, Robert Wilson, Ingmar Bergman, and Frank Gehry. Prize recipients are nominated by the arts community and chosen by a distinguished committee of arts leaders for their groundbreaking work in their chosen fields. For further information, visit gishprize.org.
About Dorothy and Lillian Gish
Dorothy and Lillian Gish followed their mother onto the stage at an early age. The older of the two sisters, Lillian took her first theatrical curtain call in 1902 at the age of eight in the play In Convict’s Stripes. In 1912, the sisters’ childhood friend Mary Pickford introduced them to D.W. Griffith, who launched their film careers. Lillian would become one of America’s best-loved actresses. In her 85-year career, she appeared in more than 100 films—from Griffith’s An Unseen Enemy (1912) to Lindsay Anderson’s The Whales of August (1987)—and also took numerous roles in television and on stage. Dorothy began her stage career at four and also went on to make more than 100 films, many of them with Lillian. Dorothy’s early work in film highlighted her keen sense of humor, bringing her acclaim as a star of comedy. At the end of the silent era, she turned her attention to the stage, where success in Young Love brought her accolades with New York audiences, on the road and subsequently in London. In 1939 Dorothy and Lillian each played Vinnie Day, wife of Clarence Day, Sr., in two extensive American road company productions of Life with Father. Dorothy returned to film and television in the 1950s. Upon her death in 1968, Dorothy left the bulk of her estate to the arts. Lillian died in 1993 and also left the bulk of her estate to the arts, including a trust for the formation of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize.
1 Ōlelo noʻeau are proverbs passed down from generation to generation among Native Hawaiians. Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukuʻi compiled a collection of them from across the pae ʻāina (Hawaiian archipelago). In Hawaiian thought, an aliʻi, or high chief or chiefess, is not only a ruler but is often considered to be a kahu: a caretaker, priest, or someone who looks after the well-being of the land, individuals, and community. Vicky Holt Takamine descends from Hawaiian royalty and believes this ʻōlelo noʻeau expresses what the Gish Prize represents.