Governor honors 13 for cultural contributions

Gov. Nathan Deal honored 13 individuals and organizations in the third annual Governor’s Awards in the Arts and Humanities, recognizing contributions to the state’s cultural vitality, in a Capitol ceremony this week.

  • Metro Atlanta honorees included: Leslie Gordon, director of Georgia State University's Rialto Center for the Arts; Paul Hudson, historian-educator; Douglas Scott, Full Radius Dance Company artistic director; Atlanta Ballet; the Center for Civil and Human Rights; and the music-worship group Meridian Herald.
  • Honored from elsewhere around the state: Syd Blackmarr, arts advocate, Tifton; Fred and Dinah Gretsch, president and CFO, respectively, of Gretsch musical instrument company, Savannah; Activities Council of Thomson, Thomson; Brenau University, Gainesville; Freedom Singers, Albany; Carl Purdy, music and humanities instructor, Georgia Regents University, Augusta; and Richard B. Russell Library of Political Research and Studies at the University of Georgia, Athens.

“Georgia’s arts and humanities sectors propel our state forward by improving quality of life for the citizens and businesses of our state,” Deal said. The honorees “are committed to growing and sustaining Georgia’s vibrant culture and history, and I am grateful for their significant contributions to our state.”

The awards were presented in partnership with the Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities Council.

More information on each honoree: http://gaarts.org/8-news/61-gca-governors-arts-awards.