Governor's Arts Awards

Established in 1991, the annual Governor's Arts Awards program recognizes Arkansas artists, arts patrons, arts educators, arts organizations and businesses for their outstanding contributions to the arts community.

Recipients are nominated by the public, then selected by an independent panel of arts professionals from around the state. Each recipient receives an original work of art created by an Arkansas artist.

Awardees will be honored during a special luncheon and ceremony in the spring of 2025.

2024 award
 
 
 

1997 - Benini - Hot Springs

1998 - Charlotte Rierson - Fairfield Bay

1999 - Ken Bailey & Jim Gresham - Harrison 

2000 - Nancy Hendricks - Fayetteville

2001 - Carlos Price - Hope

2002 - Ray Baker - Fort Smith

2003 - Betty Jo Hays - Hope

2004 - Steve Arrison - Hot Springs

2005 - Dwight Hobbs Curry - Fort Smith 

2006 - Mayor Jim Dailey - Little Rock

2007 - Dick Trammel - Rogers

2008 - Paul Leopoulos - North Little Rock

2009 - Beth James Burns - El Dorado

2010 - Robert Ginsburg - Fayetteville

2011 - John Gaudin - North Little Rock

2012 - Jeff Baskin - North Little Rock

2013 - Bob Ford and Amy Herzberg - Fayetteville

2015 - Remica Gray - Texarkana

2016 - Dr. Dean Kumpuris - Little Rock

2017 - Sam and Barbara Tobias - Mena

2018 - Peggy Kjelgaard - Eureka Springs 

2019 - Steve Clark - Fort Smith

2020 - Gretchen Hall - Little Rock

2021 - Pat Qualls-Taylor - Jonesboro

2022 - Ed Clifford - Springdale

2023 - Christina Littlejohn - Little Rock

2024 - Garbo Hearne - Little Rock

1991 - Dorisenne Hill - Little Rock

1992 - Donna Wallace - Batesville

1993 - Winston Taylor - Russellville

1994 - Dr. Mary Hamilton - Magnolia

1995 - Glynn Calahan - El Dorado

1996 - Andee Evers - Pocahontas

1997 - Lynda Lyon - Hot Springs

1998 - Susan Turner Purvis - Little Rock

1999 - Frankie Goza - Arkadelphia

2000 - Dianna Denton - Morrilton

2001 - Cross County Arts Council - Wynne

2002 - Crittenden Arts Council - West Memphis

2003 - Fred Boosey - Little Rock

2004 - Linda McLeod - Springdale

2005 - Fort Smith Symphony (Organization) - Fort Smith

2005 - Patricia Relph (Individual) - Fayetteville

2006 - Brenda Turner - Little Rock

2007 - Walton Arts Center - Fayetteville

2008 - Zinse Agginie - Little Rock/Hope

2009 - Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Guild - Little Rock

2010 - Dr. Neale and Elaine Bartee - Jonesboro

2011 - Nicole Capri - Little Rock

2012 - Christen Burke Pitts and Clayton Scott - North Little Rock, Fayetteville

2013 - Paul Leopoulos - North Little Rock

2015 - DeltaARTS - West Memphis

2016 - The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas - Pine Bluff

2017 - Art Porter Music Education - Little Rock

2018 - David Woolly - Alma

2019 - The Center for Children and Youth - Fayetteville

2020 - Jeannie Hulen - West Fork

2021 - Kai Coggin - Hot Springs

2022 - Dr. Timothy Crist - Jonesboro

2023 - Jorge and Maria Botti Villegas (Arts Educators) - El Dorado

2023 - Foundation of Arts (Arts Organization) - Jonesboro

2024 - Virmarie DePoyster - North Little Rock

1991 - Worthen Bank - Pine Bluff

1992 - St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center - Hot Springs

1993 - American Cablevision - West Memphis

1994 - J M Products - Little Rock

1995 - International Paper Company Foundation - Pine Bluff

1996 - Murphy Oil Corporation - El Dorado

1997 - Stone & Ward, Inc. - Little Rock

1998 - Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield - Little Rock

2000 - Southwestern Bell Wireless - Fort Smith - Fort Smith

2001 - The Bank of Fayetteville - Fayetteville

2002 - Zero Mountain, Inc. of Fort Smith - Fort Smith

2003 - Simmons First National Bank, Corp. Headquarters - Pine Bluff

2004 - Tyson Foods, Inc. - Springdale

2005 - The Sentinel Record - Hot Springs

2006 - Lennox Industries,Inc. - Stuttgart

2007 - Greenwood and Associates Inc. - Fayetteville

2008 - Brackett - Krennerich & Associates Architects - Jonesboro

2009 - Land O'Frost - Searcy

2010 - 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa - Eureka Springs

2011 - Thoma Thoma - Little Rock

2012 - TRUE Marketing - Jonesboro

2013 - Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, PLLC - Little Rock

2015 - Entergy Arkansas - Little Rock

2016 - Deltic Timber Corporation - El Dorado

2017 - Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP - Little Rock

2018 - Highlands Oncology Group - Fayetteville

2019 - Murphy USA - El Dorado 

2020 - Arkansas Health and Wellness - Little Rock

2021 - Bylites, Inc. - Little Rock

2022 - Cranford Co. - Little Rock

2023 - The Springs Magazine - Hot Springs

2024 - General Mills - Rogers

1997 - Kerri Jucas - El Dorado

1998 - Kelly Grooms - Pocahontas

2000 - M.G. Miller - Fayetteville 

1997 - Jerry Fisk - Washington

1998 - Sondra Torchia - Eureka Springs

2007 - Rex Harral - Wilburn

2008 - Ruby Sales Rayder - Lake Village

2009 - Frank Jones - Conway

2010 - Still on the Hill - Fayetteville

2011 - Mike Shirkey - Fayetteville

2012 - Marty Phillips - Crossett

2013 - Paula Martin Morell - North Little Rock

2015 - Margaret Bolsterli - Fayetteville

2016 - Sonny Burgess and The Legendary Pacers - Newport

2017 - Freda Cruse Hardison - Mountain View

2018 - Brockwell Gospel Music School - Brockwell

2019 - Oxford American - Little Rock 

2020 - Marty Scarbrough - Jonesboro 

2021 - Joe Doster - Huntsville

2023 - The Music Roots Program/Founder Danny Thomas - Mountain View

2024 - Pam Setser - Mountain View

1991 - Cliff Baker - Little Rock

1992 - Jorges Villegas - El Dorado

1993 - Rebecca Whitfield - Little Rock

1994 - Carl Scott - West Memphis

1995 - Brad Mooy - Little Rock

1996 - Sheila B. Parsons - Conway

1997 - E. Fay Jones - Fayetteville

1998 - C. Michael Tidwell - Little Rock

1999 - Mike Nichols - Little Rock

2000 - Repha Buckman - Hope

2001 - Gary Simmons - Hot Springs

2002 - George Price - El Dorado

2003 - Dale Carpenter - Fayetteville

2004 - Betty Dortch Russell McMath - Little Rock

2005 - Anita Huffington - Winslow

2006 - Bryan W. Massey, Sr. - Conway

2007 - Darcy Pattison - North Little Rock

2008 - John Erwin - Little Rock

2009 - Sandra McDonald - Little Rock

2010 - Virgil "Spot" Daniel - Prescott

2011 - Larry Foley - Fayetteville

2012 - John Jeter - Fort Smith

2013 - Robert Hupp - Little Rock

2015 - Kevin Kresse - Little Rock

2016 - RB McGrath - Jacksonville

2017 - Reese Rowland - Little Rock

2018 - Richard Stephens - Hot Springs

2019 - Marjorie Williams-Smith - Little Rock

2020 - Mark Landon Smith - Fayetteville

2021 - Warren Criswell - Benton

2022 - Perrion Y. Hurd - Little Rock

2023 - Sammy Peters - Little Rock

2024 - Stephen Driver - Ozark

1991 - Dolph Whitten - Arkadelphia

1992 - Joe Harris, Jr. - Blytheville

1993 - Polly Crews - Fort Smith

1994 - Billie Starr - Fayetteville

1995 - June Freeman - Pine Bluff

1996 - Donald Munro - Hot Springs

1997 - Janine Earney - West Memphis

1998 - Elizabeth Pruet - El Dorado

1999 - William Bettwy - Pine Bluff

2001 - James Dyke - Little Rock

2002 - Barbara Mashburn - Fayetteville

2003 - Dorothy Morris - Hot Springs

2004 - Dr. Paul Tucker - Hot Springs

2005 - Dr. Ted Bailey - Little Rock

2006 - Jim Blair - Springdale

2007 - Dr. and Mrs. Henry Udouj Jr. - Fort Smith

2008 - Coleman and Shirley "Peaches" Peterson - Rogers

2009 - Ferold and Jane Arend family - Bentonville

2010 - Marilyn Patterson - Fort Smith

2011 - Denise and Hershey Garner - Fayetteville

2012 - Drs. Mack and Vern Ann Shotts - Paragould

2013 - Lee and Dale Ronnel - Little Rock

2015 - Curt and Charlotte Bradbury - Little Rock

2016 - Dr. Thomas A. Bruce - Little Rock

2017 - Johnelle Hunt - Rogers

2018 - Charlotte Hudspeth Gadberry - Little Rock

2019 - Jim and Joyce Faulkner - Little Rock

2020 - Madison and Suzanne Murphy - El Dorado

2021 - The Bob Bogle Family - Bentonville  

2022 - Sharon Heflin - Little Rock

2023 - Kelly and Marti Sudduth - Fayetteville

2024 - Tony Waller -Bentonville

2000 - Rhonda Hicks - El Dorado

2001 - Sleepy LaBeef - Springdale

2002 - Dr. Wesley Branstine - Arkadelphia

2003 - Kathi Sweere - Conway

2004 - Alice Guffey Miller (Arts in Education) - Monticello

2004 - Doug DeMorrow (Individual Artist) - Arkadelphia

2005 - Chuck "Lucky Russell" Lomerson - Clinton

2006 - Julia Gardner (Lifetime Arts Patron) - Wynne

2006 - Lorenzo Smith (Arts in Education) - Little Rock

2007 - Dr. William Clements - Jonesboro

2008 - RuAnn Ewing - Hindsville

2009 - Charles B. Pierce - Redfield

2010 - David Peterson - Greenbrier

2011 - Claire Haun - North Little Rock

2012 - Jim D. Johnson - Little Rock

2013 - Farrell Ford - Arkadelphia

2015 - Kaki Hockersmith - Little Rock

2016 - Theresa Timmons-Shamberger - Maumelle

2017 - Max Elbo - Eureka Springs

2019 - Anthony Tidwell - Hot Springs 

2020 - The Breakfast Club Interdisciplinary Arts Program at Ramay Junior High School - Fayetteville

2021 -  Elmer Beard - Hot Springs

2022 - Lyon College Scottish Heritage Program - Batesville

2024 - Gay Bechtelheimer - El Dorado

1993 - Lucy Cabe - Little Rock

1997 - May Harris Gray - Fort Smith

1999 - Cliff Baker - Little Rock

2000 - Susan Morrison - Eureka Springs

2001 - Al Allen - Little Rock

2002 - Townsend Wolfe - Little Rock

2003 - Stanley Rames - Hot Springs

2004 - Evan Lindquist - Jonesboro

2005 - George Dombek - Goshen

2006 - Charles Banks Wilson - Fayetteville

2007 - Jeane M. Hamilton - Little Rock

2008 - Peggy Caudle Vining - Little Rock

2009 - Julia Lansford - Jonesboro

2010 - Gene Hatfield - Conway

2011 - Vincent Insalaco - North Little Rock

2012 - Zeek Taylor - Eureka Springs

2013 - Billie Seamans - McGehee

2015 - Jana Beard Hendrix - Little Rock

2016 - Suzanne Vining Kunkel - Little Rock

2017 - Thom Hall - Little Rock

2018 - June Biber Freeman - Little Rock

2019 - Billie Joe Starr - Fayetteville 

2020 - Henri Linton Sr. - Pine Bluff

2021 - Trout Fishing in America - West Fork

2022 - Linda Williams Palmer - Hot Springs

2023 - Andrew Kilgore - Fayetteville

2024 - Charley Sandage - Mountain View