FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 2, 2019) — 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.