By Camile Matthews
The Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities honor outstanding individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Georgia’s civic and cultural vitality through excellence and service to the arts and humanities. Presented by the Office of the Governor in partnership with Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities, the Governor’s Awards recognize the value of the arts and humanities in the creation of a thriving economy and their contributions to education, innovation, growth and quality of life. The Governor’s Awards pay tribute to the most distinguished citizens and organizations that have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to work in these fields.
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2017 recipients of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities pictured with Gov. and Mrs. Nathan Deal at the Georgia State Capitol after the awards ceremony.
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| William Eiland has been the director of the Georgia Museum of Art, the official state art museum, since 1992. Under his leadership, the museum has grown its programming, staff, and permanent collection, as well as established the Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts program. Eiland has emphasized the museum’s role as the state’s museum maintaining free admission with the mindset that the collection belongs to the people of the state. |
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Attorney General and State Economic Development Commissioner, Chris Carr, speaks to attendees about the importance of the arts and humanities in Georgia and how the field is a driving force for tourism and economic development in the state.
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Under the direction of David Vogt and Lamar Renford, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Art Program has showcased approximately eight exhibits per year in its Atrium Gallery and has purchased more than 150 pieces of artwork to add the the collection. Since 1994, the robust program has grown to include commissioned art, rotating exhibitions, and performing art. Three Youth Art Galleries are changed every four months, with about 400 pieces from k-12 students in the state, where world travelers can view their artwork.
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Dr. Jamil Zainaldin receives a commendation from Gov. and Mrs. Nathan Deal for his 20 years of service as the president and executive director of Georgia Humanities.
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Dr. Jamil Zainaldin personally thanks Gov. and Mrs. Nathan Deal for his commendation.
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| Dr. Jamil Zainaldin, president of Georgia Humanities, and Karen Paty, executive director for the Georgia Council for the Arts, deliver opening remarks for the awards ceremony. |
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| Writer, naturalist, and activist, Janisse Ray, was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2015. Ray has written six books including Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Wild Card Quilt, and Drifting into Darien, which have won many awards and acclaim. |
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An award-winning Poet Laureate of Georgia, and novelist, Judson Mitcham performs a poem for ceremony attendees.
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Kenny Leon is a Tony Award winning Broadway and film director. Leon served as the artistic director of the Alliance Theater for 11 years where he helped transform and diversify Alliance staff, productions, and artists.. Through True Colors Theater Company, as co-founder, Leon has extended the theatre’s impact with the National August Wilson Monologue Competition for high school students. What began in 2007 in three Atlanta high schools has now expanded to over 18 counties in Georgia and 12 cities across the country, involving tens of thousands of young people.
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| Since 1979, Lois Reitzes’ distinctive voice has graced the airways of classical music on Atlanta’s National Public Radio station, WABE 90.1FM. As the host of the weekday morning show “Second Cup Concert” from 1982-2015, Reitzes was invaluable in exploring the myriad ways that classical music can inspire and influence all citizens throughout life. |
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| Atlanta author, playwright, poet, essayist, and journalist, Pearl Cleage, honors award recipient Virginia Hepner for her outstanding efforts in arts leadership. |
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| Four of the 12 potters stand to be recognized for pottery artwork given as awards to the 2017 Governor’s Awards recipients. |
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Dr. Pearl McHaney is the current Kenneth M. England Professor of Southern Literature at Georgia State University. McHaney has provided encouragement and support to numerous artists, writers, students, educators and colleagues which forms the core of her legacy and its impact in the arts and humanities. McHaney opened Atlanta’s arts community to GSU students through her advocacy of reduced-fee access to arts events and increased art and music events on the GSU campus.
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| Student from Valdosta gives speech on how the Turner Center for the Arts has transformed her love for the performing arts and performs an original song (on acoustic guitar) for attendees. |
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Renowned Atlanta television broadcast journalist, Monica Pearson, honors award recipient Valerie Boyd for her outstanding work in literature and journalism.
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| As the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Valerie Boyd co-directs the college’s successful low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Narrative Media Writing. Her passion inspires emerging writers to develop their craft. In 2003, she received the Georgia Author of the Year Award in nonfiction and the Southern Book Award for best nonfiction book of the year for Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. |
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For more than a decade, Virginia Hepner has been an integral part of Georgia’s art community, serving as a strong business leader and champion for the importance of art education throughout the state. After a 25-year career in banking, Hepner joined the Woodruff Arts Center, the state’s largest arts institution and the third largest arts center in the U.S. More than 200,000 students take part in the Art Center’s education programs each year.
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