BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On Tuesday, October 3, Cranbrook Academy of Art honored Juergen H. Walker, Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services AG, with the 8th annual Creative Patronage Award. Mr. Walker was recognized for his ongoing support of contemporary art, design and architecture. The Creative Patronage Award Dinner was held in Cranbrook's historic dining hall designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen. Cranbrook welcomed more than 150 distinguished guests to the event. "I truly believe that the relationship our company has with Cranbrook Academy of Art is unique," said Juergen H. Walker, during the award ceremonies. "It places cutting edge art in the world of business." The Creative Patronage Award was established in 1999 by the Cranbrook Academy of Art Board of Governors. The award was inspired by Cranbrook founders George and Ellen Booth, whose belief in the power of art, design and architecture was reflected in the talented artists and designers who created Cranbrook's campus and who study and practice at the Academy today. This award recognizes the necessity and importance of artists, in addition to the financial support of patrons, toward the betterment of the world. "Through Juergen Walker's personal support of contemporary art, design and architecture and through his leadership of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, he embodies the ideals of Cranbrook's founders that we seek to recognize," said Gary Wasserman, Vice-Chair of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum Board of Governors. "Like George and Ellen Booth -- the founders of Cranbrook Educational Community -- Juergen Walker, is committed to excellence and to creating opportunities internationally for artists, designers and architects to inspire and influence our daily lives and our future." Recipients of past Creative Patronage Awards distinguished themselves through their support of education and the work of artists and designers. Walker is no exception. Through his leadership of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, which celebrates creativity and promotes contemporary art in the workplace, Walker offers the world a visionary model of philanthropy in support of art and artists in our community. At DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, Walker has instituted several programs that generously mesh the contemporary art collection of the company with the work of emerging Cranbrook Academy artists, creating extraordinary opportunities for artists and their audiences to learn from one another. One such initiative, the Emerging Artist Award, offers an extended residency program in Berlin for a graduating student of the Academy. The residency concludes with a public exhibition of work by the Emerging Artist Award recipient and the nine finalists at the DaimlerChrysler Financial Services headquarters at Pottsdamer Platz in Berlin. Walker's inspired advocacy of Cranbrook Academy of Art also has resulted in a year-long exhibition of work by Academy students in the Farmington Hills, Michigan headquarters of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas. An important element of this program is the participation of DCFSA employees who visit the Academy's studios, talk with the artists and select the artworks for exhibition. Beginning this year, some of the Academy students' work selected by DCFSA employees is being exhibited in other venues in the greater Detroit area. Past recipients of the Cranbrook Academy of Art Governors' Creative Patronage Awards include Adele and Donald Hall, 1999; Xenia and J. Irwin Miller, 2000; Cindy Pritzker, 2001; Lord Peter Palumbo, 2002; Lloyd Cotsen, 2003; and Agnes Gund, 2004. About Cranbrook Academy of Art Founded in 1932, Cranbrook Academy of Art is recognized worldwide as a preeminent graduate level school of art, design and architecture. This independent graduate degree-granting institution offers an intense studio- based experience where artists-in-residence mentor students in art, design and architecture to creatively influence contemporary culture. The Academy awards Master's of Fine Arts degrees in nine disciplines including 2D Design, 3D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture, and a Master's of Architecture degree. The Academy and its sister institution, Cranbrook Art Museum, also offer exhibitions, public lectures and educational programs on contemporary art and culture. The Academy and Museum are part of Cranbrook Educational Community, an internationally renowned educational community dedicated to excellence in the arts, education and science. Cranbrook is located at 39221 Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and also includes an Institute of Science, the Cranbrook Schools and other affiliated cultural and educational programs. About DaimlerChrysler Financial Services DaimlerChrysler Financial Services is internationally and strategically positioned as the third largest captive financial services provider in the world. The company provides customized financial services that promote the sales of vehicles from the DaimlerChrysler Group. On the strength of its comprehensive range of leasing, financing, insurance and fleet management services, the division manages a contract volume of approximately 118 billion euros. The company finances or leases over one third of all the vehicles produced by DaimlerChrysler. Headquartered in Berlin, DaimlerChrysler Financial Services has more than 11,000 employees working in vehicle financing subsidiaries in 39 countries. DATASOURCE: DaimlerChrysler Financial Services CONTACT: Felicia E. Molnar of Cranbrook, +1-248-645-3329; or Jack Ferry of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, +1-248-427-3124 Web site: http://www.daimlerchryslerfinancialservices.com/na

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