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Oklahoma Arts Council Seeks Nominations for 41st Annual Governor's Arts Awards

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 1, 2016) – The Oklahoma Arts Council is seeking nominations for the 41st Annual Governor’s Arts Awards through August 2. The awards recognize individuals and organizations whose contributions to the arts have had an impact in communities, schools, or across the state. The awards are presented by the Governor during a special ceremony at the state Capitol in the fall.

Awards are presented in several categories:

The Governor’s Award - recognizes individuals for longtime leadership and significant contributions to the arts across Oklahoma.

Arts in Education Award - recognizes an individual, organization, school, educator or group for their outstanding leadership and service in the arts benefitting youth and/or arts in education.

Business in the Arts Award - recognizes businesses/corporations who exhibit outstanding support of the arts in Oklahoma. This award was created in memory of Earl Sneed, prominent arts advocate.

Community Service Award - recognizes individuals for significant contributions to the arts in specific Oklahoma communities in the areas of leadership and volunteerism.

Media in the Arts Award - recognizes an individual member in the media who demonstrates commitment to the arts in Oklahoma documented through public awareness support and fairness, initiative, creativity, and professionalism in reporting. This award was created in memory of Bill Crawford, veteran professional journalist.

George Nigh Public Service in the Arts Award - recognizes an Oklahoma government official for outstanding support of the arts. This award was named in honor of former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh.

Nominees must be current residents of the State of Oklahoma and living in Oklahoma full time, or organizations/businesses that work in and for the benefit of Oklahoma. Previous recipients of the Governor’s Award are not eligible. Honorees will be selected by the Governor’s Arts Awards Selection Committee, which is comprised of members of the Governor-appointed Oklahoma Arts Council board and may include past Governor’s Award recipients.

An online nomination form and a downloadable nomination form are available at arts.ok.gov. Deadline for submissions is Tuesday, August 2, 2016.

For more information, contact Joel Gavin, Oklahoma Arts Council director of marketing and communications, at (405) 521-2037 or joel.gavin@arts.ok.gov.

About the Oklahoma Arts Council
The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides approximately 500 grants to almost 250 organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state's arts and cultural industry, and manages hundreds of works of art in the public spaces of the state Capitol. Additional information is available at arts.ok.gov.

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