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The 2002 Governor's Arts Awards also recognize and acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by two cultural planning task forces, appointed during the Kitzhaber administration, which created the vision for the Oregon Cultural Trust, designed to increase public and private investment in Oregon's arts, humanities and heritage. The Governor's Task Force on Cultural Development, appointed in 1998 and chaired by AG "Bud" Lindstrand of Portland, included George Bell, Lake Oswego; Pat Courtney Gold, Scappoose; Amy Cuddy, Ashland; Kathleen Davis, Medford; Kristy Edmunds, Portland; Mike Lindberg, Portland; Julie Manning, Corvallis; Jean Pinniger, Klamath Falls; Brad Reddersen, Eugene; Debbie Rios, Grants Pass; Jordan Schnitzer, Portland; Norm Smith, Roseburg; Ward Tonsfeldt, Bend, Alice Trindle, Haines; Jody Ward, Bend; and Charles Walker, Neskowin. The Joint Interim Task Force on Cultural Development, whose recommendations for a funding plan for the Trust were approved by the Legislature in 2001, was chaired by Charles Walker, Neskowin, and included George Bell, Lake Oswego; former State Senator Lee Beyer, Springfield; Roberta Conner, Pendleton; Amy Cuddy, Ashland; Mike Lindberg, Portland; Barbara Rommel, Portland; Barbara Sidway, Baker City; Rep. Ben Westlund, Bend; with Portland writer Kim Stafford as special advisor.

The Governor's Arts Awards, presented since 1977 in partnership with the Oregon Arts Commission, give official recognition to those whose work on behalf of the arts has significantly contributed to the growth and development of Oregon's cultural life.

"The Governor's Arts Awards honor Oregonians whose contributions to the arts have been exemplary," said Norm Smith, Chairman of the Arts Commission. "This year we honor artists and designers who've brought recognition to Oregon through their work. We honor citizen leaders like John and Carol Hampton whose generosity has moved others to invest in the arts. We salute a new generation of leaders through PICA's guidance by Kristy Edmunds. And we thank the cultural task forces whose vision for the Cultural Trust will be a legacy for Oregonians. It is fitting that we gather each year as a cultural community to salute their commitment."

Selected for 2002 Governor's Arts Awards are:

Eugene Bennett, a painter from Jacksonville, who is considered "a cultured gentleman and renaissance man." Bennett is acknowledged as one of the premier visual artists in Southern Oregon. He has been a leader and advocate for the arts, a tireless supporter of local arts groups, and an extraordinary contributor and guiding force behind much of the cultural development of Jacksonville. A promising concert pianist who turned to painting after WWII, he achieved recognition for his work across the United States and in Europe. His roots in Southern Oregon brought him back to the region, and he settled in Medford, then in Jacksonville where he renovated the once condemned Eagle Brewery Saloon as his home and studio. His paintings, sculptures and collages have been collected widely. Eugene Bennett's service to the community is extensive. He was a founding member of the Rogue Valley Art Association, which established the Rogue Gallery in downtown Medford in 1960, then considered a cultural desert. A passionate music-lover, Bennett supported the Britt Music Festivals, opening his studio and gallery before and after performances, and painting the Britt orchestra; the paintings continue to be reproduced as posters for festival and collected. He has been a pillar of support for the cultural life of the Rogue Valley.

William Bloodgood, Resident Scenic Designer of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, has designed more than 100 productions in Ashland and Portland. His sets include stunning visual effects that reinforce elements of magic woven throughout Shakespeare's text, but at the same time appropriately support the text, the actors and the director's vision. Bloodgood's colleagues at the Shakespeare Festival call him a "creative collaborator whose visual imagination is inspiring." His designs capture the poetic and conceptual ideas of the playwright and director, as well as the practical demands of the production. William Bloodgood's artistic range seems limitless. His sets are eloquent whether classical or contemporary, fanciful or realistic, large-scale or intimate. As a result, his talents are in demand not only in Ashland, but throughout the country. He has designed more than 50 productions in regional theatres in Anchorage, Houston, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Berkeley, San Jose, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Syracuse and Hong Kong. A consummate artist, William Bloodgood is revered in the theatre world. The quality of his work has been widely acknowledged by regional and national theatre critics, and his peers within the theatrical community have awarded him multiple awards for excellence in scenic design.

Mel Brown, an Oregon icon in jazz, has been labeled the "Gentleman of Jazz" with a career that has spanned over 40 years. Born in Oregon, Brown began his career as a drummer for Earl Grant, recording with Capitol Records. He went on to become the staff drummer for the Motown Music Corporation, working with The Temptations, and The Supremes, among others. He spent ten years as the drummer for Diana Ross, Suzanne Somers, Hal Linden, Connie Francis, Pat Boone and many more. More important than the impressive list of celebrities with whom Mel Brown has played over the years, has been his contribution to Oregon. His passion truly is in working with college and high school students. Besides working as Assistant Band Director for many years, he served on the Boards of Directors for the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Portland Music Association, and the Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz. He continues to serve as an adjudicator in the United States and abroad, and to conduct jazz workshops. Mel Brown and his jazz band, The Mel Brown Sextet, have received numerous Skanner Northwest Music Awards, and The City of Portland proclaimed June 22, 1989 MEL BROWN DAY in recognition of his accomplishments. Oregon is widely recognized for its rich jazz scene, and the enormous following supporting that genre. Mel Brown is largely responsible for this phenomenon.

Artist and curator Kristy Edmunds has been a lead advocate for furthering innovative and provocative contemporary art in the Northwest region and nationally. In 1995, she founded the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), where she serves as Executive Director and Curator, leading programs dedicated to advancing significant developments in experimental contemporary art by regional, national and international artists. Edmunds has been described as a "person of incredible energy" who works tirelessly to promote contemporary art. By not looking to traditional sources of funding for PICA and rallying a whole new type of supporter, she proved that the arts don't have to ebb and flow to the whims of government. Her belief in the development of strong art through the sponsorship of artists has become a model and inspiration for many arts organizations around the country. Because she is an artist herself, she knows what tools are needed to give an artist appropriate support in order to make that jump to the next level. Kristy Edmunds is also a great encourager of others and, in conversations big and small, she inspires others to go beyond their timidity and reach for something bigger. In addition to her work as an artist and curator, she advises other boards and is a creative consultant for BOORA Architects and Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, among others. In 1999, she received the Freedom of Expression Award from the Oregon ACLU chapter as a person who "demonstrates exceptional personal courage and creative vision in support of free speech." We live in an age where youthful leadership is greatly needed. Kristy Edmunds has been serving as a leader since her twenties. She is an inspiration to a whole new generation, many of whom can be seen making the gears of PICA turn.

John and Carol Hampton champion the arts in extraordinary ways. John is a visionary thinker who is not afraid of an initiative that is large in scope, and who has the tenacity to see it through to a successful finish. He credits his wife Carol with making sure the arts were part of their family life, and central to the lives of their children. John Hampton's style of leadership and his tenacity and perseverance to forge creative solutions to difficult problems grew out of his experiences with managing and growing the family's forest products company, Hampton Affiliates, to become Oregon's largest lumber manufacturer. His reputation for innovative thinking, building and organizing coalitions gained him slots on boards inside and outside arts and culture. The Hampton's have provided support to a variety of arts and cultural organizations and their special projects. The Hampton companies and the Hampton family contribute regularly to the Portland Art Museum, Portland Opera, Oregon Symphony, Oregon Historical Society, Northwest Academy, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland Center Stage, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Pacific Northwest College of Art, and the High Desert Museum. Hampton Company headquarters in Portland displays a sizeable collection of Northwest artists. More recently the Hampton family created the John and Carol Hampton Endowment Association, an advised fund through the Oregon Community Foundation that will continue to benefit the Opera and the arts in Portland. John and Carol Hampton have left a legacy to Oregon's art and cultural community through not only their own personal generosity, but also through the education, talents and creativity of their four children, who are each artists and arts patrons in their own right.

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine Commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities.

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Dated for freshness! Page last updated May 02, 2008