On Thursday, February 2, 2023, the Mississippi Arts Commission hosted the 2023 Governor’s Arts Awards at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. Now in its 35th year, the awards are presented in partnership with the Governor’s Office to celebrate the arts.

The 2023 recipients and awards are as follows:

Dr. Ann Fisher-Wirth – Excellence in Literature & Poetry

Betsy Bradley – Leadership in Visual Arts & Community

Ed McGowin – Lifetime Achievement

Ke Francis – Excellence in Visual Arts

King Edward Antoine – Excellence in Music

Ralph Eubanks – Excellence in Literature & Cultural Ambassador

Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation – The Stephen C. Edds Patron of the Arts Award

Image by Ron Blaylock Photography.

For more information about the awards, visit arts.ms.gov/gaa.

Presenting Sponsors: Mississippi Public Broadcasting

The featured artwork for the 2023 Governor’s Arts Awards Image Credit: Ed McGowin, Dairy Queen: Stage 3, from “Name Change Suite,” 1972. serigraph. Collection of the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson. Gift of William Dunlap. 2006.056.15. Ed McGowin is a 2023 Governor’s Arts Awards recipient and internationally renowned visual artist with deep roots in south Mississippi.