The Governor’s Arts Awards program signifies the important relationship between government and the arts. Established in 1988, the Governor’s Arts Awards recognize individuals and organizations who have made noteworthy contributions to or achieved artistic excellence in Mississippi. The Mississippi Arts Commission presents the awards each year in partnership with the Governor’s Office.

2025 Governor’s Arts Awards

The 2025 recipients were recognized at the 37^th Governor’s Arts Awards ceremony, which took place on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.

Each year, MAC and Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) partner to record and broadcast the awards ceremony on MPB Television and MPB Radio. We are grateful for MPB’s continued support!

Eddie Cotton Jr., Excellence in Music

Eddie Cotton, Jr. (Clinton, MS) is an electric blues guitarist who had an affinity for the blues at an early age. Born in Clinton, Mississippi, Cotton grew up singing and playing gospel music in his father’s church. He began listening to the blues as a youth; it would not be long before that foot-stomping down-home music would stir in his soul, inspiring him to pick up the electric guitar and cleverly interpret the blues with an original modern flare. Cotton has represented Mississippi on the global stage and has been featured in several films about the blues. Among his awards and accolades, he has a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in his hometown of Clinton.

Walt Grayson, Lifetime Achievement

Walt Grayson (Brandon, MS) grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, where he started his broadcasting career at Greenville radio station WJPR while he was in high school. Walt next came to Jackson to WRBC and worked there and for several other Jackson radio stations until he moved to television in 1984. Walt has worked for WLBT, WJTV, and Mississippi Public Broadcasting. As the host of MPB’s “Mississippi Roads,” he has told countless Mississippi stories. Walt won two Emmy awards for his work on WJTV’s “A Mississippi Carol” Christmas special. He is a member of the AP Mississippi Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Emmy Golden Circle, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Broadcasters Association.

Jane C. Hiatt, Stephen C. Edds Patron of the Arts

Jane Crater Hiatt (of Jackson, MS, currently resides in Alpharetta, GA) served as a leader in the Mississippi arts community for decades. She was the executive director of The Arts Alliance of Jackson & Hinds County (1985-1989) and the Mississippi Arts Commission (1989-1995). She also served as interim director of the Mississippi Museum of Art in 2001. In each of her roles, Hiatt prioritized professional artists and mentoring those around her. Now retired, she laid the groundwork for those who came after her and continues to be involved in the arts on a philanthropic level. Her influence is still felt today within the arts community in Mississippi.

Robert Poore, Excellence in Landscape Architecture and Visual Arts

Robert Poore (Flora, MS) has become Mississippi’s premier landscape architect, and his excellence was recognized in 2023 by the American Society of Landscape Architects, with his inclusion in their Council of Fellows. He is one of two Mississippians to receive this honor in the category of works for his projects. Robert is an artist with a 36-year career devoted to art and design through landscape architecture and creative collaborations with other artists and cultural institutions. His designs work in harmony with nature’s processes and patterns, enhancing, promoting, and protecting special places, plants, culture, and history across Mississippi and the South. His original landscape designs are on display across the state and include the Mississippi Art Garden, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, The Mississippi Children’s Museum Literacy Garden, and the Crosby Arboretum.

Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, Excellence in Traditional Arts

The Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band (Coldwater, MS)keeps the tradition of fife and drum musical expression alive and well in Mississippi, where the art form has its roots, and across the globe. Fife and drum are mostly associated with northern Mississippi and were popular during slavery and through the Civil War. The father of Fife and Drum, Otha Turner, carried on the tradition through the 20th century, and today, his legacy lives on through the band led by his granddaughter, Sharde Thomas Mallory. Sharde has led fife and drum bands since her grandad was alive and leading his own band, of which she was a part. In 2003, Sharde started her own band, Rising Stars, to continue her grandfather’s legacy. Chris Mallory and Sharde Thomas Mallory from Coldwater, MS, are the dynamic duo behind the Rising Stars Fife and Drum. In recent years, the band has grown into a worldwide brand and monumental blues history sensation, playing at some of the best venues in the country, including the Lincoln Center and the Ryman Auditorium, as well as countless festivals around the globe.

Tate Taylor, Excellence in Motion Picture

Tate Taylor (Natchez, MS) is a Mississippi-born and bred filmmaker whose body of work demonstrates his true ability to bring stories to life. Taylor has used his Southern upbringing to inspire art for the big screen. He has worked in front of and behind the camera, but his rise to fame began with the feature film The Help, a film which gained four Oscar nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year. He has continued to follow his passion for creating films within his home state with his production company Wyolah Films, directing films Get on Up and Breaking News in Yuba County in Natchez, MS.

---

NOMINATE AN ARTIST OR ORGANIZATION

Each year, members of the public are invited to nominate outstanding individuals and organizations to receive a Governor’s Arts Award—nominations for the 2026 Governor’s Arts Awards open on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, and close on Friday, May 30, 2025, at midnight!

Who is eligible?
Artists or organizations that have made significant contributions to the arts will be considered to receive this award. Nominated artists do not have to reside in the state currently but must have significant ties to the state through some years of residency. Self-nominations are not accepted, but you can ask someone to nominate you. Awards are given once; previous recipients are ineligible. Also, no posthumous nominations will be accepted. If selected, the nominee must agree to receive the award at the ceremony on Thursday, February 12, 2026, in Jackson, Mississippi.

Nomination and Selection Process
Nominations open each spring. The public is encouraged to submit nominations for the Governor’s Arts Awards once the nominations are open. Once the nominations are submitted, a panel of judges, many of whom possess a deep knowledge of Mississippi’s visual and performing arts, select several of those nominated to receive a Governor’s Arts Award. 

Nomination Information

MAC is using our grants system for the nomination process this year. Utilizing this system will allow nominators to save their progress, collaborate with others, and easily re-apply if their nominee is not selected. If you are still unfamiliar with the system or need an account, the video below will walk you through creating an account.

When you create an account, you should input your information only. Once the account is created, you will see an option to fill out a nomination form. The form is where you will put in the details of who you are nominating.

If you have an account within the system and want to use something other than that account for your nomination, or if you are with an organization and would like to nominate someone NOT on behalf of your organization, you must create a new account with a different e-mail.

BECOME A SPONSOR

We could not honor these incredible artists without your partnership and support! The history of legacy-building contributions for this awards program is a testament to Mississippians’ resounding support for the arts. Your tax-deductible sponsorship of the Governor’s Arts Awards will show your investment in the arts throughout our state and help ensure the continuation of this event.

To sponsor the 2025 Governor’s Arts Awards, please complete the online sponsorship form through the Community Foundation for Mississippi (CFM). When you fill out the online sponsorship form, the number shown is not associated with the number of tickets; it is the number of sponsorships at the level selected.

Click Here for a Downloadable and Printable Sponsorship Form

Please make checks out to “Community Foundation for Mississippi” with “Fund for Excellence in the Arts” in the memo line. Please mail your check with your completed sponsorship form to the Mississippi Arts Commission • 455 N. Lamar Street • Suite 2A • Barefield Complex • Jackson, Mississippi 39202. CFM will send you a tax deduction form.

To be recognized on print materials, sponsorships must be made by January 7, 2026.

Sponsorship Levels

Presenting Sponsor: $10,000

• 10 tickets to the Governor’s Arts Awards
• 10 invitations to Governor’s Mansion VIP Reception & photo opportunity
• Framed event poster signed by the Governor and recipients
• Logo recognition on program and poster
• Mention in the Executive Director’s speech during the ceremony.

Premier Partner: $5,000

• 6 tickets to the Governor’s Arts Awards
• 6 invitations to Governor’s Mansion VIP Reception & photo opportunity
• Framed event poster signed by the Governor and recipients

Principal Partner: $2,500

• 4 tickets to the Governor’s Arts Awards
• 4 invitations to the Governor’s Mansion VIP Reception
• Framed event poster signed by the Governor and recipients

Grand Patron: $1,500

• 2 tickets to the Governor’s Arts Awards
• 2 invitations to the Governor’s Mansion VIP Reception
• Framed event poster signed by the Governor

Patron: $750

• 2 tickets to the Governor’s Arts Awards
• Framed event poster signed by the Governor

Donor: $500

• 2 tickets to the Governor’s Arts Awards Ceremony

Single Extra Ticket: $250

• 1 ticket to the Governor’s Arts Awards Ceremony
  (Does not receive sponsorship recognition at this level. Can be used to purchase an additional ticket.)

*Gifts of any amount are appreciated.

For questions, contact 601-359-6030.

---

PAST AWARDEES

Download a complete listing of previous Governor’s Arts Award recipients by name (Excel spreadsheet)

2025

• Eddie Cotton Jr. – Excellence in Music
• Walt Grayson – Lifetime Achievement
• Jane C. Hiatt – Stephen C. Edds Patron of the Arts
• Robert Poore– Excellence in Landscape Architecture and Visual Arts
• Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band – Excellence in Traditional Arts
• Tate Taylor – Excellence in Motion Picture

2024

• 100 Men Hall – Arts in Community
• Earl Poole Ball – Lifetime Achievement
• Cedric Burnside – Excellence in Music
• Brent Funderburk – Excellence in Visual Arts and Education
• Peter Zapletal – Excellence in Performing Arts

2023

• 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

2022

• Alcorn State University Jazz Festival – Arts in Community
• Myrna Colley-Lee – Excellence in Costume Design & Arts Patron
• Larry Gordon – Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures & Television
• Holly Lange – Governor’s Choice Award
• Mary Lovelace O’Neal – Excellence in Visual Art
• The Williams Brothers – Lifetime Achievement in Music

2021

• Arthur Jafa – Excellence in Media Arts
• Nellie McInnis – Excellence in Music
• Raphael Semmes – Cultural Ambassador
• Tutwiler Quilters – Arts in Community
• Jesmyn Ward – Excellence in Literature
• Benjamin Wright – Lifetime Achievement

2020

• Henry Danton – Lifetime Achievement in Dance
• Steve Forbert – Excellence in Music
• Jackson Southernaires – Lifetime Achievement in Music
• Richard Kelso – Excellence in Visual Art
• Tougaloo College Art Collections – Preservation of the Arts

2019

• London Branch – Excellence in Music and Education
• The Canton Spirituals – Lifetime Achievement
• Ruth Miller – Excellence in Visual Arts
• New Stage Theatre – Excellence in Theatre
• Hartley and Mary Peavey – Governor’s Choice Award
• James Patterson – Excellence in Photography and Community Support
• Julia Reed – Cultural Ambassador

2018

• Steve Azar – Governor’s Choice Award
•  David Keary – Leadership in Performing Arts
•  Joe Overstreet – Excellence in Visual Art
•  V. A. Patterson – Community Arts Leader
•  Yoknapatawpha Arts Council – Arts in Community

2017

• William R. Ferris – Lifetime Achievement
• Sammy Britt – Excellence in Visual Art
• Vasti Jackson – Arts Ambassador
• Lucy Richardson Janoush – Arts Patron
• Jaimoe Johnie Johnson – Excellence in Music
• Mississippi Opera – Artistic Excellence

2016

• Tom ‘Bones’ Malone
• Scott Barretta
• Claudia Cartee
• Tig Notaro
• Dr. Tommie ‘Tonea’ Stewart

2015

• Lane Chapel Quintet
• Chesney Blankenstein Doyle
• Maude Schuyler Clay
• MSU Riley Center
• Craig Wiseman

2014

• Lesley Silver
• John Maxwell
• William Baggett
• Jim Weatherly
• James Cotton

2013

• Kathryn Lewis
• Bay St. Louis Little Theatre
• Beth Henley
• Eddie “Chank” Willis
• Bobby Rush

2012

• Althea Jerome
• Howard Bahr
• WellsFest
• Carl Jackson
• McCarty Pottery
• Mose Allison

2011

• Charles A. Rhoads
• Natchez Literary & Cinema Celebration
• Gwendolyn Magee
• Mac McAnally
• Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins

2010

• Lenagene Waldrup
• Bessie Johnson
• Grassroots Radio Show
• Wyatt Waters
• David “Honeyboy” Edwards

2009

• University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
• WINGS Performing Arts Program of the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center
• Wolfe Studio
• Cassandra Wilson
• John Grisham
• Andrew Bucci

2008

• Mississippi Museum of Art
• Emma McCain
• Lallah Miles Perry
• Natasha Trethewey
• Charley Pride

2007

• Nora Davis Magnet School
• Viking Range Corporation
• Sam Gilliam
• Sam Carr
• Bo Diddley

2006

• Sam Myers
• Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi
• Bruce Levingston
• Fletcher Cox
• Casey Elementary School
• Trustmark National Bank
• Elizabeth Spencer

2005

• Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
• Pearl Public School District
• Thacker Mountain Radio
• Gladys Kemp Lisanby
• Sela Ward
• Will D. Campbell

2004

• Greenville Arts Council
• James “Super Chikan” Johnson
• Rankin County School District
• Malcolm White
• Mary Katherine Loyacono McCravey

2003

• Dr. David Stuart Blackburn
• Thallis Lewis
• Charles Burnett
• Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education
• USA International Ballet Competition
• William Eggleston
• Rust College A’Cappella Choir
• Little Milton (Campbell)

2002

• B.B. King
• John Paul
• Bologna Performing Arts Center
• Sally W. Carmichael
• The Village of Taylor
• Andrew Cary Young
• William Carey College Theatre
• Dr. Russell Thomas, Jr.
• Stephen E. Ambrose

2001

• Abie “Boogaloo” Ames
• George Berry
• Roger D. Malkin
• Samuel Mockbee
• Pierce Street Elementary School
• Ronald Otto Schnell
• Lester Senter
• Martha Layton Richardson Tatum

2000

• Larry Brown
• Senator Thad Cochran
• Crossroads Quilters
• Sarah Gillespie
• Hattiesburg Arts Council
• Andrew Lark, Jr.
• Charlie Musselwhite
• John Palmer
• Stewart Family Pottery

1999

• Johnnie Billington
• Ellen Douglas (Josephine Haxton)
• P. Sanders McNeal
• Mississippi State Hospital—Community Services Homeless Program
• Museum of Southern Jewish Experience
• Colman Pearce
• Kenneth Quinn
• Roebuck “Pops” Staples
• Marty Stuart

1998

• Beechwood Elementary School
• Vicksburg Warren School District—For Project ABC (Arts in the Basic Curriculum)
• The Cotton Blossom Singers of the Piney Woods School
• Dr. David Daigeneault
• Eastman Memorial Foundation for support of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
• Milt Hinton
• Natchez Opera Festival, Inc.

1997

• Dr. Paul E. Ballard
• Marshall Bouldin
• Dr. Samuel Marshall Gore
• International Paper
• The Knight Foundation through The Sun Herald
• The City of Biloxi
• The George E. Ohr Arts and Cultural Center
• The Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County
• Malaco Records
• Dr. Jean Simmons

1996

• Entergy/MP&L Company
• Morgan Freeman
• Sid Graves
• Lisa N. Howorth
• Dorothy Moore
• Dan Overly
• University Press of Mississippi
• Theo Inman Vaughey

1995

• Thomas Jones Biggs
• Shelby Foote
• Gum Tree Festival
• Bill Mitchell
• William D. Mounger
• New Stage Theatre Education Program
• Lida Rogers
• Billie Jean Young

1994

• Robert Parker Adams
• B & P Interiors, Hinds County Public Schools, and Hinds County Department of Human Services
• Nelle DeLoach Elam
• Keith Dockery McLean
• Mississippi Action for Community Education/Delta Arts Project
• Willie Morris
• Jim Timms

1993

• Patti Carr Black
• Vicki Bodenhamer
• Eleanor Ferris
• Richard Ford
• Thomas Somerville Howorth
• Mississippi Educational Television Network, Mtel, USA International Ballet Competition
• Othar Turner

1992

• Dr. Margaret Walker Alexander
• Walter Anderson Museum of Art, City of Ocean Springs, and Jackson County Board of Supervisors
• Crosby Arboretum
• Jane Reid-Petty
• South Central Bell
• West Tallahatchie High School
• Mary Jayne Whittington

1991

• Center for the Study of Southern Culture
• Chevron USA
• Corinth Area Arts Council
• William Dunlap
• Jackson Public Schools and Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
• Ethel Wright Mohamed
• Malcolm C. Norwood

1990

• Stuart C. Irby, Jr.
• Thalia Mara
• Mississippi Cultural Crossroads and Claiborne County Board of Supervisors
• Mississippi Mass Choir
• Noxubee County Library
• Starkville High School
• Eudora Welty

1989

No award ceremony took place this year.

1988

• The Arts Alliance of Jackson & Hinds County
• Deposit Guaranty National Bank
• Barry Hannah
• City of Jackson
• Jackson Public Schools/Academic and Performing Arts Complex Performing Arts Division
• Jean Chisolm Lindsey
• Leontyne Price