(INDIANAPOLIS) Today, the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), in partnership with the Office of the Governor, announced the 2023 recipients of the Governor’s Arts Award.
Originally presented in 1973, these awards recognize outstanding achievement and contributions to arts and creativity in Indiana. Presented biennially, the Governor’s Arts Awards are the highest honor the state gives in the arts and recognize those who maximize their roles as innovators, supporters, and advocates to grow arts and creativity on the state or national level. The 2023 recipients of the Governor’s Arts Awards are:
Bryan Ballinger (Huntington)Â
Bryan “Breadwig†Ballinger is a muralist, toy designer, professor, and children’s book author and illustrator. His murals can be found in towns and cities across Indiana. Bryan has done illustration work for companies such as Nintendo, Disney and Scholastic and was the 3D Design Lead for 5 years at Big Idea Productions, the producers of the “VeggieTales†children’s videos. Bryan teaches digital media arts at Huntington University in Huntington and is currently a visiting artist for the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for the next year. He has three new picture books coming out in the next year, including “The Big Wig Parade†in October. Bryan also loves doing author visits to Indiana elementary schools. View more of Bryan’s work at his website.
Christy Burgess (South Bend)Â
Christy Burgess is the co-founder and director of the Robinson Shakespeare Company (RSC), a program based out of the Robinson Community Learning Center in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 2008, the RSC has reached thousands of students and hundreds of teachers through drama classes, workshops, and Drama Integration outreach and Burgess has been called the “Cornerstone of Drama Integration†in Indiana. Burgess was selected as a North American Teaching Consultant for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2011 and won the Susan D. Wisely Youth Worker of the Year Award in 2016. She is currently the Education Co-chair for the Shakespeare Theatre Association. Burgess received her undergrad at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and her M.A. in Theatre Education at the University of Warwick.  Learn more about the RSC.
D. Del Reverda-Jennings (Indianapolis)Â
As a self-taught Alaskan born, Indianapolis-based interdisciplinary artist D. Del Reverda-Jennings’ practice draws from a kaleidoscope of cultural nuance, insight, and experience as a creative. Del Reverda-Jennings’ award-winning 2 and 3-dimensional artworks feature personal symbolism and reflective imagery pervasive of African/Caribbean Latine/o/a diasporic culture, relative to her lineage and as a celebration of womankind. Her artworks have been exhibited and are held in private and corporate collections internationally. She is a noted cultural producer, independent curator, gallerist, the founder of the annual FLAVA FRESH ! Juried Exhibition Presentation Series Of Contemporary Fine Art in Indianapolis, and a journalist and author whose book “On Being A Visual Artist: Guidance To Thrive And Survive” will be reissued in 2024. Visit D. Del Reverda-Jennings’ website.
Jim Smoak (Washington County)Â
From the 1940’s through the present, banjo player Jim Smoak has helped shape Bluegrass as a musical genre. Smoak belongs to a generation of banjo players who popularized three finger technique, a complex syncopated style that emerged from the western Carolinas and came to define the bluegrass sound for a national audience. Smoak’s career has followed a winding path beginning in his hometown of Round O, South Carolina, leading to Nashville and other centers of country music, and finally to Pekin, Indiana, where he settled in the mid 1970’s. His accomplishments include working with the father of Bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, recording for folklorist Harry Oster, and publishing one of the first instrumental books on three finger banjo method. He began writing songs in the 1970’s, and continues to teach banjo, guitar, and harmonica today.  Learn more about Jim Smoak.Â
Shaun Dingwerth and the Richmond Art Museum (Richmond)
Shaun Thomas Dingwerth has served as the Executive Director at the Richmond Art Museum, since 2004. Before becoming the Executive Director, he served as the Director of Operations for five years and is celebrating his 25th anniversary this September. He is a noted curator and art juror, creating and curating many important exhibits throughout his career. He is a recognized Indiana art historian and an author. The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond and continues as the second oldest art association in Indiana. The Richmond Art Museum’s purpose for 125 years has been to promote art, culture, and art appreciation. It carries out this mission by offering an array of exhibits and programs that appeal to all ages with Shaun Dingwerth at the helm. Learn more about the Richmond Art Museum.
Each of the five award winners will be profiled in a video later this year, and each will receive an artist-made award made by Emily Bennett, a fiber artist based in Terre Haute, Indiana. Visit Emily Bennett’s website.
