KU News Release

Susan Craig

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Kevin Willmott

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More Information

• KU Libraries
• Department of Film and Media Studies

LAWRENCE — Two University of Kansas faculty members have been selected for the 2010 Governor’s Arts Awards, given to distinguished Kansas artists, arts patrons and arts educators.

Susan Craig, art and architecture librarian, and Kevin Willmott, associate professor of film and media studies, will be honored March 11 in Topeka for their contributions to the arts in Kansas. The awards are given annually by the governor and the Kansas Arts Commission.

“The state of Kansas is proud to honor and recognize these outstanding artists, advocates, educators, cities and organizations,” said Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson. “These awards call attention to the creative spirit that captures the magnificence of our state, contributes to our culture and inspires future Kansas artists.”

Craig is being honored as an arts advocate for documenting the lives of more than 2,600 Kansas artists in her award-winning e-book “Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists.” Recognized as a seminal reference for researchers, her dictionary is the only work of its kind. The dictionary details the lives of artists born or working in Kansas before 1945. Craig began work on the book in 1981 after seeing a state-by-state guide to artists that had no entry for Kansas.

Willmott is being recognized for his work as a writer, director and producer of films that have received national acclaim for their pioneering themes focused on Kansas and its history. The commission praised Willmott’s vision as an educator and filmmaker whose thought-provoking films include Kansans and their communities. His films include “Ninth Street,” “CSA: The Confederate States of America,” “ Bunker Hill” and “The Only Good Indian.”

Both Craig and Willmott are Kansans. Craig, originally from Newton and Peabody, earned a bachelor’s at KU and a master’s at Emporia State University. Willmott grew up in Junction City and earned a bachelor’s from Marymount College in Salina and master’s from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

This year’s other honorees are Elliott Pujol, a metals artist from Manhattan; Doug Talley, an arts educator and musician with the Shawnee Mission School District; the Emporia Arts Council as an arts organization; and the city of Hays as an arts community. The Distinguished Arts Award will go to photojournalist and social documentarian Jim Richardson, of Lindsborg.

The Governor’s Arts Awards have been given annually since 1974. An expert panel comprised of members of the Kansas Arts Commission, a representative from the governor’s office and arts professionals selected the winners from submitted nominations.