FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Arts Council has commissioned Lexington artist John Lackey to create the awards to be presented to the recipients of the 2011 Governor’s Awards in the Arts, the Commonwealth’s highest honor in the arts. The Governor’s Awards in the Arts presentation and reception will be Oct. 20, 10 a.m. EDT, in the Capitol Rotunda, Frankfort. The event is free and open to the public.

For the 2011 Governor’s Awards in the Arts, Lackey has created a linoleum block print of a winding section of the creek along Sheltowee Trace in the Red River Gorge. Each award was hand painted with watercolor, making each a one-of-a-kind print.

John Lackey is a painter, printmaker, writer and owner of Homegrown Press Studio and Gallery in the former Spalding’s Bakery at 574 N. Limestone in Lexington, Ky.

The Governor’s Awards in the Arts are presented in nine different categories. The Milner Award was the first established and remains the most prestigious. The 2011 Governor’s Award in the Arts recipients are:

For more information about the Governor’s Awards in the Arts and the recipients of the 2011 awards, go to http://artscouncil.ky.gov/KentuckyArt/GovAward2011.htm.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, 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.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Click on thumbnail image to download a print-quality image. Photo Caption: “Enumerating My Distractions,” hand painted linoleum block print by John Lackey.

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