The Acuff Circle of Excellence Community Advisory Board of the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts presented four awards on Sunday, March 7 to those who have made significant contributions to the artistic and cultural life of the Clarksville community.
The Ovation Award for an Individual Artist was presented to Charlotte O. Marshall. Marshall, the author of “Mullings and Musings, a Journey from Grace to Grace,” uses her writing to chronicle and preserve life in Montgomery County, from the early days before indoor plumbing and home electricity to the present day.
The Downtown Clarksville Association, represented by Paige King, received the Ovation Award for Community Organization or Program. The association received the award because it recognizes the importance of the arts to the economic vibrancy and well-being of a community, through programs such as the First Thursday ArtWalk.
F&M Bank received the Ovation Award for Business or Corporation. The bank has long been a patron of the Clarksville arts community, and institutions such as the Customs House Museum, the Roxy Regional Theater, the Arts and Heritage Development Council and APSU all benefit from the bank’s patronage.
The George Mabry Award was presented to Frank Lott. A fine artist by training and an award-winning creative director by vocation, Lott has been a significant contributor to the Clarksville arts community for 37 years. He has painted numerous watercolors for local non-profit organizations’ fundraising events, and he has taken on several leadership roles that have promoted the arts in the Clarksville community.
Christopher Burawa, the center’s new director, announced at the awards that the Acuff Circle of Excellence Community Advisory Board had decided to expand the awards for next year, adding a category for Youth Artist. The award will be specifically for high school age emerging artists.
Sunday’s ceremony marked a return for the Ovation Awards, which were established back in 1995 by the APSU Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts. After the 2003 presentation, however, the center stopped bestowing the honor.
In December of last year, Burawa announced the reinstatement of the awards and the expansion of them into three categories – artists, community and business awards – and the addition of a new recognition, the George Mabry Award.
For more information on the nomination process and the Ovation Awards, contact the center at 931-221-7876.
