MISSOURI ARTS AWARDS 2026

Since 1983, the Missouri Arts Council and the State of Missouri have been honoring our state’s arts heroes—the people who make the arts happen. Our annual Missouri Arts Awards celebrate people, organizations, and communities that have made profound and lasting contributions to the cultural and artistic climate of the state. Including the 2026 honorees, the awards have acclaimed 262 people, organizations, and communities throughout Missouri. Honorees are selected by an independent panel in six categories: Arts Education, Arts Organization, Creative Community, Individual Artist, Leadership in the Arts, and Philanthropy.

We will celebrate our 2026 honorees in a ceremony in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Jefferson City on February 6 at 1 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.

Arts Education | Community Music School of Webster University, St. Louis
One of the premier music schools in the country, the Community Music School of Webster University has enriched the St. Louis community for an entire century. Every year the school serves about 1,200 students across all skill levels, from young children to adults. The programs include individual lessons, group classes, two full orchestras, small ensembles, chamber music programs, summer camps, the Young Composers Competition and more. The school further amplifies its impact on the people of the St. Louis region through awarding scholarships, partnering with public and private school systems, and performing free public concerts and performances in nursing homes, community centers, and cultural institutions. The school makes the transformative power of comprehensive music education accessible to all.
• Community Music School of Webster University

Arts Organization | City in Motion Dance Theater, Inc., Kansas City
Founded in 1985, City in Motion Dance Theater, Inc. is Kansas City’s longest running contemporary dance company. Co-directed by Ann Shaughnessy and Bobbi Foudree, City in Motion encompasses a professional company, school for youth and adults, Children’s Dance Theater, Apprentice Company, Young Choreographers Workshop, and outreach. Performances range from the annual Modern Night showcasing local choreographers to the free Dance in the Park festival every fall. City in Motion partners with social service agencies to provide free classes to high-risk people such as survivors of domestic violence and students who are visually impaired. The company’s mission is “to create dance opportunities for everyBODY in Kansas City” via eclectic, family-oriented contemporary dance.
• City in Motion Dance Theater, Inc.

Creative Community | City of West Plains
The arts are crucial to the identity and growth of the City of West Plains, the commercial and cultural hub of south central Missouri. From First Thursday Downtown Strolls to the venerable Ozark Heritage Festival, the city plays host to concerts, exhibits, craft shows, theater productions, and much more. These special events along with many permanent creative businesses make for a vibrant location for residents and a year-round destination for tourists. Close collaboration among city government, West Plains Downtown Revitalization, West Plains Council on the Arts, Missouri State University–West Plains, civic and service organizations, the business community, and innumerable private citizens ensures that the arts are not only celebrated, but embedded in the long-term strategy for community vitality.
• City of West Plain s

Individual Artist | Ray Harvey, New Haven
Ray Harvey has brought grand-scale art to small-town Main Streets since 1990. He has painted over 600 indoor and outdoor murals, turning blank walls into vivid stories of local history, work, and heritage. Working with city leaders, nonprofits, and businesses, he creates images that communities recognize as their own. Where galleries are scarce, his murals serve as free open-air museums, energizing downtowns, drawing visitors, and strengthening civic pride. His impact is especially strong in Hannibal, where he has painted 26 murals, earning him the Key to the City, and in Concordia, where eight major outdoor works helped the city receive Missouri’s official “Patriotic Mural City” designation from the State legislature in 2025. His legacy is not only the paintings but the pride and momentum they spark—one wall at a time.
• Ray Harvey Art

Leadership in the Arts | Erin Warner Prange, St. Louis
As executive director of Saint Louis Dance Theatre since 2012, Erin Warner Prange has grown this contemporary dance company from a modest local ensemble with one performance a year to a $1.2 million operation that is a statewide cultural force. Every year the company produces 15 main stage productions, including three pay-as-you-can community concerts. Education ranges from drop-in classes to nationally recognized training for pre-professionals. Ms. Prange has woven accessibility into the company’s core mission. Among the many programs she has implemented are the Champions for Community Initiative for underserved young people, Senior Embrace for retirement homes, and a robust touring schedule throughout Missouri. Arts partnerships beyond traditional boundaries extend Saint Louis Dance Theatre’s impact even more.
• Saint Louis Dance Theatre

Philanthropy | David and Thelma Steward, St. Louis
David and Thelma Steward’s commitment to improving lives and transforming communities spans more than four decades. They have paired deep personal involvement of both time and talent with millions of dollars in philanthropic giving. They support a broad spectrum of artistic expression, from music and dance to cinema and literature. Through the Steward Family Foundation, established in 2013, they also champion initiatives in education, health, human services, and animal welfare. The Stewards are indispensable supporters of many arts organizations and initiatives, including Jazz St. Louis, Confluence Music Festival, The Muny, The Black Rep, The Sheldon, The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Center of Creative Arts (COCA), Nine PBS, Saint Louis Ballet, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Blues at the Arch, and Music at the Intersection Festival and Conference.
• Steward Family Foundation

Every year, the honorees are commemorated on a poster featuring work by a Missouri artist, and are presented with awards created in glass by a Missouri artist.

Signature Image Artist | Notley Hawkins, Columbia
Born and raised in Columbia, Notley Hawkins has lived in Missouri his whole life. His three-decade career is highlighted by critically acclaimed exhibitions, permanent collections, and distinguished commercial services, using his artistry to document and elevate the Missouri landscape and built environment. He has blended his classical artistic education with technical photographic mastery, becoming a leading voice in Missouri’s visual arts scene. He is especially celebrated for his control of light and composition and his regionalist vision that reveals emotional depth in common scenes of American life.
• Notley Hawkins Photography

Awards Artwork Artist | Jon Biscan, St. Louis
Jon Biscan has been working at Third Degree Glass in St. Louis for over 20 years. His initial fascination with the medium led him to several years of honing his talent, combining modern and traditional techniques with his tenacity and determination to become a professional glassblower. His creations include custom commissioned sculptures, intricate handblown vessels, seasonal decor items, and unique barware. His art is inspired by the beauty of daily life, whether found in patterns from nature or in the emotional connections between people.
• Jon Biscan Hand Blown Glass

CHOOSING THE HONOREES

Every year an independent panel of Missourians from the statewide arts community selects the honorees from among public nominations. These panelists chose the 2026 honorees:

MISSOURI ARTS AWARDS 2026

CHOOSING THE HONOREES

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