Have you ever considered what your legacy might look like?

In 1929, Rosa F. and Samuel B. Sachs made a special bequest which continues, to this day, to allow ArtsWave to recognize a local, regional, national or international artist who has made an outstanding contribution to the vitality and vibrancy of Greater Cincinnati.

Each year, ArtsWave presents the Sachs Fund Prize to an individual who demonstrates outstanding achievement in the arts – inclusive of visual arts, music, theatre, dance, literature, sculpture and architecture.

This year, we were delighted to present the award to Jay Chatterjee, Dean Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, as someone who has distinguished the region through his work on campus and throughout the community. With a long and esteemed career in architecture and urban planning, Chatterjee’s imprint on numerous transformative civic projects is immense.

“Dean Chatterjee’s efforts have had a lasting effect on UC’s architecture program and the school itself,” said Sachs Fund Prize Committee Chair Richard Rosenthal. “This includes top ten national rankings for most of the programs at the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning. His leadership and vision transformed the UC campus through innovative planning and design.”

Dean Chatterjee serves as a Board Member Emeritus for the Contemporary Arts Center, where ArtsWave held the 2018 awards presentation. Raphaela Platow, the CAC’s Alice and Harry Weston Director, described Chatterjee as “one of the few creative leaders who are capable of marrying artistic vision with entrepreneurial savvy, deep empathy for ‘users’ and a true desire to make our world a better place.”

Chatterjee joins a long list of individuals whom, thanks to the Sachs family legacy, ArtsWave has been able to recognize for leaving indelible marks on our region. Past award recipients include Jim Borgman, Kathy Y. Wilson, James Conlon, Leah Stewart, Erich Kunzel, Shepard Fairey, Frederic Franklin, Phyllis Weston, Stephen Sondheim, Zaha Hadid and Lee Carter.

Celebrating the award with Chatterjee were dozens of ArtsWave donors who hold the special distinction of contributing to the ArtsWave Community Campaign for 15 or more consecutive years. In fact, ArtsWave can count 2,500 such current supporters whose generosity has been so consistent and so impactful. The longevity and impact of ArtsWave donors today, and the history of endowment gifts like the Sachs Fund Prize, are part of the amazing story of Cincinnati arts philanthropy that ArtsWave is fortunate to represent.