Five Kentuckians and four Kentucky organizations will receive the state’s top honors in the arts on Sept. 10 in Frankfort when Gov. Matt Bevin presents the 2018-19 Governor’s Awards in the Arts.
The Governor’s Awards in the Arts recognize individuals and organizations making extraordinary and significant contributions to the arts in Kentucky. Awards go to artists, arts organizations, art critics, volunteers, schools, educators, local governments, elected officials and corporate citizens.
The Kentucky Arts Council solicits nominations for these awards and coordinates the panel selection process, and the awards are presented by the Governor of Kentucky. Each year the arts council commissions a Kentucky artist to create custom works of art to serve as the awards.
The Governor’s Awards in the Arts ceremony, coordinated by the Kentucky Arts Council in cooperation with the Governor’s Office, will be 10 a.m., Sept. 10 at the State Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort.
The 2018-19 Governor’s Awards in the Arts recipients are:
Milner Award – Cornelia Dozier Cooper, Pulaski County
Artist Award – Tim Hall, Estill County
Business Award – First Southern National Bank, Lincoln County
Community Arts Award – Valera Brooks, Marshall County
Education Award – CKYO MusicWorks, Fayette County
Folk Heritage Award – George Anderson Beard, Calloway County
Government Award – City of Greenville, Muhlenberg County
Media Award – Bluegrass & Backroads, Jefferson County
National Award – Chris Stapleton, native of Johnson County
The 2018-19 Governor’s Award in the Arts was created by Michelle Lyn Strader and Frederick Bartolovic of Silver Run Ceramics in Boyd County.
Nominations from the public for the Governor’s Awards in the Arts are accepted annually by the arts council, which recommends honorees to the governor.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, fosters environments for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.
(provided by Kentucky Arts Council)