“It was the first time that I was surrounded by artists, thinkers, musicians, all coming here to perfect and learn their craft, all from different backgrounds, exploring the thing that they love the most,” she said. “Simply being in this environment around these amazingly talented people was transformative.”
Dutcher was one of ten recipients of this year’s Anchor Awards, given each fall to alumni who have excelled professionally and made significant contributions to their communities. One of those honored for giving back was Aisha Miller ’00, one of three who accepted awards for Outstanding Alum: Impact on Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement.
“When I think about the word ‘anchor,’ I think about everything that has anchored me,” Miller said. “God, my son, my mother, and my family, my friendships, my professors, my mentors, and all of my colleagues have anchored me.”
Ben Fain ’02 was also honored for social responsibility and civic engagement. A Hartford Art School (HAS) graduate, he now builds hospitality businesses, restores old buildings, and works on mixed-use development projects, mostly in New York’s Hudson Valley. He credits HAS faculty with encouraging students to take risks and learn from mistakes—even if some of his own experiments resulted in two melted soccer balls, or a body cast that took hours to remove. “I think I still have some somewhere,” he said.
“But I use everything I learned in art school every single day,” he added. “I experiment, I obsess, I work extremely hard.”
Lawrence P. Ward, President, University of HartfordSomewhere I read about the responsibility, even in the darkest moments, to share your light. And so, to each of our honorees tonight, I want to thank you for sharing your unique light and gifts with this community and with the world.
Nancy Pantirer ’77, another Hartford Art School graduate, is now a New York City-based artist who primarily creates large-scale abstract paintings. In accepting the Anchor Award for Distinguished Alum, Pantirer stressed how her UHart education paved the way to her future career.
“To the students here and the future students that will be graduating, don't rush past the basics, the theory, the critique, and the hard questions,” Pantirer said. “That is what you build on. That foundation has stayed with me far beyond the Art School and shaped everything I've done since.”
That process of taking the foundation built at UHart, carrying it into the world, and paying it forward to your community or to the next generation is what President Lawrence P. Ward called the amplifying effect of the University of Hartford—and he thanked all the awardees for being a light for others to follow.
“Somewhere I read that we have a responsibility to share our light with the world and with others,” Ward said. “Somewhere I read that when you have a light in a home, you don't hide it under a bowl. You put it on a stand so that others may see. Somewhere I read about the responsibility, even in the darkest moments, to share your light. And so, to each of our honorees tonight, I want to thank you for sharing your unique light and gifts with this community and with the world.”
The Anchor Awards are stewarded by the Alumni Advisory Council, with nominations solicited from the full University community each year. To learn more about all the honorees, click below.