HomeLillian Fairchild Award

Lillian Fairchild Award

Stylized artwork depicting Lillian Fairchild, based on a photograph

The Fairchild Award was established in 1924 by Herman LeRoy Fairchild to honor his daughter, artist and poet Lillian Fairchild (1878-1910). It is awarded annually to celebrate a Rochester resident who has produced "the most meritorious and praiseworthy creation of art, poetry, or literature of the imagination" within the previous calendar year.

Peters, Carl (1924) Carl W. Peters, painting, for Winter landscapes in oil. Kroeger, Alfred C. W. (1925) Alfred C. W. Kroeger, music, for S.P.D.S., a symphonic poem for orchestra, performed by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, November 25. Slater, Eleanor (1926) Eleanor Chapin Slater, literature, for Quest, a volume of poems. New Haven: Yale University Press. Backus, Lulu Scott (1927) Lulu Scott Backus, ceramics, for pottery and new ceramic glazes, shown at the Memorial Art Gallery in May. Frost, Elizabeth (1928) Elizabeth Hollister Frost, literature, for The Lost Lyrist, a volume of poems. New York: Harper &amp Kent, Norman (1929) Norman Kent, printmaking, for woodcuts. Will, Blanca (1930) Blanca Will, sculpture, for portraits and "Penguin Fountain." Cassebeer, Walter (1931) Walter Henry Cassebeer, printmaking, for lithographs of Rochester and western New York. Leek, Marion Loretta (1933) Marion Loretta Leek, sculpture. Butler, Herman J. (1934) Herman J. Butler and Norman Lindner of Pike Stained Glass Studios, stained glass, for windows in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, 549 Humboldt… Barlow, Wayne (1935) Wayne Barlow, music, for False Faces, a ballet suite for orchestra, performed by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, October 30. Burke, Carleton (1937) Carleton Burke, literature, for Symphony Iroquoian, a volume of poems based on ancient Indian legends. Rochester: Rochester Museum of Arts and… Havens, James Dexter (1939) James Dexter Havens, printmaking, for wood block prints. Menihan, John C. (1940) John C. Menihan, painting, for watercolors and lithographs. Enright, Walter (1941) Walter T. Enright and Sherman A. Clute, drama, for the words and music of Ring, Freedom, Ring, presented by the public schools of Rochester, July 6-7. Ehrich, William Ernest (1942) William Ernest Ehrich, sculpture. Sauer, Julia L. (1942) Julia L. Sauer, literature, for Fog Magic, a novel for children. New York: The Viking Press. Beeson, Jack (1944) Jack Beeson, music, for Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Altschule, Hilda (1945) Hilda Altschule Coates, painting. Sliker, Harold (1947) Harold Sliker, drama, for Unto Us The Living, a choric drama presented at Monroe High School. Sloan, Jocelyn Macy (1948) Jocelyn Macy Sloan, sculpture, for work in alabaster, stone, and terracotta. Harvey, Ruth Walker (1949) Ruth Walker Harvey, literature, for Curtain Time, a memoir of the Walker theatre in Winnipeg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Smith, Paul (1951) Paul Smith, drama, for Eight and Twenty Mansions, a poetic drama presented at Strong Auditorium by the University of Rochester Stagers, May 11-12. Wildenhain, Frans (1953) Frans Wildenhain, ceramics, painting, and sculpture. Avery, Ralph (1954) Ralph Avery, painting, for watercolors. Feuerherm, Kurt K. (1955) Kurt K. Feuerherm, painting, for expressive painting techniques. Messner, Elmer R. (1958) Elmer R. Messner, drawing, for drawings and cartoons. Plutzik, Hyam (1959) Hyam Plutzik, literature, for Apples from Shinar, a volume of poems. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. Dargis, Alfonsas (1961) Alfonsas Dargis, painting, for abstract oils. Rogers, Bernard (1962) Bernard Rogers, music. Hanson, Howard (1964) Howard Hanson, music, for Four Psalms, for baritone, solo cello, and strings, first performed at the Library of Congress, October 31. Johnson, James H. (1965) James H. Johnson, architecture, for the Church of St. John the Evangelist, 2400 Ridge Road West. Miller, Archibald (1966) Archibald Miller, sculpture, for "creative experiments in adapting new materials to an old art form," shown at the Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, October… Hecht, Anthony (1967) Anthony Hecht, literature, for The Hard Hours, a volume of poems. New York: Atheneum. Adler, Samuel (1969) Samuel Adler, music. Wolsky, Jack (1970) Jack Wolsky, painting, for oils shown at the Schuman Gallery. Benson, Warren (1971) Warren Benson, music, for Capriccio for Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano. Ramsey, Jarold (1973) Jarold Ramsey, literature, for Love in an Earthquake, a volume of poems. Calderwood, Kathy (1974) Kathy Calderwood, painting, for oils shown at the Allan Stone Gallery, New York. Paley, Albert, Jr. (1975) Albert R. Paley, Jr., sculpture, for the entrance gates for The Renwick Gallery of the National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution,… Bornarth, Philip (1976) Philip Bornarth, painting, for his retrospective exhibition, "Earth, Air, and Water: Drawings and Paintings of The American Landscape," shown at The… Castle, Wendell (1977) Wendell Castle, sculpture, for the walnut spiral staircase in the corporate headquarters of The Gannett Co. Stewart, William R. (1978) William R. Stewart, ceramic sculpture. Lyons, Joan (1979) Joan Lyons, for painting, photography, and graphic art. Allardt, Linda (1980) Linda Allardt, literature, for The Names of the Survivors , a volume of poems (Ithaca, N.Y.: Ithaca House). Sharrer, Honore (1981) Honore Sharrer, for painting. Fagan, Garth (1982) Garth Fagan, music, for general direction and choreography for The Bucket Dance Theatre, particularly for "Of Night, Light, and Melanin" (1982). Schwantner, Joseph (1984) Joseph Schwantner, music, for his composition "New Morning for the World," for narrator and orchestra. Madalena, Batiste (1986) Batiste Madalena, painting, motion picture posters for the Eastman Theatre (1924-28) Talarico, Ross (1988) Ross Talarico, literature, for All Things as They Are: Recollections of the Sixties and Beyond... Rouse, Christopher (1989) Christopher Rouse, music, for Symphony No. 1. Scott, Joanna (1990) Joanna Scott, literature, for Arrogance. Stewart, William R. (1991) William Stewart, sculpture, for The Council. Gavin, Thomas (1994 ) Thomas Gavin, literature, for his third novel, Breathing Water. Heyen, William (1996) William Heyen, poetry, for Crazy Horse in Stillness. Barrett, Andrea (1997) Andrea Barrett, literature, for The Voyage of the Narwhal Chiarenza, Carl (1998) Carl Chiarenza, Fanny Knapp Allen Professor Emeritus of Art History and artist-in-residence at the College, photography, for an exhibit of large-scale… Lyons, Elizabeth (1999) Elizabeth Lyons, glass sculpture, for "Ritual Vessels." Wakefield, Kathleen (2000) Kathleen Wakefield, poetry, for Notations on the Visible World Kitchen, Judith (2002) Judith Kitchen, literature, for The House on Eccles Road. Longenbach, James (2003) James Longenbach, literature, for Fleet River. Liptak, David (2005) David Liptak, music composition, CD of "Music of David Liptak." Layton, Heather (2007) Heather Layton, for contributions made in art and literature Panning, Anne (2008) Anne Panning, literature, for Super America Zohn-Muldoon, Ricardo (2010) Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, music composition, for CD entitled "Cantos." Grotz, Jennifer (2011) Jennifer Grotz, for her second selection of poems, The Needle Peppermint, Cary (2013) Cary Peppermint, for Basecamp.exe, a workshop and art installation that explores environmental awareness, and INDUSTRIAL WILDERNESS, an online and… FuturPointe Dance ( 2014) N’jelle Gage and Guy Thorne, of FuturPointe Dance Hodge, Nate (2015) Nate Hodge, for his mural ‘City and Sky’ on Atlantic Avenue as part of Wall/Therapy Sanchez-Gutierrez, Carlos (2016) Darren Stevenson, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon for their collaborative opera "Don't Blame Anyone" Rutherford, Sarah (2017) Sarah Rutherford, for her mural project "Her Voice Carries" Straumanis, Kaija (2018) Kaija Straumanis Kim, Olivia (2019) In recognition of the 2018 installation of the Bicentennial Frederick Douglass Sculptures Pfohl Smith, Missy (2020) In recognition of her ongoing directorship of BIODANCE, and in particular her work, entitled "Returning," which premiered in "Dances, Distance and… Smith, Herb (2021) Herb Smith, RPO trumpet player and founder of Herb’s City Trumpets Donnell, Quajay (2022) In recognition of his accomplishments in photography, and specifically his 2022 RBSC exhibition of photographs documenting artists’ engagement across… Schottenfeld, Steven (2023 ) Steven Schottenfeld, in recognition of ongoing achievements, and for the novel This Room Is Made of Noise (UW Press, 2023).