The Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, is pleased to announce the 2023 Governor’s Arts Awards recipients.
Since 1991, the annual awards program has recognized individuals, organizations, and businesses for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas. Recipients are nominated by the public, then selected by an independent panel of arts professionals.
“The Governor’s Arts Awards recognize Arkansans who have made significant contributions to maintaining, growing, and enhancing the arts in our state,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “These artists and art supporters are part of the cultural heritage of Arkansas and are fundamental components of our creative economy and quality of life.”
The 2023 recipients are:
– Christina Littlejohn of Little Rock – Arts Community Development Award
– Jorge Villegas & Maria Botti Villegas of El Dorado – Arts in Education Award for an Arts Educator
– The Foundation of Arts Jonesboro – Arts in Education Award for an Arts Organization
– The Springs Magazine in Hot Springs – Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award
– The Music Roots Program/Founder Danny Thomas in Mountain View – Folklife Award
– Sammy Peters of Little Rock – Individual Artist Award
– Kelly and Marti Sudduth of Fayetteville – Patron Award
– Andrew Kilgore of Fayetteville – Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to all of the recipients! They will be honored with a ceremony in March 2023.
Editor’s Note: The Springs Magazine team is overwhelmed by the honor bestowed upon us with this award. We’d like to thank everyone who’s been part of the team over the years. It certainly takes a village to publish a monthly magazine for 30+ years and we sincerely appreciate every single one of you. And we’d also like to thank our advertisers who make it possible for the magazine to be available to our community at no charge.
The Springs Magazine in Hot Springs, Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award
The Springs Magazine began in 1993 to serve the growing arts community in Hot Springs. The monthly print publication is a guide to art gallery openings, musical performances, poetry readings, and other local entertainment events and festivals. The idea was originally conceived by Sonja Lash and Diane Hampo. Sonja managed the magazine until 2013 when JoAnn Mangione became the publisher.
Almost every cover has been designed by Richard Stephens, who has donated his graphic design services by incorporating photographs, logos, and original artwork by area artists to create eye-catching covers.
Hot Springs is a tourism destination and the arts are an important part of the local economy.
The Springs Magazine provides a vital service to the arts tourism sector. The publication is a guide for monthly art walks and provides schedules for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and maps during arts festivals. Up to 10,000 print copies are distributed monthly and a digital version of the magazine has been available since 2013.
As a free publication, The Springs Magazine has been fully supported by advertisers, including several who have been supporting the magazine since its inception.For more information about the arts award recipients, please visit Facebook: ArkArtsCouncil.
