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Arts Commission News

2006 Recipients of the Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts Announced

JACKSON—Award recipients for the 2006 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts were announced by the Mississippi Arts Commission, which coordinates the annual awards program. The recipients will accept their awards at the 18th annual public ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, February 17, in the new, state of the art Mississippi Telecommunications Center in Jackson. This year’s seven awards and recipients are:

  • Arts in Education-Casey Elementary School (Jackson, MS)
  • Leadership in Mississippi Arts-The Craftsmen’s Guild of MS, (Jackson, MS)
  • Artistic Excellence-Bruce Levingston (of Greenville, MS)
  • Civic Leadership in the Arts-Trustmark National Bank (Jackson, MS)
  • Artist’s Achievement-Fletcher Cox (Tougaloo, MS)
  • Blues Ambassador-Sam Myers (of Laurel, MS)
  • Lifetime Achievement-Elizabeth Spencer (of Carrollton, MS)

“The Mississippi Arts Commission is delighted to announce this extraordinary list of recipients who have made such lasting and profound contributions to the arts in our state” said Malcolm White, Executive Director. “From artistic beginnings in the classroom, to outstanding civic leadership, and of course, the artists themselves, this is a celebration of the achievements of the great State of Mississippi.”

Awards are made to individuals and organizations for outstanding and visionary work in the literary and performing arts, arts education, and community development through the arts, patronage and Mississippi Heritage, among others. (Artists do not have to currently reside in the state, but they must have significant ties to the state through some years of residency.)

“Every year, I think the recipients are the best we have ever had. Our judges this year have added an amazing group to our already distinguished list from the past awards ceremonies,” said Melody Maxey, Mississippi Arts Commission Chairperson. Award categories and the number of recipients vary annually at the discretion of the judges. Judges for the 2006 awards were Bob Canizaro, a leader in the architectural community who was involved in the creation of Mississippi State School of Architecture; Beth Clay, a former member and chairperson of the Mississippi Arts Commission and an avid advocate for the arts; Gwen Magee, a Mississippi artist who creates extremely compelling and expressive quilts; Gary Bailey, an accomplished architect with over 27 years of experience and Janet Scott, Director of the Greater Jackson Arts Council (formerly the Arts Alliance of Jackson and Hinds County) since1998.

Artist William Dunlap, who received a Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1991, will again serve as master of ceremonies, as he has since 1992.

The Arts Commission is proud to have Kevin Turner, an artist from the hurricane-ravaged community of Gautier, design and construct an original ceramic work for this year’s honorees.

The commemorative poster was designed by Vidal Blankenstein of Jackson and features photography by Tom Joynt of Jackson. The current poster series highlights treasures from the Old Capitol Museum. This year’s poster features a silver centerpiece, used primarily for flower arrangements, given by the people of Mississippi to the crew of the second U.S.S. Mississippi (BB-23) in a presentation at Horn Island on May 25, 1909. It is now in the collection of the Old Capitol Museum. “This poster is the third in a series of four showcasing beautiful items from the Old Capitol Museum collection. How timely it is to showcase these exquisite items now, due to the damage the Museum suffered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” said White. (Posters will be available, free of charge, from the Commission.)

Making the awards possible are sponsors, grand patrons, patrons and donors. This year’s sponsors are BellSouth, The Clarion-Ledger and Communication Arts Company. Grand Patrons include BancorpSouth; BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi; ChevronTexaco Corporation; Beth Clay; Lawrence and Jan Farrington; John and Melody Maxey; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Regions Bank; Sanderson Farms, Inc. Patrons include Atmos Energy; Canizaro Cawthon Davis Architects; Delta and Pine Land Company; Kathryn Healy Hester; Jane and Wood Hiatt, Hiatt-Ingram Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson; Horne LLP; SAKS Incorporated; David M. Trigiani, FAIA; Trustmark National Bank. Donors include Allegrezza Piano Company, Inc., Commingroup; Stuart M. Irby; Dr. and Mrs. A. Charles Jackson; Jess Pinkston, Jr.; The Ramey Agency.

The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency, funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, the Riley Foundation, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and other private sources.

The Governor’s Awards ceremony is free and open to the public.

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