2026 Raleigh Medal of Arts Winner: Chasta Hamilton

Photo by Jude McDonald

The following is an excerpt from the 2026 Raleigh Medal of Arts Awards program.

Photos by Jude McDonald

Text by David Menconi

A little over a decade ago, Raleigh's Stage Door Dance Productions was on the same slog as every other dance organization: focused on an endless cycle of rehearsal and preparation for a series of competitive events. Taking a step back, the owner/ founder had a flash of inspiration: What if Stage Door just quit the competitive aspect of dance?

Photo by Jude McDonald

"That was a huge realization," Hamilton says. "Our society's achievement culture seems toxic, and it's so counterintuitive to what I wanted to create.

What does it even mean to package art into a gold medal or 10-way third-place tie? The ridiculousness of it is removed from the truth of art, so what if we just did away with it? Let's try burning it down and rebuilding it back to the truth of art's organic state."

Thus, was born "Trash the Trophies," a noncompetitive philosophy Stage Door adopted in a design called Elevated Pathways. An impressive wave of productivity has coincided with that decision.

Photo by Jude McDonald

Under Stage Door's auspices, Hamilton has published three books, done a well-regarded TED talk called "You Weren't Built to Break," directed the 2024 short film "RANK," and launched an initiative to help restore housing destroyed by Hurricane Helene. All of that is a better use of time and energy than contests.

"The world has become so far removed from being people-driven, and art is one of the remaining things that embraces that. " says Hamilton. "Everything I’ve been able to do starts from the fact that dance was my own gateway to reaching my fullest potential. So, I try to help others reach their fullest potential. I tell parents, this isn't something you'll get a World Cup for at the end of the year. It's a slow-burn process of discipline and work ethic that feeds the soul. It will give your child the opportunity to do things that can change the world. Through the arts, we can reach our potential, whether it's a dance class, a book, a film, or a theater piece. Art is how to bridge the gap to a better humanity. The more spaces art is in, the healthier and happier humanity will be."

Photo by Jude McDonald