FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Denise Quezaire(225) 342-0958
Kelly Pepper (225) 342-8175
LT. GOVERNOR LANDRIEU PRESENTS
2008 GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARDS
BATON ROUGE - Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu and the Louisiana Division of the Arts presented the 2008 Governor’s Arts Awards Tuesday evening at the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge. The awards are given annually to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the arts and the quality of life in Louisiana.

Lt. Gov. Landrieu also awarded 12 individual fellowships for artistic excellence. The annual event recognizes Louisiana’s artists, art educators, patrons, and arts organizations. The winners were selected by the Louisiana State Arts Council from nominations submitted by private citizens, various organizations, and public officials.

The ceremony also included performances by Baton Rouge-based spoken word group WordPlay, New Orleans’s Tsunami Dance Company, and Grammy Award-winning Cajun and zydeco musician Terrance Simien.

Governor’s Arts Awards recipients include:
Arts Education – KID smART
Arts Organization – Tennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary Festival
Patron – Frances Davis
Folk Artist – Christine Balfa Powell
Lifetime Achievement – George Dunbar
Leadership in the Arts – George Marks
Professional Artist – Morris Taft Thomas
Cultural Tourism – Festival Internationale de Louisiane
Historic Preservation Partnership – McKinley High School Alumni Association
Cultural Economy Development
Chef John Folse
Entertainment Law Legal Assistance (ELLA) Arts Council of New Orleans
Rural Underserved Presenters and Representatives (RUPAR)
Artist fellowship recipients include:
John Allen, Dance
Charles Taylor, Folklife
Jeffery Broussard, Folklife
Ken Foster, Literature
Hillary Joubert, Literature
David Sullivan, Media
Zachary Godshell, Media
Jonathan Freilich, Music
Nick Slie, Theatre
Michel Varisco, Visual Arts
Brian Guidry, Visual Arts
Lou Blackwell, Visual Arts