NASAA Honors Exemplary Arts Agency Leadership

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) recognizes the exemplary leadership of two individuals and one organization during its annual convening in Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 11-13, 2008.

Suzette Surkamer, Executive Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission, is the 2008 recipient of the Gary Young Award for outstanding individual leadership. Margaret "Peggy" Kannenstine, Council Member and Former Chair of the Vermont Arts Council, is the 2008 Distinguished Public Service Award honoree. The Florida Division of Cultural Affairs is the winner of the 2008 National Accessibility Leadership Award.

The NASAA Awards program showcases best practices of state arts agencies and regional arts organizations, recognizes exemplary leadership, and demonstrates how government creatively, effectively and efficiently serves the public through the arts.

2008 Gary Young Award

SUZETTE SURKAMER
Executive Director, South Carolina Arts Commission

Suzette Surkamer is Executive Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission. Guided by her vision, the Commission has achieved success and national recognition in areas such as arts education reform, arts advocacy, and public participation. Prior to becoming Executive Director in 1994, she served as Deputy Director (1988-1994), Arts Development Division Director (1978-1988), Arts Coordinator (1977-1978), and Dancer in Residence (1974-1977).

Developing successful statewide partnerships ranks among Surkamer's many accomplishments. She plays major roles in the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project (with the South Carolina Department of Education and Winthrop University), the Design Arts Partnership (with Clemson University), the Literary Arts Partnership (with the State Library and the Humanities Council^SC), and a multi-agency partnership to revive the state's VSA arts chapter (with the Department of Education, the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind).

Surkamer is esteemed for her regional and national leadership. Among numerous positions, she is past Chair and current board member of the Southern Arts Federation, current Second Vice President of NASAA, former Treasurer of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and on the National Arts Education Partnership Steering Committee.

This year's Gary Young Award recognizes Surkamer for her extraordinary leadership at the state, regional, and national levels; and her tireless work to advance the field of public funding for the arts.

2008 Distinguished Public Service Award

MARGARET "PEGGY" KANNENSTINE
Council Member and Former Chair, Vermont Arts Council

Margaret "Peggy" Kannenstine is an artist whose landscapes and paintings of performing musicians are centered on the expressive use of color. Her work has been shown extensively and is held in the permanent collections of museums, hospitals, academic institutions, and in corporate and private collections. In addition to her career as an artist, Kannenstine has had a distinguished career as an arts advocate.

A proponent of the creative economy, Kannenstine was involved in the New England Council/New England Foundation Arts (NEFA) collaboration as a member of the Creative Economy Council. She also worked with the Vermont Council on Rural Development in a statewide effort to analyze the potential of the creative economy to serve rural communities, as a member of its Council on Culture and Innovation.

At the national level, she works on an ongoing basis with Sen. Patrick Leahy to pass the Artist's Fair Market Deduction Act--federal legislation that would allow artists, composers, musicians, and writers to take a tax deduction equal to the fair market value of works they donate to libraries, museums, universities, and other places intended for public display. A tireless advocate for people with disabilities and seniors, Kannenstine was also chosen to participate in the White House Mini-Conference on Aging in 2004.

When her service concludes, Kannenstine will have served 12 years on the Vermont Arts Council board, including four as Chair. She has also served on the boards of NASAA; NEFA; the Pentangle Council on the Arts (two as Chair); the Vermont Studio Center (four as Chair); the Center for Cartoon Studies (founding member); and in countless other leadership positions.

This year's Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes Kannenstine for her sustained and exemplary commitment to public service on behalf of the arts at the local, state, and national levels.

Back to top

2008 National Accessibility Leadership Award

FLORIDA DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS

The National Accessibility Leadership Award is presented to the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs for its strong leadership in making the arts accessible to older adults and individuals with disabilities through a broad range of highly successful partnerships and initiatives.

The Division's exemplary work includes asking questions relating to accessibility in grant application guidelines, as well as adding scoring criteria to two application categories. As a result, accessibility is an integral part of their funding decisions. They also ensured that their new gallery space, the Gallery for Innovation & the Arts in Tallahassee's Capitol Complex, and its exhibit design are fully accessible. Additionally, they maintain a fully accessible Web site that accommodates users with sensory loss and other disabilities.

In addition to the staff Accessibility coordinator, the Division jointly supports an Access Coordinator with VSAarts of Florida, which makes it possible to provide technical assistance more effectively to arts groups in the Central and Southern regions of the state. They also organized and work with a Statewide Access Task Force, composed of members representing the cultural and disability communities, which provides guidance to the Division.

In 2006, the Division convened a statewide Forum on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities, in partnership with VSAarts of Florida. Since then the Division has sponsored 12 career workshops for artists with disabilities and school counselors, and 14 artists' mentorships. They also established a "Best Practices in Access" awards program that recognizes arts administrators and cultural groups who excel in their work to make the arts fully accessible.

Through these considerable efforts, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs has established a strong foundation for inclusive arts programming, demonstrating its commitment to making the best arts available for all citizens.

Back to top