AOTO, ‘ART OF THE OLYMPIANS’
DANB has a unique and important partnership with AOTO, Art of the Olympians, an organization comprised of past and present Olympians who are also exhibiting visual artists. DANB and AOTO have partnered in performances, outreach programs, and fund-raisers. Among the Olympians who have combined their talents with DANB are Liston Bochette, III, Al Oerter and Larry Young resulting in the world premiers of the ballets ‘CONSTELLATIONS’, inspired by and set to music of the same name by Stella Sung, and ‘SOAR’. For the 2010-11 season, DANB collaborated with Olympian luge athlete Cameron Myler in a new work entitled ‘ZOOM’. DANB'/AOTO collaboration for 2011-2012 will feature Gold Medalists Bob Beamon and Peggy Fleming. The newly constructed ‘Al Oerter Center for Excellence’, which opened in February of 2010 in Ft. Myers, FL., is a museum and gallery which houses the AOTO exhibit and has been made available to DANB upon request.
On March 5, 2011 DANB performed at the Grand Gala for HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco at his request. He asked the Company to perform "something dramatic at the beginning, works inspired by Olympic artists throughout the evenining and something to inspire at the conclusion". The Company received a standing ovation led by His Highness.
For more information on AOTO, click on www.artoftheolympians.org.
BOB BEAMON, Olympic Athlete (long jump), Artist, Motivational Speaker, Percussionist
Mr. Beamon's world record jump in Mexico City in 1968 is still considered one of the great moments in Olympic history. It has been referred to as "The Perfect Jump" and his world record lasted 23 years. He is in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and one of the first inductees to the US Olympic Hall of Fame.
Beamon's childhood was not easy. He came to use sports as a means to focus his attention and energy toward positive goals. He attended Jamaica High School and regularly broke track records at the local and state levels. After graduation he attended North Carolina A & T and then the University of Texas. After winning the Gold Medal he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns basketball team. In 1972 he graduatd from Adelphi University with a degree in sociology.
Since then Bob has had a successful career as a motivational speaker and presenter. He also hosts the Bob Beamon Charity golf Tournament; providing funding for youth programs. He knows first hand the value of sports and arts; how they can inspire youth to strive for personal growth, encourage imaginationa, team-work and the discovery of self-direction.
Bob's graphic talents extend beyond the paper to include necktie and pen designs. Although his world record was eventually broken in 1991, Bob still holds the Olympic record 40 years after his incredible feat. His love for percussion is a life long passion.
LISTON D. BOCHETTE, III, Olympic Athlete (decathlon/bobsled), Artist, Academician
His is a life filled with passion for excellence! Besides participating in both Summer and Winter Olympic Games, he has founded and served on many national as well as international sports bodies — including serving as Secretary General of The World Olympians Association (WOA). As coach and professor he has inspired others to reach for their highest goals. He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame. With degrees in Fine Art, Humanities and Education, Liston established the International Cultural Consortium and co-founded Art of The Olympians museum and galleries with the purpose of Exemplifying Olympic Ideals before a global audience. He won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Cultural Festival in painting and drawing.
Liston is a frequently guest speaker and lecturer reaching audiences from schools to the United Nations. He was also selected as the United Sports Academy Sport Artist of the Year and served as the Chairman of the American Sport Art Museum. His artwork is in private collections around the world and can be found on exhibition in cities such as Athens, Atlanta, Monte Carlo, San Juan, Lausanne, etc. as well as on college campuses. His artwork is regarded as “Highly sought after and valued” as its availability is limited.
Among his athletic accomplishments are the following: 5 time Olympian (flag bearer); Pan American games; World University Team; C.A.C. Teams (gold); Secretary General of the World Olympic Association; Olympic Bid Committees; IOC Athlete’s Commission; various University of Florida Halls of Fame; Olympic Chef de Mission.
Among his artistic accomplishments are the following: Olympic Festival: Barcelona (Gold); American Sport Art Museum Chairman; Biennial Internacional Esportistes en L’Art; International Cultural Consortium; Art of the Olympians; University of Indiana ‘Legends of Running’; private commissions.
His education history include the following: Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD); Doctorate of Education (Ed ABD); Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA); University Professor of Language Arts; USSA Board of Trustees; University of Florida College of Fine Arts Board Member.
PEGGY FLEMING, Olympic Athlete(ice skating), Artist, Spokesperson, Advocate
Peggy Fleming won the only Gold Medal for the United States in 1968 in Grenoble. Her grace and beauty on and off the ice have carried forward into TV specials including two Emmy Awards, spokesperson for various corporations and an advocte for breast cancer awareness. She is the first skaker ever invited to perform at the White House. Besides her numerous national titles in figure skating Peggy balances her life as a painter, but her primary joy has always been her family.
Peggy began skating at the age of nine. With what was considered unusual style and grace, she wone five U.S. titles, three World titles and the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics. Six months later she began her professional career starring in the first of five NBC TV Specials winning two Emmys. A special guest star for Ice Follies for many years, she served as an anaylst for ABC for twenty-eight years. She was one of the first skaters to perform at the White House and performed at the re-opening of the Statue of Liberty in 1986.
She has received the Babe Didrickson Zaharias Award, AGVA Entertainer of the Year and the Lombardi Symbol of Courage Award among others. She was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, US Olympic Hall of Fame, US Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Sports Foundation Hall of Fame. Sports Illustrated listed her as "40 for the Ages" in 1994 and in 1999 listed her as one of the athletes who Changed the Game in the 20th Century.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998, Fleming became an advocate for early detection. She is a celebrity spokesperson for breast awareness and the Susan G. Komer Foundation. Ms. Fleming is a spokesperson and supports numerous organizations such as Art of the Olympians, Special Olympics, Children's Miracle Network, March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society.
CAMERON MYLER, Olympic Athlete (luge), Artist, Attorney
Cameron’s passion for luge and dedication to excellence, were what enabled her to become a four-time Olympian in the sport of luge (1998 Nagano, Japan; 1994 Lillehammer, Norway; 1992 Albertville, France; and 1988 Calgary, Canada). During her fourteen years on the U.S. National Team for luge, she won the U.S. National Championships seven times and was named the U.S.Luge Association’s Female Athlete of the Year nine times. In 1994 she was elected by her teammates to carry the American flag at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, which was one of the most awe-inspiring moments in her life. During her athletic career she held more than 30 U.S. records at tracks around the world and won eleven World Cup medals - more than any other American woman in the history of the sport.
While Cameron was an undergraduate at Dartmouth College (and still competing on the luge team), she discovered the Studio Art Department. From the moment she set foot in the studio, Cameron knew that she had discovered a passion that was as much a part of her as sport. She has displayed her photographs as part of Art of the Olympians exhibit at the New York Athletic Club, the National Arts Club and the United Nations, as well as the recently-opened Art of the Olympians Museum in Ft. Myers, Florida. Cameron’s photos also have been featured in a number of other exhibits: Arte Segrado, Concordia University, Austin, Texas; The Art of Sport, Main Street Gallery, Groton, New York; the Annual Juried Photography Exhibition (honorable mention), The Pen and Brush, New York, New York and Explosion of Color at the Adirondack Art Association gallery in Essex, New York. Additionally her paintings have been exhibited in a solo show at the New York Athletic Club and as part of the VII and VIII Biennial Internacional Esportistes en l’Art and the International Cultural Consortium, which was a touring exhibit of artwork by Olympic athlete/artists to promote the Olympic Ideals internationally.
After retiring from competition in 1998, Cameron attended Boston College Law School where she received her law degree in 2001. She practices law in the Trademark, Litigation and Entertainment groups at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, P.C. in New York City. Cameron handles various intellectual property litigations involving trademark, copyright, and right of publicity issues, as well as trademark prosecution proceedings in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She protects and enforces her clients’ rights in their trademarks, domain names, and copyrights, and works with the firm’s Celebrity Branding Group in representing athletes in the planning and structuring of brand building ventures in different media. Cameron also counsels both athletes and sports organizations on issues relating to the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and the rules and regulations of various National Governing Bodies and International Federations of Olympic sport. She is pro bono counsel to the Armory Foundation, which is dedicated to providing the youth of New York City with opportunities to develop as athletes, students and citizens.
AL OERTER, Olympic athlete (discus), artist and gentleman
Al Oerter is one of a very few athletes to have won a gold medal in the same individual event for four consecutive Olympics.
Oerter began his Olympic career at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He was not considered the favorite but he unleashed a throw of 184'11" (56.36 m) - which, at the time, was a career best. The throw was good enough to win the competition by more than 5'.
It appeared Oerter's career would be over at the age of 20, when in 1957, an automobile accident nearly killed him. He recovered in time to compete at the 1960 Summer Olympics at Rome, where he was the slight favorite over teammate and world record holder Rink Babka. Babka was in the lead for the first four of the six rounds. He gave Oerter advice before his fifth throw and Oerter threw his discus 194'2" (59.18 m), setting an Olympic record.
Oerter set his first world record in 1962. In the process, he was the first to break 200 feet in the discus. He was considered a heavy favorite to win a third gold medal at Tokyo in 1964.
Injuries again seemed to have felled Oerter before the Games. He was bothered by a neck injury then he tore cartilage in his ribs shortly before the competition. Competing in great pain, Oerter set a new Olympic standard and won a third Olympic gold medal despite not being able to take his last throw due to the pain from his ribs. He bettered his own record with a throw of 61.00 meters.
Oerter returned to the Olympics in 1968 at Mexico City but he had yielded the position of favorite to teammate Jay Silvester. Many felt that Oerter, at 32, was finished since Oerter had never thrown as far as Silvester did on his average throws. At the Olympics, however, Oerter released another Olympic record throw of 64.78 meters on his third throw. His record held and he became the first track and field athlete to win four consecutive gold medals.
Oerter retired from athletics after the 1968 Olympics. In 1980 he set his overall personal record of 69.46 meters (227'10¾") at the age of 43. When filming for a TV segment, he unofficially threw about 245 feet (74.67 m), which would have set a still-standing world record. In later years, Oerter carried the Olympic flag for the 1984 Summer Olympics, then carried the Olympic flame into the stadium for the 1996 Olympic Games.
As a child, Oerter had frequently traveled to his grandparents' home in Manhattan and admired their art collection. As a retired athlete, Oerter became an abstract painter. He also helped to organize Art of the Olympians, which has collected the work of 14 Games veterans, including Bob Beamon, Cameron Myler, and Shane Gould.
Al Oerter died in 2007 of heart failure. The Al Oerter Center of Excellence in Ft. Myers, FL opened in January.
LARRY YOUNG, Olympic athlete (race walk), sculptor
Young has been a full-time artist for the last 25 years and has placed over 50 monumental outdoor sculptures nationally and abroad. Most of his work has been in bronze, but he also works with stainless steel, marble, and other materials. He owns and operates a full-scale, 6,000 square foot foundry where he personally creates and produces most of his work. This personal oversight of production is very unusual for sculptors who create monumental bronzes.
Young developed his incredible skills and talent through a number of forums. He first learned to cast bronze as a molder in the US Navy. Following the Navy he achieved international prominence as a two-time Olympic medalist, the only American to ever win a medal in long distance racewalking. During this period he studied sculpture at Columbia College followed by a two-year fellowship to study sculpture in Italy. Young has been a full-time free lance artist ever since, known for his fluid forms, his innovative use of negative space, and his mastery of the bronze medium.
The origin of mankind, man's relationship with other life forms, and his destination have been important elements in many of Young's works. He has also been fascinated by human movement in dance and athletics and by the themes and compositional integrity of classical art. Like classical art, Young's life forms and other images are vehicles through which compositional networks are materialized. He frequently creates complex simplicity by simplifying human forms and placing them within deceptively simple complex compositions.
His work can be found in numerous sites including Next City Corporation, New York City; Methodist Hospital Neurosensory Center, Houston; The Albrecht Museum, St. Joseph, Missouri; Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, Missouri; Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri; Selsys Corporation, Boulder, Colorado; Energy Methods, Denver, Colorado; University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics, Columbia, Missouri; Metrodial Digital, Central Station, New York; Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri; Boone Hospital Medical Park, Columbia, Missouri; Kessler Enterprises, Celebration Hotel (a Walt Disney Community), Celebration, Florida; Grand Bohemian Hotel, Orlando, Florida and the Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey.
He has had a great number of exhibitions and showings with commissioned work that can be found throughout the United States. The winner of numerous sculpture competitions, Mr. Young has been selected for inclusion in American Artists: An Illustrated Survey of Leading Contemporaries, 1989. He was the Professional Artist Representative, Columbia Public Schools Art Committee to develop an innovative art curriculum for K-12 funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; he was selected to represent the arts for the city of Columbia for the 1989 Columbia College Japan and Taiwan Friendship Tour, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award, Columbia College, 1984, is a Member, Art for Life Board, University of Missouri Hospital, 1986-91, and has produced video tapes of sculpting and casting processes of a monumental bronze, 1986, 1988.
