30 Dec 2024 Arkansas Arts Council announces 2025 Governor’s Arts Awards

Posted at 7:01 PMh in News by

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of Arkansas Heritage, is pleased to announce the 2025 Governor’s Arts Awards recipients. The recipients will be honored at a ceremony on March 7, 2025, at Robinson Center in Little Rock. 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.

Brigita Gardner of Roland won the Patron Award.

“The Governor’s Arts Awards are bestowed upon those artists, philanthropists and educators who have helped build and strengthen Arkansas’ thriving creative communities,” said Shea Lewis, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “It’s our annual opportunity to showcase these leaders’ contributions to Arkansas’ creative economy and quality of life.”
Ticket sales begin Jan. 1 and can be purchased here.

Becky Witsell of Little Rock won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 2025 recipients are: Mayor Robert “Butch” Berry of Eureka Springs, Arts Community Development Award; TheatreSquared of Fayetteville, Arts in Education Award; Proctor & Gamble in Fayetteville, Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award; Northwest Arkansas Handweavers Guild in Springdale, Folklife Award; Suzanne Underwood Rhodes of Fayetteville, Individual Artist Award; The Dulcimer Shoppe of Mountain View, Judges Recognition Award; Brigita Gardner of Roland, Patron Award; and, Becky Witsell of Little Rock, Lifetime Achievement Award.