Winchester Native Among Indiana Performing Arts Hall of Fame Inaugural Inductees
The Indiana Media Industry Network (IMIN), a not-for-profit trade association representing the film, television, new media, music and commercial production industry, announces that Winchester native and director Robert Wise is a member of the inaugural class of historic inductees to the Indiana Performing Arts Hall of Fame (IPAHF).
His fellow inductees include playwright Booth Tarkington, actors Scatman Crothers, James Dean and Steve McQueen; actresses Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard and Marjorie Main; comedian Red Skelton, lyricist Noble Sissle, composers Hoagy Carmichael and Cole Porter and jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery.
“We are very proud of the accomplishments of Robert Wise,” said Winchester Mayor Steve Croyle, “and pleased that he will be one of the individuals to be inducted in the first class of the Indiana Performing Arts Hall of Fame.”
Nominations for the Indiana Performing Arts Hall of Fame were solicited from the general public and from experts in film history, theatre, music, education and film and music production. A panel representing each of these areas considered the nominations and selected the inaugural class based upon each artist's contributions to the performing arts and to bringing honor to the State of Indiana.
An induction ceremony will take place in Indianapolis on June 19, 2008 to honor these 13 historic inductees and six living ones, who will be announced next spring. A collective video tribute for the historic inductees and individual tributes for the living inductees will be presented during the ceremony.
The initial induction class includes 19 individuals, representing the 19 stars in the Indiana state flag, Indiana being the nineteenth state in the union. This larger class will kick off what will become an annual tribute to Hoosiers when 10 new inductees are added each year.
Initially, the Hall of Fame will be web-based, with the artist's biography, photos, filmography/discography, and video and recording references. A permanent “walk of fame” with multi-media interpretation area is planned for future development.
