Details of 2011 Kyoto Prize Symposium to be Announced at Rancho Santa Fe Reception

San Diego – Nov. 15, 2010 -- Presentations detailing news of the forthcoming Kyoto Prize Symposium in San Diego will be featured at a reception for Rancho Santa Fe residents sponsored by the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation and Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild at 5 p.m. Dec. 2. The event will be held in the Foundation offices and Art Guild gallery, 6004 Paseo Delicias.

Attendees will hear first-hand reports on the awarding of prizes in Kyoto Nov. 10 to the 2010 Kyoto Prize Laureates: Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, chosen from the field of medical research and  technology; Dr. Laszlo Lovasz, selected from the field of mathematics, and William Kentridge, chosen from the field of  visual arts.

Ray McKewon of Rancho Santa Fe, serving as honorary chair, notes that he enthusiastically supports the symposium because “it so richly enhances San Diego’s international commerce, cultural exchange and scientific advancement.”  Assisting in welcoming the more than 60 guests will be Carol Curtis, president of the Art Guild, and Christy Wilson, director of the RSF Foundation. The French Gourmet will cater.

Dick Davis, executive director of the Kyoto Prize Symposium, said Rancho Santa Fe Foundation and Art Guild members may be particularly interested in the selection of visual artist Kentridge, who was awarded the $550,000 prize for lifetime achievement in the Arts and Philosophy category.  The 55-year-old South African was cited for his originality as an artist whose wide-ranging activities encompass drawing, animation, stage direction and writing. Kentridge’s signature animated films known as “drawings in motion” reflect the history and social circumstances of South Africa, where he lives and works.

The Kyoto Prize is a preeminent international award created by Japan’s non-profit Inamori Foundation to honor those who have contributed significantly to humankind’s scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment. The Kyoto Prize Symposium is a three-day North American celebration of the lives and works of those receiving the prestigious Kyoto Prize. Held annually in San Diego, it will include individual presentations by the laureates at San Diego State University and UC San Diego April 5, 2011 and at the University of San Diego April 6. For further information on the symposium see kyotoprize.org.

For information on the reception contact Christina Wilson at 858 756-6557 or Christy@rsffoundation.org.