2020 Governor’s Arts Awards Winners Announced Oct. 28

Press release from Arizona Citizens for the Arts: Twelve artists from across Arizona have created artwork for honorees of the 2020 Governor’s Arts Awards who will be announced during a virtual event on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

During the short broadcast, presented by Billie Jo's; Judd Herberger, winners will be announced in four categories: Artists, Administrator/Organization, Business and Philanthropy. Thirty-seven finalists from 16 Arizona communities were announced in March. Shelley Award winners Catherine “Rusty” Foley, former Arizona Citizens for the Arts Executive Director, and Bob Booker, former executive director at the Arizona Commission on the Arts, also will be recognized.

“The Governor’s Arts Awards reflect the incredible depth and diversity of Arizona’s arts and cultural community and the awards that honorees receive are a tremendous extension of that creative landscape,” said Arizona Citizens for the Arts (AzCA) Executive Director Joseph Benesh, who will host the awards ceremony that begins at 6 p.m. and can be viewed on the AzCA Facebook page (@ArizonaCitizensfortheArts, www.facebook.com/ArizonaCitize... and website (www.azcitizensforthearts.org).

Artists, who were selected by an independent panel, are:
• Amy Sansbury Manning, Phoenix; clay, glaze, underglaze, ceramic stains: Streetlights:
Via de Ventura and the 101.
• Peter Parago, Scottsdale; giclée print, Arizona Crow.
• Suspira Arte, Tucson; acrylic and paint marker on bone, Calavera.
• Jose A. Benavides, Chandler; recycled material: Arizona tea and aluminum cans,
automotive hub cap, Alumguaro Rojo.
• Lydia Quinones, Mesa; acrylic paint on canvas, Desert Fruit.
• Diego Perez, Tempe; oil on canvas, Colors of downtown (cempasúchil flowers).
• Scott Stanton, Scottsdale; recycled artificial cemetery flowers, beads, buttons and embroidery floss, Blue Lips.
• Ry Sedrick, Phoenix; watercolor, Persistence of Nature.
• Rowan Burkam, Nutrioso; paper, glue, resin, acrylic, twine, antler; Morphology 33°27’25.2”N 112°05’23.5W.
• Kimberly Harris, Phoenix; ceramic stoneware, Frolic.
• Elijah Bourque, Scottsdale; bronze, Cielo.
• Heather Hanft, Chandler; laminated birch relief, Habitat #006.

The 39th annual Governor’s Arts Awards also includes a silent auction and musical performance. There is no cost to view the ceremony, but donations will be accepted. Registration ( https://aesaz.co/ELP/GAA2020/ ) is required to participate in the online silent auction. The same
link can be used to view the silent auction items beginning the week before the event.

Event sponsors include Herberger Foundation, APS, SRP, Judith Hardes, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale Arts, Mesa Arts Center, Chandler Center for the Arts, Theater Works, Chuck and Laurie Goldstein, Jeffrey and Leslie Rich and Mike and Enid Seiden. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Program Manager Sarah Cirelli at SarahCirelli@azcitizensforthearts.org

Award finalists are:
Artist Award: Jose Dorame, Yuma; Lucy Wong, Gilbert; Such & Champ Styles, Tempe; Victor
Navarro, Tucson; Quiahuitl Villegas, Tucson; Bobb Cooper, Phoenix; Tania Katan, Phoenix; Chris
Hamby, Peoria; Arlene Minushkin, Prescott; Rhonda Urdang, Flagstaff; John Suttman, Winslow.
Arts Administrator/Organization: Yuma Art Center, Yuma; Border Arts Corridor, Douglas;
Littlewood Fine Art and Community Co-op, Yuma; Andre Licardi, The Peoria Arts Commission,
Glendale; Lead Guitar, Tucson; Sonoran Glass School, Tucson; Rising Youth Theatre, Phoenix;
Scottsdale Arts, Scottsdale; Sounds Academy, Phoenix; Phoenix Center for the Arts, Phoenix;
Yuma Orchestra Association; Sonoran Arts League, Cave Creek; Prescott Center for the Arts,
Prescott; Yavapai-Apache Artist Guild, Yavapai-Apache Nation; Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra,
Flagstaff; Flagstaff Community Band, Flagstaff.

Business: Rolls and Bowls, San Luis; Jarrod's Coffee, Tea's; Gallery, Mesa;
Partridge & Associates CPAs, PLC, Scottsdale; ON Media, Phoenix/Tucson.
Philanthropy: Chuck and Laurie Goldstein, Paradise Valley; McKivergan Foundation, Yuma;
Victor Navarro, Tucson; Jon's; Liney Jessen, Yuma; Allan Affeldt, Winslow; Dorothy Lincoln
Smith, Paradise Valley.

The Governor’s Arts Awards are presented by Arizona Citizens for the Arts in partnership
with the Office of the Governor. Since 1981, more than 200 distinguished artists, individuals,
cultural organizations, educators, businesses and philanthropists have received Governor’s Arts
Awards. For more information, visit www.azcitizensforthearts.org.

This press release was produced by Arizona Citizens for the Arts. The views expressed here are the author's own.