A cultural, community friendly centre of learning offering classes in classical ballet, modern and contemporary dance in our building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
OTTAWA, January 5, 2012: Artistic Director, Merrilee Hodgins, announced today that Arabesque, the sculpture by the great Canadian artist, Anne Harris, has been donated to The School of Dance by Norma Fobert at the request of her brother Earl Crowe.
Earl Crowe and The School of Dance have enjoyed a lasting friendship for over thirty years. Now retired, Mr. Crowe was a prominent member of the Ottawa arts community. He was President and sole owner of Tremblay Concerts, which in the days before the National Arts Centre, presented hundreds of the world’s greatest artists in performance at the Capitol Theatre in Ottawa, including the National Ballet of Canada, the Red Army Chorus, and the legendary Victor Borge. Mr. Crowe was also the Canadian Representative of the Metropolitan Opera, Board member of the Ontario Arts Council, Public Relations Director of the Museum of Nature, Founding Director of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Honorary President and Life Member of Ottawa’s Orpheus Operatic Society, and for forty years, a strong singing voice of the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa.
Standing 19.5 inches tall, this timeless sculpture pays homage to the flowing lines and intrinsic beauty of dance.
Earl Crowe
As President and sole owner of Tremblay Concerts, Earl Crowe presented more than 500 of the world’s greatest artists and performing companies. Notable Tremblay Concerts performances included Victor Borge, Harry Belafonte, Leonard Bernstein, Van Cliburn, Jon Vickers, Teresa Stratas, Lois Marshall, Maureen Forrester, Leontyne Price, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Joan Sutherland, Pierre Boulez, Christian Echenbach, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, Red Army Chorus, The Moscow Circus, and the Elmer Iseler Singers.
Earl Crowe was the Canadian Representative of the Metropolitan Opera, Board member of the Ontario Arts Council, and Honorary President and Life Member of Ottawa's Orpheus Operatic Society. He was a founding Director of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and instrumental in bringing the National Youth Orchestra to Ottawa for their first appearance. Mr. Crowe was the Public Relations Director of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Earl Crowe is remembered as the singing voice of the Kiwanis club of Ottawa, being soloist at their conventions at Madison Square Garden in New York and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
As Coordinating Producer of the National Capitol Performing Arts Program and its arts and variety festival, Earl was involved in over 200 events. Earl Crowe was also Coordinating Producer and Adviser for Canada's 1967 Centennial celebrations, including the formation of the Centennial Choir. As well, he coordinated the Centennial Birthday Party on Parliament Hill which was attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Earl Crowe created and hosted "The Scene" on Skyline TV from 1972 - 1992. A dedicated supporter and promoter of Canadian talent, he is fondly remembered by national and international luminaries.
Anne Harris
Anne Harris (born 21 July 1928), is a sculptor from Toronto, Ontario. She is one of the most prominent Canadian sculptors, with a career spanning more than three decades. Harris first launched her career after visiting New York City in 1974. Her first show was at the Jaro Gallery on Madison Avenue, followed by more than a dozen shows in New York City and Chicago. Her sculpture, Opus 87, can be found in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. Her exhibits have also been displayed throughout Europe and Asia.
In Canada, two of her sculptures can be found in the Official Residence of the Prime Minister, 24 Sussex Drive. Additionally, La Citadel is home to one of her bronze works.
Harris was born in Woodstock, Ontario. She studied at Central Technical School and the Ontario College of Art. Her work has been featured in nearly 40 exhibitions across North America and is included in over 100 private and public collections including the Albright Knox Gallery, the Canadiana National Capital Collection, Outdoor Sculpture at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General of Canada and the Chongquing Fine Art Museum, China. Anne Harris has won Ontario Society of Artists awards on two different occasions and has exhibited her work throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.