Press Release
The Albert Simons Medal of Excellence was established in honor of the 20th anniversary of the College of Charleston's School of the Arts. Albert Simons (1890-1980) had an immensely influential 60-year career as an architect and preservationist in Charleston and is remembered on campus as a former faculty member who spearheaded the founding of the School, 35 years ago. The Simons Medal honors qualified individuals who have excelled in one or more of the areas in which Simons excelled, including civic design, architectural design, historic preservation and urban planning.
Presented by the School of the Arts' Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program, the Simons Medal will be presented to Adele Chatfield-Taylor at a ceremonial event on Thursday, October 27, 5:30 pm, at the College's School of Sciences and Mathematics, room 129 (202 Calhoun St.). The event will include a lecture by Chatfield-Taylor about The American Academy in Rome of which she was the President and CEO for 25 years. During her tenure as president (1988-2013), she helped restore the Academy’s McKim, Mead & White building at a cost of $8.2 million and oversaw a capital campaign in which the institution’s endowment grew to $100 million. Chatfield-Taylor also brought on renowned chef Alice Waters to create the Rome Sustainable Food Project, which brings chefs from the United States to explore Italian sustainable food traditions and to cook for the Academy guests.
The Academy serves as a “home” to visiting U.S. scholars and artists having been awarded the Rome Prize. Given each year to around 30 (15 artists and 15 scholars) of more than 1,000 applicants, the Rome Prize is awarded for work in the following fields: classical studies, ancient studies, medieval studies, modern Italian studies, architecture, design, historic preservation, art conservation, landscape architecture, musical composition, visual art, and literature. In addition to Rome Prize Fellows, visiting scholars and artists live and work at the Academy for varying periods.
This year's award includes a $10,000 prize generously provided by Albert and Theodora Simons III.
