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, 2008, for the 2007-2008 Governor’s Awards in the Arts, the state’s highest honor in the arts, recognizing individuals and organizations 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 Kentucky resident, organization, business, media outlet, school or government agency, with the exception of the National Award, bestowed upon a Kentucky native son or daughter who has achieved national or international acclaim in the arts.

Governor Steve Beshear has been invited to honor the 2007-2008 award recipients at a special public ceremony and reception in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort in October of 2008.

“The Governor’s Awards in the Arts celebrate the value of the arts in Kentucky and help recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements in the arts of Kentuckians,” says Lori Meadows, Executive Director of the Kentucky Arts Council.  “We encourage nominations from all parts of Kentucky.  The award recipients always seem to demonstrate the power of the arts in creating vibrant communities and bringing positive change to people’s lives.”

This annual award and selection process, coordinated by the Kentucky Arts Council, has undergone some scheduling changes to make it possible for the awards to be presented in the same year as the title of the awards.  Nominations that have traditionally been due in September are now due on March 1.

To gain access to the guidelines, instructions and nomination forms, 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 Commerce Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

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The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, invests in programs that develop vibrant communities, provide lifelong education in the arts and support arts participation. Every $1 invested in operating support grants by the Kentucky Arts Council leverages $24 in earned income and matching funds from individuals, philanthropic sources and other levels of government.