For Love Of Art
Maxine and Stuart Frankel receive ArtServe Michigan's Governor's Award.
SHARON LUCKERMAN
Staff Writer
is
axine and Stuart Frankel have been
aptly dubbed "agents of change."
"It's difficult to summarize the extraordinary
contributions made by Maxine and Stuart Frankel
at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and the art
museum," said Gerhardt Knodel, the academy's
director. "Both are passionate about students of
our institution and the need to provide them with
the most stimulating environment for their
growth."
Knodel says the couple shares their extraordi-
nary art collection with students and museums
around the country and has a way of bringing
diverse groups together from Detroit to Ann
Arbor to nurture a love of the arts.
The Frankels of Bloomfield Hills are among the
11 winners of the 19th Annual ArtServe
Michigan Governor's Award for Arts and Culture,
Maxine and Stuart Frankel
the state's highest honor for arts and cultural
excellence and achievement. They will receive the
honor Nov. 18 at the Henry Ford in Dearborn.
chair and board member of the International
The Frankels join a star-studded list of former
Associates of New York's Independent Curators
awardees including actors James Earl Jones and Lily
International; and on the board and executive .com-
Tomlin, Motown singer Smokey Robinson and archi-
mittees of Children's Hospital of Michigan, the
tect Minoru Yamasaki.
Detroit Institute of Arts and Common Ground. Stuart
Of the seven award categories, the Frankels received
Frankel is president of the Troy-based Stuart Frankel
the Civic Leader Award, sponsored by PVS Chemicals
Development Co., a real estate development firm.
Inc. of Detroit.
Their $10 million contribution to the University of
"Maxine and Smart are the embodiment of this
Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) this year will help
award," said Barbara Kratchman, president of
to double the museum's size. Both are U-M graduates.
ArtServe. "Not only have they been very generous sup- It also will help realize the museum's vision of becom-
porters to many cultural and educational institutions,
ing a vibrant gathering place and true center for cam-
but they've rolled up their sleeves and are involved on
pus life, said James Steward, UMMA director.
an everyday basis in nurturing the organizations they
financially support."
Maxine Frankel said, "We are deeply honored and
Breath of Achievement
delighted that this award shines a light on the arts in
Ken Fisher, president of the U-M Musical Society
the state of Michigan."
in Ann Arbor, also praised the Frankels' involve-
She serves on numerous boards and commissions
ment with the arts.
across the state and country. She is chair of the board
"They show up!" he said. "They don't just talk
of governors at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and
about the arts, they're engaged and open to new
Cranbrook Art Museum and on the Cranbrook edu-
art forms."
cational community's executive committee. She is
Jet
For a complete list of Governor's Award winners,
log on to ArtServe's Web site:
www.artservemichigan.org
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He told the story of when the couple
came to the opening night of a Japanese
play that only played in one city in the
United States — Ann Arbor.
"They were so ecstatic about the play,
they wanted more people to see it,"
Fisher said. "By noon the next day, they
sent an e-mail to hundreds of their
friends; and many showed up for the
next performances."
The Frankels are committed on the
local scene but also have a growing con-
nection nationally and internationally,
said Cranbrook's Knodel. "They're recog-
nized as one of the top 200 collectors in
the country by the magazine Art in
America, and that brings attention to this
region. And Maxine and Stuart want us
[Cranbrook] to be a destination in the
world. They're using their passion for
collecting and supporting art as a means
to relate to people who have influence to
bring those audiences from other parts of
the world here."
The Governor's Award winners high-
light the varied arts and cultural activities going
on every day in communities throughout the
state, from Detroit to the smallest community in
the Upper Peninsula, Kratchman said.
"And the award becomes a model for people to
understand how individuals can make a difference
— not just through financial support, but
through their leadership, creative thinking and
commitment."
The arts are the first thing to be cut in difficult
times, and the importance of individuals being
involved is more acute than ever before,
Kratchman said.
"If our cultural community is to go forward,
it'll be because of individuals like Maxine and
Stuart, who give their time and effort."
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