JEFFERSON CITY, MO – On Wednesday, February 5, Governor Mike Kehoe, Lieutenant Governor David Wasinger, and the Missouri Arts Council will celebrate the recipients of the 2025 Missouri Arts Awards, the state’s highest honor in the arts, at the Missouri State Capitol. The ceremony is open to the public.
Since 1983, the Missouri Arts Awards have acclaimed 255 people, organizations, and communities throughout the state for their significant contributions to Missouri’s artistic and cultural legacy.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Missouri State Capitol (First Floor Rotunda)
Media: Open
The 2025 Missouri Arts Awards recipients include:
Arts Education | Springfield Regional Arts Council
Arts education is a vital aspect of the services the Springfield Regional Arts Council provides to 27 counties in southwest Missouri. Growing Up in the Arts brings inspiring interactive experiences outside the school day to underserved students in grades K-8. The annual Springfield Regional Arts Integration Conference gives strategies to educators that they can immediately apply to continue creative learning at school.
Arts Organization | Saint Louis Art Fair
Since the Saint Louis Art Fair began in 1994, it has become one of the premier art fairs in the United States. Every year about 200 artists bring a diverse array of art forms to over 130,000 people from across the state and around the world. The fair also showcases Missouri performing artists, involves children in hands-on arts experiences, and partners with other nonprofits to further impact the community and the local economy.
Creative Community | City of Mexico
The mid-Missouri city of Mexico abounds with vibrant and varied arts experiences that enrich and unite the community. Presser Arts Center is a hub for performing arts and educational opportunities for all ages.
Every year Missouri Military Academy produces Jazz on the Lake and many other free performances. There are studios and shops, historic sites and museums, and festivals such as the annual Walk Back In Time.
Individual Artist | Karen E. Griffin, Kansas City
Karen E. Griffin is a textile, teaching, and performing artist, as an art quilter and certified national and international storyteller. She tells stories of African American experiences not only in her performances but in her quilts, weaving in materials such as African cottons. Since her first solo exhibition in 2020 she has been in 41 solo and group exhibitions as well as 28 educational workshops, presentations, and special events.
Leadership in the Arts | Sue Greenberg, St. Louis
Sue Greenberg has been the executive director of Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA) since 1986, playing a pivotal role in cultivating Missouri’s creative economy. Under her dedicated leadership, VLAA provides services to artists and arts organizations not only in greater St. Louis but also in eastern Missouri, from free legal and accounting assistance to a wide variety of affordable educational programs.
Philanthropy | Alex and Robin LaBrunerie, Columbia
Alex and Robin LaBrunerie have upheld the arts in mid-Missouri for decades with their leadership, advocacy, financial support, collection of works by local artists, and volunteer service. They contribute to an array of visual and performing arts organizations, especially Ragtag Film Society, Museum of Art & Archaeology at the University of Missouri–Columbia, Montminy Gallery at the Boone County History & Culture Center, and Missouri Symphony.
An independent panel of Missourians representing the statewide arts community selected the honorees from public nominations.
A commemorative poster for the 2025 features the painting Tree Farm by Bryan Haynes of Washington. The honorees receive glass artwork created by Wanda Tyner of Lee’s Summit.
About the Missouri Arts Council
The Missouri Arts Council provides support to nonprofit organizations through grants that meet its strategic goals: 1) engage people in meaningful arts experiences, 2) grow Missouri’s economy using the arts, 3) strengthen Missouri education through the arts. Missouri Arts Council funding makes quality arts programming possible in communities statewide. The Council also provides expertise in community development, fundraising, marketing, grant writing, arts education, and artistic disciplines (visual arts, music, literature, theater, dance, festivals, and film/media).
Established as a state agency in 1965, the Missouri Arts Council is a division of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. The Council is funded through the Missouri General Assembly, Missouri Cultural Trust, and National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on the Missouri Arts Council, contact Barbara MacRobie, public information coordinator, barbara.macrobie@ltgov.mo.gov, 314-340-6852, www.missouriartscouncil.org.