VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The 2011 Rothko Chapel  Oscar Romero Award Ceremony and Reception takes place Sunday, November 13, 3pm. The 2011 Rothko Chapel Oscar Romero Award will be presented to Nassera Dutour for her tireless efforts to shatter the silence surrounding the fate of thousands of Algerians, including her own son, who vanished during the country's civil war. Larry Cox, former Executive Director, Amnesty International USA will deliver the keynote address. Public reception following.

The Rothko Chapel board of directors is honored to present the 2011 Oscar Romero Award to Nassera Dutour for her courageous efforts to champion the human rights of those who disappeared at the hands of Algerian security forces during the 1990s. By providing recognition and material assistance to Mrs. Dutour and the organization she founded, SOS Disparus, the Rothko Chapel hopes to buttress her efforts and offer a level of protection as she continues her struggle to discover what happened to the more than 7000 Algerians who were taken against their will, likely tortured, and never heard from again.

Madame Nassera Dutour initiated her quest for justice after her own son was kidnapped from the street near his home. Madame Dutour will speak about her work and be recognized in a ceremony that is open to the public. Larry Cox, former executive director of Amnesty International USA, will speak about the global implications of human rights violations and their redress.

The public is invited to the ceremony and to a reception to meet Madame Dutour and Larry Cox on the Chapel plaza immediately after the program. Seating in the Chapel is limited and is first-come, first-serve. Overflow seating under a tent placed on the Chapel grounds will be available.

This award commemorates the martyrdom of Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, who was murdered in 1980 for his efforts to expose government corruption and to fight exploitation of the poor in El Salvador. Initiated by the Chapel’s founder, Dominique de Menil, in 1986, the Oscar Romero Award is given to individuals or organizations in recognition of their unsung, heroic efforts in the area of human rights. Madame Dutour was chosen to receive this year’s award by the board of the Rothko Chapel from 15 nominees selected by a national committee of human rights advocates. The award includes a cash gift of $20,000 to the recipient.