ART PROFESSOR RECEIVES DINGELDEIN AWARD

A man who has devoted his 26 years at Southeast Missouri State University to inspiring art teachers was honored Friday night as the winner of the 1999 Otto F. Dingeldein Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts.

Dr. Edwin Smith, a professor of art education at Southeast, received the award at the annual Dingeldein Award party at the Arts Council galleries, 119 Independence St.

An overflow crowd at the galleries honored Smith and participated in a silent auction of art work donated to the Arts Council by area artists.

"I don't think I feel worthy of this award," the surprised Smith said. "I do feel honored and actually blessed to have known Mr. Dingeldein and his wife. He was a very fine craftsman."

Smith was nominated for the award by Dr. Sam Bishop, who also is an art professor at Southeast, and by Dr. Jean Chapman, a Cape Girardeau anesthesiologist who is a sculptor.

"He has always promoted the arts at every level," Bishop said, pointing out that Smith singlehandedly has hosted the annual high school art show at the university for many years. Last year's show drew more than 1,000 entries.

Bishop's art teacher wife, Lisa, said taking a three-dimensional art class from Smith "made all the difference."

Smith developed the curriculum at Southeast for a variety of art education courses, among them beginning sculpture, child art, an elementary art education and a survey of art education. He is credited with bringing sculpture recognition locally as an art form.

During summers over the past decade he has traveled to 23 countries teaching art to children and collecting their work for a project he intends to turn into a book about children's art.

He received the Faculty Merit Award from Southeast in 1989 and in 1992 was named the Outstanding Art Educator at the Missouri Art Education Conference in St. Louis.

He has been active in the Arts Council for the past 20 years and currently is on the board.

Smith is the 23rd winner of the Otto F. Dingeldein Award, named for the founder of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. Dingeldein was the first to be honored. Following him were Marjorie Suedekum, Jake K. Wells, Dan B. Cotner, Jean Bell Mosley, Aileen Lorberg, Jack and Betty Palsgrove, Judith Crow, Wendy Rust, Ruth Alice Knote, Grant Lund and James V. Parker.

More recent recipients were Miki Gudermuth, Frances Crowley, Carol B. Horst, Don and Beverly Strohmeyer, Bill and Jan Chamberlain, Nick Leist, John Wiseman, Bill Needle, Ann Abbott and Leland "Freck" Shivelbine.