Joann Browning, professor of theatre and formerly senior associate dean for the arts in the University of Delaware’s College of Arts and Sciences, has received the Arts Education Advocate of the Year Award from the Delaware Arts Alliance (DAA).

The award was among several statewide honors presented Monday, Oct. 10, at the inaugural Arts Advocacy Awards ceremony in Mitchell Hall on UD’s Newark campus. Presentations were made by the DAA in collaboration with the University and the Delaware Division of the Arts, with support from the division and the Delaware Community Foundation.

Browning, a dancer and choreographer who teaches movement and dance to actors, was praised at the awards ceremony as “a powerful and influential champion of the arts in Delaware.” She has worked “tirelessly,” the selection panel said, to advance the arts at UD, both in academic studies and in performance opportunities for the campus and the community.

A member of the UD faculty since 1989, Browning has been resident choreographer to the Resident Ensemble Players, the University’s professional theatre company. She has taught classes in such subjects as stage movement, introduction to dance and jazz dance.

In 2008, she helped lead the joint effort between the colleges of Arts and Sciences and of Health Sciences, to create the curriculum for UD’s new dance minor.

She has provided coaching, choreography and musical staging for a wide range of professional theatres and dance companies.

Browning was appointed to the Delaware State Arts Council and served a term from 2008-11. She has received numerous awards, including the 2008 Association of Theatre Movement Educators Outstanding Service Award.

In addition to the education category, awards were presented at the ceremony for advocacy in volunteerism, philanthropy and leadership, as well as the selection of a lifetime achievement honoree.  Nominations were reviewed in July by a selection panel made up of members of the DAA and the Delaware State Arts Council.

The lifetime achievement award went to Robert Grenfell, executive director of First State Ballet Theatre, who also has worked frequently over many years as an actor, dancer, singer and choreographer with numerous Delaware performing arts companies.

Selected as Volunteer of the Year was James Hartzell, Philanthropist of the Year was John Schoonover, and the Arts Leaders of the Year were Marcia DeWitt and Nancy Lynch.

All the nominees were recognized and applauded at the ceremony: Joann Balingit (Leadership); Lisa Bartoli (Leadership); Dori Connor (Education); Xiang Gao, UD Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music and founder of the University’s Master Players Concert Series (Leadership); Lynnette Overby, UD professor of theatre (Education); Skip Pennella (Leadership); Maria Ruffin (Education, Leadership, Philanthropy, and Volunteerism); Susan Salkin (Volunteerism); Johanna Schloss (Education); and Robert Stoddard (Education).

The awards celebration also featured performances by artists representing New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties.

Performers were Vocal Point, a coed a cappella group at UD; Sankofa African Dance Company, whose drummers and dancers are students from the city of Dover and central Delaware; and Anne Colwell and James Keegan, literary/theatre artists from Milton, Delaware, who are also faculty members in UD’s Associate in Arts Program in Georgetown.

About the Delaware Arts Alliance

The Delaware Arts Alliance is the unifying voice for the arts and arts education throughout the state, advocating for the central role of the arts in advancing dynamic communities and a creative citizenry.

DAA firmly believes that a strong creative culture enhances education, the economy and civic life. Since its founding in 2009, DAA has made presentations to the Joint Finance Committee of the Delaware legislature, hosted speaking events and organized advocacy programs throughout the state.