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| Delta State University Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Coordinator of the Year of the Arts Committee Collier Parker (at left) presents an award for Visual Arts to Ron Koehler. The award presented to Koehler was created by Ky Johnston, assistant professor of art at Delta State. Other Year of the Arts Awards were created by Koehler using wood from the trees that were recently removed from the Delta State Quadrangle because of damage sustained during the 1994 ice storm. |
On January 21, at the Warehouse Restaurant in Cleveland, Delta State University and the Year of the Arts Committee hosted an event entitled “Encore! Celebrating our Artistic Achievements” to celebrate art achievements in our community.
Awards were presented in four categories: Visual Arts, Educational Achievements, Community Achievements and Performing Arts. Nominations were made by the Delta State and Cleveland community members. For each category, consideration for awards was given to projects, displays, performances or other works which showed a dedication to the exploration of creativity in Cleveland and the region.
The Visual Arts awards were presented to Sammy Britt, Ron Koehler, and Wiljax Photographic Designs. Britt was selected for his lifetime achievement as a painter and his 30 plus years as art professor at Delta State University. Koehler received the award for his sustained artistic achievement at Delta State University and in the Cleveland area as a visual artist, art professor and chair of the Delta State Art Department. Wiljax Photographic Designs (Will Jacks and Laura Beth Lott) were selected for the photography exhibit “Contrast” that was held at the Warehouse.
An Educational Achievement award was presented to James Stamps and Levert Pickens for their work as public school band directors. Stamps is the retired band director of East Side High School and Pickens is the current band director at Ruleville Central High School. Collectively, Stamps and Pickens have mentored and taught thousands of students.
Martha McArthur received the Educational Achievement Award for her work as an art teacher at Bayou Academy where she has been inspiring students to find their creative spirits since 1967. McArthur was named Teacher of the Year in 2006.
The Delta Arts Alliance, represented by Lenagene Waldrup, received the Educational Achievement Award for its Artist-in-Residence program that has helped provide art experiences for students in the Delta for the past five years. This year, over 2,500 school children in will benefit from the DAA program. Artists travel to schools and provide art activities for children that would not have exposure to the arts due to budget cuts.
The Warehouse District of Cleveland received the Community Achievement award. The people involved in the Warehouse District include Raymond Huerta, Scott Speaks, Justin Huerta, and Heather Short. The nominees were selected for creating an exciting and unique space in Cleveland that supports the arts by giving artists a space to show their work.
Nan Sanders was presented a Community Achievement award for her work in establishing The Jimmy and Hazel Sanders Sculpture Garden. The garden was started as a creative vision of Nan Sanders and Pam Mathews. The Sculpture Garden was created as a location for the Sculpture Garden Competition, made possible by the generous endowment from the Hazel and Jimmy Sanders Family. Delta State University is becoming recognized as the only university in Mississippi to have its campus filled with an outdoor art collection that the public can enjoy.
In the Performing Arts category, the Cleveland Junior Auxiliary and Carla Parker Dance Studios received the award for their partnership to produce “A Child’s Dream: An Adaptation of the Nutcracker.” The performance is held every three years and allows children to perform as dancers on a “Broadway” stage. Junior Auxiliary President Mary Elizabeth Jeffries and Carla Parker accepted the award.
Dockery farms was honored for three accomplishments: partnering with Viking Range to host the PBS series, “Endless Feasts” in which hundreds of area people were involved;for their work restoring several buildings on the Dockery site made possible by a “Save America Treasures Grant;” and for their work with the Thelonious Monk Institute which has brought internationally known jazz performers to the Delta to teach school children about jazz and the blues through the Delta Music Heritage Program. “Endless Feasts” will air in April to an audience of several million. Kay Dockery, of Memphis, a member of the Dockery Farms Foundation Board, accepted the award.
“Tonight’s celebration was made possible because Delta State University and the Cleveland community actively support and recognize the importance of the arts,” said Delta State Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Coordinator of the Year of the Arts Committee Collier Parker. “The people and organizations that we honored here this evening are shining examples of that support and illustrate just how the arts can enrich the community in which we live. I would like to thank the Year of the Arts Committee for all of their hard work in planning this celebration and I invite the public to all of the great programs planned for this spring. Please check the ‘Year of the Arts’ link on the Delta State website www.deltastate.edu for more information and be on the lookout for upcoming events.”
