Peyton Boyd
The Arts Alliance Mountain Empire announces the 2026 winners of its 12th annual Arts Achievement Awards. They are Peyton Boyd, Kyle Buckland, Deirdre Cole, Nancy Garretson and Henry Joy.
Boyd has been a professional architect in the region for over 50 years. Perhaps the most notable design was his conversion of a 1919 building in downtown Bristol to the state-of-the-art Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol, Virginia. He also designed the renovations of the Barter Theatre and the Jubilee House Retreat & Conference Center in Abingdon, Virginia.
Buckland is a nationally recognized plein air artist (painting in the open air) whose works are included in hundreds of collections across the United States. He has taught many classes in Abingdon, Virginia, where he has a studio at the William King Museum of Art, as well as at plein air festivals. He is represented by several galleries nationally.
Cole had extensive early training in classical, jazz and modern dance and performed nationally. In 1994, with her mother, she opened Highlands Ballet, at which Cole has led 115 performances and taught over 10,000 students for more than 31 years. For the last five years she has been the executive producer of the Virginia Highlands Festival, the region’s largest arts festival.
Garretson is one of the founders of the Arts Depot in Abingdon, a longstanding venue for local art and arts classes, where she has had a studio since its beginning. Garretson has pushed the boundaries of her art, tapestry weaving, experimenting with various techniques that create three-dimensional, sculptural effects.
Joy is one of the leading supporters of the arts in the region. He has been on the Barter Theatre board for 20 years, where he has financed many Barter ventures. He supports theater scholarships at East Tennessee State University and the Storybook Trail in Carter County, and he has been on the Boards of the International Storytelling Center and the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre.
Gala awards ceremony is held Saturday, May 16 at the Delta Hotel by Marriott (the former Holiday Inn) in Bristol, Virginia, to honor the winners. The gala consists of a social hour, dinner, entertainment, a silent auction and the awards ceremony. Tickets are $100 for individuals, and tables for eight can be purchased for $800.
For tickets, purchase them on the website of the Arts Alliance Mountain Empire (under the Gala tab) or send a check to AAME Gala, Box 94, Bristol, TN 37621.
The awards come from these categories: Artist—achievement in theater, music, dance, visual arts or literary arts; Arts Educator—achievement in arts education in a college or university, primary or secondary school; Arts Administrators—achievement in the management of arts institutions; and Arts Advocates—achievement in sustaining the arts through volunteering or financial support.
The Arts Alliance Mountain Empire is an arts council formed as a service organization for artists, arts organizations and other cultural endeavors throughout the Mountain Empire. The mission of AAME is to nurture, advocate and celebrate the arts. AAME fulfills its mission primarily as the publisher of A! Magazine for the Arts and sponsor of the Arts Achievement Awards, but it has also published an arts directory and sponsors a speakers’ series and workshops on arts-related topics.
