The Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts Award is given to an artist who displays passion and commitment to showcasing the creative vision of people with disabilities through the wide and ever-expanding spectrum of today’s media,

rie Johnson, a strong advocate for the representation of artists with disabilities in the media arts.

Penny LeLeux learned filmmaking on the fly. As an actor, director, and creative leader, ten years ago she looked around and seeing an opportunity , she began a new adventure in the art of filmmaking by entering a 48-hour festival competition.

First, she wrote a screenplay. Then, with the help of a small production company, she wrote and directed her first short film. Since then, she has gone on to win numerous awards for her writing, directing, producing, and acting.

But that just wasn’t enough sizzle for Penny, so she founded a nonprofit organization, Barefoot on the Bayou Film Group, to promote filmmaking in Orange County and Southeast Texas, or as she would say, “promoting filmmaking in the land of cowboys and cajuns”.

In 2019, Penny and the Barefoot on the Bayou group founded the Texas Film Belt Project, a signature competition and showcase of short-films shot within 50 miles of Interstate 10 (stretching from Orange to El Paso), plus a “fringe” category for films shot along interstate highway I-10 outside of Texas. The goal of the Texas Film Belt Project is to eventually have Interstate 10 designated as THE Texas Film Belt.

For her impact on the film community in Orange and across the state, and for her tenacious spirit and delightful humor through it all, Penny LeLeux is the recipient of the 2026 Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts award.