​2019 Arts Award Nominations Open
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TICKETS and SPONSORSHIP

We invite you to join the Cultural Council’s Board of Directors and Staff for the
43rd Annual Arts Awards: IMAGINE

This year’s theme, IMAGINE, sparks an air of innovation. Come engage, explore, and express your imagination on this night of unlimited possibilities. The Arts Awards provide a platform to honor the many accomplishments of the arts and cultural sector through an inspired ceremony and captivating entertainment. The evening will bring together all the creatives in the sector including cultural leaders and artists, along with city officials, community and business stakeholders, and supporters. Gourmet light hors d’oeuvres and a ticketed bar are included. Following the main program, patrons are invited to a night of music and dancing.

Funds raised from the 43rd Annual Arts Awards allow the Cultural Council to support economic and community development through initiatives and programs that align with the City’s priorities and the agency’s mission.

2019 Award Categories

Helen Lane Founders Award

This award, named after one of the original founders of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, honors an individual dedicated to ensuring that arts and culture are woven into the fabric of everyday life in the community.

Robert Arleigh White Award for Advocacy

This award, named after a former executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, honors an individual who has educated the general public, business leaders, and elected officials about the intrinsic and economic value of the arts and culture. ​

Business Award

This award seeks to inspire a culture of giving by recognizing an outstanding small business or corporation that has graciously helped fund, support, or sustain arts and cultural programs and organizations in the community.

Art Innovator Award

This award honors an individual who is implementing new and innovative ideas into the arts and cultural sector that benefit the community.

Art Educator of the Year Award

This award is presented in recognition of the contributions of an individual who has made the choice to dedicate their career to the education of others and has used the arts as a channel through which they teach.

The Art of Giving Award

This award seeks to inspire a culture of giving by recognizing an outstanding philanthropist who has graciously helped fund, support, or sustain arts and cultural programs and organizations in our community.

Community Impact Award

This award honors an individual or organization that has a tangible, measurable effect on the community.

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2018 IN REVIEW

SPONSORS

PRESENTING SPONSOR

GRAND BENEFACTOR

ELITE

PATRONS OF THE ARTS

2018 Honorees

Helen Lane Founders Award

Emily Lisska

For 21 years, Emily Lisska served as the Executive Director of the Jacksonville Historical Society, a position she retired from in early 2018.  This year, Lisska was recognized and honored by City Council for her tireless dedication to preserve and share Northeast Florida's history.  She was also named the Caroline P. Rossetter “Outstanding Woman in Florida History.” A Jacksonville native, Lisska serves on the Board of the Memorial Park Association, is a Past-President and former Director of the Jacksonville Women’s Network, held a City Council appointment to the Blue Ribbon Cemetery Commission, and is a founding board member of the Mandarin Museum and Historical Society, garnering the organization’s top honor for a woman, the "Miss Aggie Award." In 2012, The Southern Academy of Arts and Letters awarded Lisska its highest honor, “The Order of the South.” Lisska spearheaded the Harriet Beecher Stowe Mandarin Schoolhouse restoration and led the historic Mandarin Store and Post Office acquisition. She’s raised and/or directed more than two-and-a-half million dollars for the restoration of local historic buildings, including the 1888 St. Andrew’s, the 1879 Merrill Museum House, 1878 St. Luke’s Hospital and the 1924 Florida Casket Factory. She formerly directed Florida’s Consumer Council, served as the City of Jacksonville spokesperson for the Division of Consumer Affairs, created and established the first teen pregnancy prevention program in the Duval County School System, and held a three year gubernatorial appointment to the Florida Elections Commission. Lisska currently serves as the President of the Florida Historical Society and the President of Mandarin Community Club.  Lisska was the business and creative force for two society award-winning film documentaries, “Ax Handle Saturday” and “Kiss of Life.”

Robert Arleigh White Award for Advocacy

Shawana Brooks

Photo Credit: Shawana Brooks

Shawana Brooks is the Arts and Culture Developer for the Jacksonville Public Library and part of the team that oversees the Jax Makerspace, located on the first floor of the library's Main branch. As part of her role, she oversees and curates a 25,00 square-foot space that in 2017 was dedicated as a gallery.  Brooks' first exhibit in this space was "Kesha: A Black Female Experience of Identity and Race," which cultivated massive attention and attendance.  She hasn't taken her foot of the gas since and has continued to plan, organize, and curate exhibits that are representational of societal issues and thought provoking.  It isn't always easy to bring about change in a government organization but Brooks has proven to be a trailblazer and a necessary voice within the institution, continuously advocating on behalf of the arts and artists of Northeast Florida.   Brooks doesn't speak about the arts simply because it is her job.  She does it because it is her passion.  In addition to being present at the Main branch, Brooks represents the library by attending arts and cultural events and activities throughout the City, while also participating in panel discussions around the arts, diversity, inclusion, and representation. 

Production of the Year Award

Color Me Kona

Color Me Kona was a participatory and family friendly cultural event produced by Kona Skate Park, the worlds oldest operating skatepark, and Jax Kid's Mural Project, which was founded by visual artist Nicole Holderbaum. The day included interactive mural painting, a tie-dye factory, sidewalk-chalk take over, art installations, creative "make-and-take" workshops, and skateboarding demonstrations and clinics. The event served as a fundraiser for the Jax Kid's Mural Project, a program that serves Title 1 schools in Northeast Florida. Admission to the event was either "pay what you can pay," in the form of a monetary donation, or making a contribution of two or more children and youth appropriate books, which were then donated to youth involved with the program. The event was held in Arlington, an area of Jacksonville that is often overlooked when it comes to planning arts and culture activities. Hundreds of diverse attendees visited Kona and enjoyed a day that not only created a point of access to the arts but also strengthened and celebrated community.

Visual Artist of the Year Award

Malcolm Jackson

Photo Credit: Patrick Michael Chin

Malcolm Jackson is a street photographer who first picked up a camera at the age of 15 when a series of injuries prevented him from running track.  At the time, the camera kept him occupied and he used it as a therapeutic release and a mechanism to cope with depression that resulted after hanging up his track shoes.  Jackson's introduction to the world of freelance photography occurred through his uncle, who worked part-time as a freelance photographer during the 1990s and 2000s.  Jackson and his uncle shared a love for cars, and it was at car meetings where Jackson first begin shooting and learning the fundamentals of photography.  In the fall of 2017, Space 42 and Jackson presented "Candy: The Land of Donks" an immersive photography exhibition that examined Florida's car culture and the "donk," which came to rise during the 1980's, and its continued influence around the world.  In spring 2018, The Culture Crush featured a short film shot by Jackson titled Bold City Blues.  Jackson also got to be a part of the Jaguars winning season.  He was invited to the sidelines to capture game day footage.

Literary Artist of the Year Award

Tim Gilmore

Photo Credit: Mia Clark

Tim Gilmore has a deep connection with Jacksonville.  The deeper Gilmore delves into the complexities of the region's history and identity, the stronger his voice becomes as he advocates for the city he calls home. But, as much as Gilmore advocates for Jacksonville, he is also critical of its improvable shortcomings and vocal about topics and events that sometimes make others uncomfortable.  As a purveyor of history, Gilmore refuses to tuck away the darker side of Jacksonville's history into crevices where they can never be discussed or analyzed further. In addition to authoring 15 books, Gilmore is a Professor of English at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Gilmore's most recent book, titled "The Book of Isaiah" was released in 2017 and explores the life of Jacksonville's founder, Isaiah Hart, a man who, among a long list of professions, was also an American plantation owner and slave master.  Past books by Gilmore have also focused on individuals worthy of celebration, such as Eartha M.M. White and Ron Chamblin. Gilmore is also the founder of the Jax by Jax Literary Arts Festival and a co-founder of the Southeast Sister Cities Reading Tour. 

Performing Artist of the Year Award

Philip Pan

Photo Credit: John Shippee

Violinist Philip Pan was born in Schenectady, New York to Chinese immigrants. After receiving his Masters in Music from the Juilliard School, Pan started his career with the Jacksonville Symphony in 1984 and retired as Concertmaster in 2017. Pan is also a founding member of the Bold City Contemporary Ensemble and currently performs with Folk is People, Different Folk, and Mariachi Primera Costa.  Recently, Pan served as the Assistant Music Director on Jennifer Chase's "Majigeen" at FSCJ and performed at the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. He works as a performer, arranger, and composer in diverse musical styles that range from bluegrass to prog metal. Pan also participates in collaborative musical storytelling with Barbara Colaciello at BABS'LAB in Cork Arts District.

Art Educator of the Year Award

Tony Rodrigues

Tony Rodrigues began working with incarcerated youth 20 years ago through the Cultural Council's CANVAS program.  He now continues to do so through Cathedral Arts Project. As an educator, Rodrigues uses art as a vehicle to teach language, subjective reasoning, creative problem solving, patience, and empathy.  In 2017, Rodrigues worked with students to create and curate the exhibit "County Missives," which was hosted at the Lufrano Intercultural Gallery.  Programs such as the one led by Rodrigues keep youth occupied and engaged while they are incarcerated, which has a direct impact on their behavior.  It has also served as a way to identify and cultivate talent.  Rodrigues believes that his role as an educator is not only to teach, but to also listen.  He believes in empowering youth to find their voices to expresses their ideas and feelings in healthy ways.   In late 2017, the National Endowment for the Arts wrote a feature article about "County Missives."

The Art of Giving Award

Heather Moore

Photo Credit: Rene Parenteau

Heather Moore leads by example as a dedicated trustee for the Jacksonville community.  Since moving here in 2011, she has been involved, often in leadership capacity, in a myriad of organizations, all working to make Jacksonville a better place.  Moore joined Cathedral Art Project's Board of Directors in 2013 and serves as the Chairperson for Phase Eight Theater Company's Board of Directors.  Outside of the arts, she has worked extensively with the United Way of Northeast Florida and has served on the Success by 6 and Women in Local Leadership councils. Moore is passionate about early childhood education and has served as co-chair for the ReadingPals program and currently serves as a trustee for Florida House, representing at a national level Jacksonville's effort to incorporate the Sarah D. McKay Civics Initiative in our schools.  Moore has assisted with raising more than half-a-million dollars for arts non-profits in Northeast Florida by reaching out to her sphere of influence and Jacksonville's business community. In 2015, The Women's Giving Alliance selected Moore as a mentor for the launch of WGA's Delores Barr Weaver Fellows Program. 

Robert Arleigh White Award for Advocacy

Christopher Lazzara is a visionary and champion for public art in Jacksonville. Through his generous donations and his desire to make a positive impact on the community, he has partnered with UNF students and supported the creation of sculptures for public art installation at Jacksonville Beach, Seaside Sculpture Park.

Business Award

PNC Bank has launched Arts Alive, a program which will fund projects in greater Jacksonville for three years. The program will bring multi-year grants to artists, nonprofits, and programs geared towards cultivating and growing a vibrant Jacksonville. PNC Bank's Arts Alive program is the best example of corporate philanthropy and one that other businesses and corporations should follow. Through the Jacksonville grant PNC gave out $75,000 in grants in its first year, and will be fast-tracking the grant process for year two, aiming to award $100,000 in 2018.

Artist Award

Ebony Payne-English is a writer, performer, educator, and human rights activist hailing from Jacksonville, FL. She is the first woman to establish her own chapter of the international poetry organization, Black on Black Rhyme. She has performed all over the nation and has been recognized as a double finalist at the Southern Fried Poetry Slam. Her 42 poem collection, Secrets of Ma’at, hit shelves October, 4th 2016 and is currently available on Amazon. She currently serves as the Program Director for The Performers Academy in Jacksonville.

Helen Lane Founder's Award

Diane Brunet-Garcia is committed to elevating our creative community. Through her advocacy and partnership with Cultural Council and leading arts organizations in Jacksonville, she has championed fair compensation for artists, actors, and performers.

Art Innovator Award

Mark McCombs is the founder of Renaissance Jax, an organization that funded $187,500 to expand Lego League teams into all Jacksonville middle schools during the 2016 school year. This year Renaissance Jax will work with 2,000 students across 20 counties in Northeast Florida. McCombs is an inspirational component for the youth of our community.

Art Educator

Dustin Harewood has served passionately as a professor of art since 2004 at Florida State College of Jacksonville, Kent Campus. He has revitalized the program by challenging his students and uncovering their vision and artistic abilities in the classroom.

Pursuant to the American with Disabilities Act, accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please allow 1-2 business days notification to process; last minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to fulfill.  ​