Henriette Reiss Award

The Henriette Reiss Award for furthering education in the arts is presented annually to a student or graduate of the Hawthorne Valley School. The award was created through the generosity of Elizabeth Hughes Papas, to honor the work and spirit of Henriette Reiss (1889-1992), artist and teacher.

Born in England and raised in Switzerland, Henriette Reiss studied at art schools in Liverpool, Basel, and Munich and in 1914 followed her husband, the artist Winold Reiss, to New York, where she soon established her own career as textile and graphic designer, teacher, and artist. Read more…

Central to her life and work was the insight that art is crucial to individual and social development, a view also inherent in Waldorf education. Recognition of these facts moved Elizabeth Papas of Philmont, New York, who had been a friend of the Reiss family since 1938 and had cared for Henriette in her later years, to establish an award at the Hawthorne Valley School that would honor an exceptional woman’s life and work by helping aspiring young people further their educations in the arts.

The award is administered by the Henriette Reiss Award Committee. Current committee members are Pamela Dalton, Gili Lev, Ted Pugh, Renate Reiss, George Riley, Fern Sloan and Lawre Stone. The endowment started by Elizabeth Papas continues to grow, and the income realized from the fund helps to underwrite the annual award. Contributions to the fund are tax-deductible and may be sent to:

The Henriette Reiss Award
Hawthorne Valley School
330 Route 21C
Ghent, New York 12075.