Four Women Tapped for Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame
A quartet of pioneering women — Carmen Dillon, Patricia Norris, Dorothea Holt Redmond and Dianne Wager — have been selected for induction into the Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremonies will take place at the guild’s 20th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 31.
“These women made great strides in their craft achieving prominence despite designing in a field dominated by men,” said the guild’s Council Chairwoman Marcia Hinds. “Acknowledgement of their efforts leads to a more balanced and open guild.”
The Hall of Fame honors are are only given posthumously. There are currently 44 members.
Dillon was the first female art director in the British film industry and became the first woman to win an Oscar for set decoration in 1949 for “Hamlet.” Her film credits include “Richard III,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “The Browning Version,” “The Prince and the Showgirl,” “The Go-Between” and “The Omen.”
Dillon also won an Emmy for the British TV movie “Love Among the Ruins.”
Norris is the only artist to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from both the Art Directors Guild and the Costume Designers Guild. She received Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design for “Days of Heaven,” “The Elephant Man,” “Victor Victoria,” “2010,” “Sunset” and “12 Years a Slave” and an Emmy for David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.”
She served as production designer on 22 films and TV shows, including “Killing Them Softly,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “The Singing Detective” and the CBS miniseries “Return to Lonesome Dove.”
Redmond became the first woman to break into production design in 1938 and worked on “Gone with the Wind” and “The Ten Commandments.” She illustrated seven of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, including “Rebecca,” “Rear Window” and “To Catch a Thief.”
She was also hired by Walt Disney to help envision several elements of Disneyland and Disney World, including the Disneyland Dream Suite, New Orleans Square and the mosaic murals at Cinderella’s Castle.
Wager worked as a set designer and art director for over 40 films, including “The Hunt for Red October,” “Crimson Tide,” “The Green Mile” and “Jurassic Park III.” She received ADG Award nominations for her set design work on “Changeling” and her art direction work on “Pleasantville.”
Related stories
Below the Line Bookings and Signings
ADG Will Give Lifetime Achievement Awards in Four Crafts
Christopher Nolan Tapped for Imagery Award from Art Directors Guild
Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
