Sir Sidney is pictured with Rhoda Jackson, Bahamas Consul General to Miami, and actor Rick Fox while being honored by the Bahamas government in Los Angeles in August.
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LOS ANGELES, CAL —The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism will serve as a bronze-level
sponsor of the California African American Museum’s (CAAM) annual
gala, An Artful Evening at CAAM, which will honor legendary, Academy
Award-winner Sir Sidney Poitier and acclaimed artist John Outterbridge
with Lifetime Achievement Awards. The star-studded, black-tie gala will
be held on Saturday, October 6th at CAAM located at 600 State Drive at Exposition
Park, Los Angeles.
“The people of The
Islands Of The Bahamas are proud to serve as a sponsor of An Artful Evening at CAAM honoring Sir
Sidney Poitier,” said Bahamas Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe.
“We congratulate Sir Sidney as the recipient of the 2012 California
African American Museum’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his legendary
acting career, courageous humanitarian work around the globe and distinguished
service to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. His remarkable achievements
are truly awe-inspiring.”
Emmy Award-nominated
actress C.C.H. Pounder will serve as mistress of ceremonies for the evening
with catering prepared by world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck. A reception
and silent auction will be held prior to the awards program, which will
be followed by a post-event bash with live entertainment and dancing.
The Honorable Khaalis Rolle, Acting Minister of Tourism and Minister
of State for Investments in the Office of The Prime Minister, will also
be on-hand to recognize more than 60 years of Poitier’s remarkable
accomplishments as a star of the stage and silver screen, film director,
author, poet and Bahamian diplomat.
“We are thrilled to
have the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation as a major sponsor
of our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said CAAM Executive Director
Charmaine Jefferson. “Without generous partners like The Bahamas,
such a magical night would not be possible.”
In 1963, Poitier became the first black actor to receive an Academy Award for
Best Actor in a Lead Role for his memorable performance in Lillies of the Field. Over the course of
Poitier’s six-decade career, his incomparable talent has earned him
such distinguished awards as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award,
an NAACP Image Award, a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award
and the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack
Obama.
An Artful Evening at CAAM will also honor acclaimed artist and activist John Outterbridge,
who served as the first director of the Watts Tower Museum from 1975
until 1992. Over the course of Outterbridge’s distinguished career
in the arts, he has mentored many great African American artists such
as David Hammons, Betye Saar and Noah Purifoy. He was also an influential
figure in the Los Angeles assemblage movement in the 1960s and 1970s
and was named a U.S. Gracie Fellow for Visual Arts in 2011.
All proceeds from An
Artful Evening at CAAM benefit the museum’s Young Docent Internship
Program, which is a skill building and workforce development opportunity
for high school students to receive hands-on, paid, marketable work
experience.
Other
major event sponsors of An Artful Evening at CAAM include American
Airlines, Miss Jessie’s Original and Southern California Edison.
