NEA-chairman John Frohnmayer to have the grant reinstated. The New York Times quoted her as saying in response, "I've been struggling in dance for 28 years. To exist merely to exist is stupidity. To exist to make art is a pretty grand act." Personal life Lewitzky was married to Newell Taylor Reynolds, an architect and set designer whom she met while they were dancers at Lester Horton's company. Reynolds designed sets for the Lewitzky Dance Company. Their wedding reception was in the Samuel Freeman House, which they frequented as part of an avant garde salon. Awards and honors Lewitzky received many awards including honorary doctorates from California Institute of Arts (1981), Occidental College (1984), Otis Parsons College (1989), and the Juilliard School (1993). In 1991 she was a recipient of the Heritage Award from the National Dance Association. In 1996, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. References Further reading "Bella Lewitzky." State of the Arts: California Artists Talk about Their Work. Ed. Barbara Isenberg. Chicago, IL: Ivan R. Dee, 2000. 3–7. . External links USC Libraries: Lewitzky Dance Co. Archive Bella Lewitzky Website Bella Lewitzky Facebook Page Bella Lewitzky Instagram Bella Lewitzky Twitter 1916 births 2004 deaths American choreographers American female dancers Dancers from California Jewish dancers People from Greater Los Angeles People from San Bernardino, California United States National Medal of Arts recipients 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American women 21st-century American women