Piedmont Arts Receives '50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Award' from VCA

Governor Ralph Northam (center) congratulates Piedmont Arts Interim Executive Director Heidi Pinkston (left) and Finance Manager Pam Allen
upon the museum's receipt of a '50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Award' from the Virginia Commission for the Arts


Piedmont Arts was one of 50 arts organizations in the Commonwealth to be honored with a “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Award” by the Virginia Commission for the Arts at a special reception held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.

The museum won in the “Bedrock Institutions” category, which includes organizations that have been in existence more than ten years; have demonstrated a benefit to the economic health and or tourism in the community; exhibit artistic excellence; celebrate diversity; and showcase Virginia as a cultural destination.

“Piedmont Arts is truly honored to be named a 50 for 50 Arts Inspiration award winner,” said Interim Executive Director Heidi Pinkston. "The museum's heartfelt thanks goes to the Virginia Commission for the Arts for this honor and all those whose support over the last 57 years has helped to shape Piedmont Arts into a bedrock institution in Martinsville-Henry County.”


Interim Executive Director Heidi Pinkston (left) with Virginia Commission for the Arts Executive Director Margaret Vanderhye
For fifty years, the Virginia Commission for the Arts has supported and celebrated the vibrant arts culture that is critical to living, learning, and thriving economically in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The "50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Awards" are designed to recognize programs, individuals, and organizations critical to the arts in Virginia. Award recipients were selected from a pool of over 350 nominees by a panel of former Commissioners and arts leaders and confirmed by the full Board of the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

The Commission stated in a release, “The designated 'Arts Inspirations' may have played a critical role in the last 50 years, serve as today’s leaders and exemplars, or may be tomorrow’s visionaries, leading the way to a bright future. We are indeed fortunate in Virginia to have an abundant and diverse roster of outstanding artists and organizations and their supporters spanning disciplines and decades. The 50 selected winners are representative of the best, but this list is far from definitive. Every day in communities across the Commonwealth, thousands of people benefit from the creative energies and pursuit of excellence that characterize Virginia artists and arts organizations."

Senator Bill Stanley (center) meets with Interim Executive Director Heidi Pinkston (left) 
and Finance Manager Pam Allen during Arts Advocacy Day

While in Richmond, Pinkston and Finance Manager Pam Allen participated in Arts Advocacy Day, a yearly event organized by Virginian's for the Arts to emphasize how "the arts build communities" across the Commonwealth. Pinkston and Allen took part in a legislative meet-and-greet with Delegate Les Adams, Delegate Danny Marshall and Senator Bill Stanley.

"Keeping Piedmont Arts on the radar of our legislators is paramount," said Allen. "By sharing our story, and the positive impact that Piedmont Arts has on our community, we emphasize the critical need for arts funding at the state level."


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