ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Arts Council has announced that it is now accepting nominations for its annual Arts Person of the Year award.
The award will be presented at the Arts Council’s Celebration of the Arts event on March 22, 2025, at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, with the winner being honored via a $250 donation to the arts group of their choosing within the county.
“This award was created in 2014 by the Arts Council to recognize those who have made a significant positive impact on the arts in Stanly County, and who have worked diligently to support, promote, and create quality arts experiences for the whole community,” the SCAC wrote in a press release.
The deadline for nominations is Jan. 24, 2025.
Charlotte Maness, Angela Moore, Wes Tucker, Carmella Hedrick, Tim Harris, John Williams, Aza Hudson, Kent Harkey/Edna-Lipe Harkey, Tim Hedrick, and Lisa Ewers are the previous winners of the Arts Person of the Year award.
Anyone living or working in the county can submit a nomination, and all nominees must also live or work in the county to be deemed an acceptable submission.
There are multiple ways that a nomination can be sent to the SCAC.
Submissions are available at stanlycountyartscouncil.org, the SCAC Facebook page, emails sent to [email protected], or by calling 704-982-8118.
The Arts Person of the Year award isn’t the only award being handed out by the SCAC this year; the Arts Council is also accepting nominations for the Fine Arts Educator of the Year award, also known as the “Jim Kennedy” award, as a dedication to James D. Kennedy, who was a long-time arts advocate, teacher, and coach in Stanly County.
This award recognizes a fine arts teacher in the county’s public school system “who has made a significant positive impact on the arts in education and has inspired students to pursue, appreciate, and respect the fine arts,” according to guidelines included in the SCAC’s public announcement.
The Jim Kennedy award recipient will receive a $250 classroom grant to help them purchase classroom supplies and materials.
Previous winners of the Jim Kennedy award include Lori Watson, Michelle Osborne, Stacy Bottoms, Jessica Kiser, Frank Poolos, Rebekah Crisco, Derek Smith, Randy Fike, Wanda Maness, and Julie Starnes.
In 2021, all 31 fine arts teachers in the county’s elementary, middle, and high schools were recognized with classroom grants — funded by the Stanly County Arts Council, Uwharrie Bank, and a grant from the Albemarle Rotary Club — due to the challenges that all arts teachers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike the Arts Person of the Year award, nominees for the Jim Kennedy award can only be made by Stanly County Schools principals.
Because of this factor, students and parents are encouraged to notify their school principal with nomination ideas as soon as possible to express their support for a particular teacher.