The Indiana Arts Commission is now accepting nominations for a prestigious statewide art award.
Nominations will be open through 4:30 p.m. March 15 for the 2017 Indiana Governor’s Arts Awards, which celebrate artistic achievement, philanthropy, arts education and leadership in the arts, according to a news release. The commission has given out these awards biennially since 1973.
Lewis C. Ricci, executive director of the Indiana Arts Commission, said in the release the competition has changed since its inception to include a wider range of professionals.
“The awards have traditionally honored established artists, but Indiana has a legacy of producing outstanding young talent and the Indiana Arts Commission is committed to helping artists build their careers and achieve success here at home,” Ricci said in the release.
An independent panel of representatives from arts, education, business, public and private sectors selects the winners.
Past winners include cartoonist Jim Davis, choreographer and educator David Hochoy and his group Dance Kaleidoscope, and jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery.
“Indiana has a significantly higher percentage of self-employed artists than the national average,” Ricci said in the release. “We want to encourage those artists to stay here, produce their work here, which only enhances Indiana’s reputation as a state that creates.”
Sanya Ali
