Seven recipients have been selected to receive the 2007 Governor's Awards in the Arts.
Receiving Folklife Heritage Awards are Clyde Davenport of Jamestown, a traditional Appalachian fiddler considered to be the last tradition bearer of Appalachia's most distinctive fiddle style; and the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the first internationally acclaimed group of African-American musicians who introduced slave songs to the world, and presented them as a choral art form preserving them from extinction.
Arts Leadership Awards will be presented to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, the Town of Huntingdon, and Bill Ivey of Nashville. This award recognizes organizations, businesses, educators, patrons, arts administrators, corporations and volunteers who have demonstrated significant support or participation in activities which foster excellence in, appreciation of, or access to the arts throughout the state.
Two outstanding Tennessee visual artists have been named as recipients of the Distinguished Artist Award. They are: Olen Bryant of Cottontown, a well-known sculptor and educator who has received national recognition in the area of fine art; and Richard Jolley of Knoxville, a world-class glass sculptor.
The awards were established in 1971 to celebrate significant contributions to the cultural life of Tennessee. The recipients will be honored at an invitation-only reception and ceremony on Tuesday, March 13 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. For more information, go to www.arts.state.tn.us/govs_awards_2007.htm.
