The Arts and Education Council (A&E) has announced seven honorees for the 2019 St. Louis Arts Awards. Celebrating its 28th year, the St. Louis Arts Awards is the region’s preeminent event honoring artists, educators, individuals and organizations that achieve a legacy of artistic excellence and enrich St. Louis’ arts and cultural community.

The 2019 honorees are: Ken Page, Broadway and film star, Lifetime Achievement in the Arts; Brent Benjamin, Saint Louis Art Museum, Excellence in the Arts; Amy Freet, Airport Elementary School, Art Educator of the Year; Noémi and Michael Neidorff, Excellence in Philanthropy; Sue Greenberg, Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, Champion for the Arts; Chris Hansen, Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Arts Innovator; and Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, Arts Startup of the Year.

The 2019 St. Louis Arts Awards, co-chaired by Solomon Thurman and Pat Smith Thurman, will be held Monday, January 21 at the Chase Park Plaza. Thurman, an artist, research and teacher, is widely recognized for his painting commissions, including “Celia”, a portrait of a slave girl commissioned by St. Louis civil rights attorney Margaret Bush Wilson, and “Black Americans in Flight”, a 51-foot-long mural depicting the Tuskegee Airmen, located at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. He received the Missouri Arts Council’s 2018 Individual Artist of the Year Award. Thurman and Smith Thurman, a former IT executive at Mastercard, opened the 10th Street Gallery downtown in 2011. Smith Thurman served on the Board of Directors of the Arts and Education Council from 2003 to 2006.

“The Arts and Education Council (A&E), along with our event co-chairs and sponsors, looks forward to celebrating these very deserving honorees at the 2019 St. Louis Arts Awards. Their contributions to the St. Louis arts and culture community have created a ripple effect that continues to make our region a vibrant place to live, learn, work and play,” said Cynthia A. Prost, A&E president and CEO.

Centene Charitable Foundation returns as presenting sponsor of this year’s event and Edward Jones returns as principal sponsor. Proceeds from the 28th annual St. Louis Arts Awards benefit the Arts and Education Council’s annual campaign which provides financial support, professional development, incubator space and collaborative opportunities to nearly 100 organizations throughout the bi-state region.

For more information about the 2019 St. Louis Arts Awards, click here.