JACKSON, MS (WLBT) -
Something six Mississippians now have in common is a sculpted statue, one of the governor's awards for excellence in the arts. It's the 24th year for the event hosted by the Mississippi Arts Commission, shining the spotlight on a very selective group, all of them helping to put Mississippi on the map in the area of arts.
"They've achieved excellence and we celebrate them and that we appreciate them and we thank them," said Mississippi Arts Commissioner Myrna Colley-Lee.
One of them is Althea Jerome of Hattiesburg who got the arts in education award. She's taught countless students and teachers over a 35 year career in arts education and says it all comes down to lighting a spark in young lives to make the arts comes alive.
"I challenge all of you to find way to increase and sustain arts education for the young people of our state," said Jerome.
Colley-Lee says folks like Jerome as well as the five other recipients, are all home grown talents, sculpting a path for new artists ranging from pottery to music.
"I hope that it gives us recognition as having a state full of artists and that it gives us a visual presence as an artistic state," said Colley-Lee.
In the 24 years the awards have been handed out, the selection process continues to become more difficult as Mississippi's share of talent stretches across the state.
"Mississippi is the arts. We have so much to give and we need to show the world that we have so much to give," said Colley-Lee.
Other recipients of the awards were Carl Jackson for excellence in music, Howard Bahr for excellence in literature, McCarty Pottery for excellence in visual art, WellsFest for arts in community and Mose Allison for lifetime achievement.
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