Featured News, Program News | December 15, 2023
Governor Mark Gordon is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Governor’s Arts Awards. Three individuals and two families will be honored and celebrated by the Governor and First Lady, alongside other state leaders for their contributions to the arts at the 41st Annual Governor’s Arts Awards banquet.
This year’s honorees are Mary Jane Edwards, arts educator and recently retired executive director of the Jentel Foundation from Banner; The Munsick Family, musicians from Dayton; Geoffrey O’Gara, filmmaker and author from Lander; Milward Simpson, former director of the WY Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources from Cheyenne; and Mike and Jane Sullivan, arts advocates and former Wyoming Governor and First Lady from Casper.
They will all be celebrated at a dinner and awards ceremony at the Little America Hotel and Conference Center in Cheyenne on Fri., Feb. 23, 2024.
There were many nominations submitted for this year’s awards and the selection process was quite competitive. Nominations were submitted to the Wyoming Arts Council in September, reviewed in late October by the Wyoming Arts Council Board, whose recommendations were submitted to the Governor for the final selection.
The Wyoming Governor’s Arts Awards were established in 1982. Winners are selected based on their substantial contributions that exemplify a long-term commitment to the arts through their outstanding impact, breadth of support, dedication to artistic excellence, and involvement in special initiatives supporting the arts.
The Governor’s Arts Awards were first made possible by an endowment from the Union Pacific Foundation in honor of Mrs. John U. Loomis, a life-long patron of the arts. Over the years, individuals and organizations from more than 30 Wyoming communities and statewide organizations have been honored for their dedication to the arts in Wyoming.
Learn more about the Governor’s Arts Awards here.
For reservations to the dinner and awards ceremony, or for more information on this event, visit https://GovernorsArtsAwards.eventbrite.com. For additional information contact Mandy Connelley with the Wyoming Arts Council at mandy.connelley@wyo.gov or 307-214-2701.
The Wyoming Arts Council believes that experiencing the arts should be accessible for all, including people with mental and/or physical disabilities, older adults, military/veterans, people living in institutions and those who lack access to the arts due to geographic isolation, cultural difference and economic hardship.
