Arts Council
Kentucky Arts Council Seeks Nominations for Governor’s Awards in the Arts

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Arts Council is currently accepting nominations until March 1, 2009, for the 2009 Governor’s Awards in the Arts.  Governor Steve Beshear has been invited to honor the 2009 award recipients at a special public ceremony and reception in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort in October of 2009.

The awards are the state’s highest honor in the arts, recognizing individuals and organizations with extraordinary achievement in the arts or making outstanding contributions in Kentucky through the arts.  Any individuals, organizations or businesses may make nominations.

The nine award categories — Artist, Business, Community Arts, Education, Folk Heritage, Government, Media, Milner and National — recognize the broad range of support the arts enjoy in Kentucky.

To be eligible to receive a Governor’s Award in the Arts, a candidate must be a Kentuckian or a Kentucky organization, business, media outlet, school or government agency, with the exception of the National Award, which is bestowed upon a Kentucky native son or daughter who has achieved national or international acclaim in the arts.

“The Governor’s Awards in the Arts honor the achievements of Kentucky artists and confirm the importance of businesses, media, education, communities and government in sustaining a strong arts environment,” says Lori Meadows, executive director of the Kentucky Arts Council.  “We encourage nominations from all parts of Kentucky.  We value the diversity of people and communities in our commonwealth as well as the broad range of art forms found in Kentucky.”

To nominate, go to http://artscouncil.ky.gov/guide/prog1/ga_gdl.html.  For more information about the Governor’s Awards in the Arts program, contact Dan Strauss, Kentucky Arts Council at 502-564-3757 x 474 or dan.strauss@ky.gov.

The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet that creates opportunities 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, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

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