Art Spark Texas Honors the 2022 Artists of the Year
Art Spark Texas is pleased to announce the 2022 Artists of the Year Awards Ceremony taking place Sunday, September 18, 2022, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM CDT in Austin. The event will be in-person this year and will provide the following accommodations: ASL, audio description, and captioning. All are welcome to attend. All ages are welcome. RSVPs are requested. Please RSVP here.
The awards honor Texas artists with disabilities who, through a one-time creative act or a substantial record of achievement, embody the spirit and vision of Art Spark Texas. The awards are open to any artist with a disability over the age of 16 years, in any discipline, including visual art, dance, music, performance, craft and writing.
2022 Award Recipients:
- Kemi Yemi-Ese - 2022 Haven Street-Allen Artist of the Year
- Samuel Eiler - 2022 SPARK Award
- Thor’Oakley Armbruster - 2022 Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts Award
- Pat Falconer - 2022 Gloria Bond Creative Aging Award
- Judith Miller - 2022 Director's Commendation
2022 Artists of the Year Awards Ceremony
- Sunday, September 18, 2022
- 1:00-4:00 PM CDT
- In-person at Sterling Events, 6134 East Highway 290, Austin 78723 Center
Click photos to learn more about the artists!
Thank you to our 2022 Artist of the Year Award Sponsors
Business Sponsor:
Austin Lighthouse
Patron Sponsor:
Connie McMillan
Supporting Sponsor:
Nancy Crowther
Artist of the Year Friends:
James Burnside
Patricia Geisinger
Dolores Gonzalez
Susanne Graves
Melissa Knight
Susan Loughran
Jesus McCrum
Jennifer McKinney
Tara McNair
Dan Pye
Laura Perna
Barbara Winters
Nicole Sarkar
Emilie Sizemore
Charles Smouse
Erica Stokes
Christopher Van Loan Sr.
Joanna Vaughn
Harvey Kronberg
Become a 2022 Artist of the Year Awards Sponsor!
For more information, please contact [email protected]
About the Annual Artist of the Year Awards
Art Spark Texas annually honors artists in the field of visual art, dance, music, performance, craft, media and writing. Each year, the Artist of the Year Awards are given to Texas artists who embody the spirit and vision of Art Spark Texas, and who challenge the perceptions of how people contribute by demonstrating artistic excellence or leading the way as a community catalyst for change.
Art Spark Texas is excited to announce that the 2022 Art Spark Texas Artists of the Year Award Nominations are now closed.
Download Nomination Form (word document .docx)
Download Nomination Form (pdf format)
Award Descriptions
Rules and Eligibility
Who is eligible to submit a nomination for an award?
Anyone can nominate. We also welcome self-nominations and encourage you to nominate someone you know!
Who is eligible to receive an award?
Award nominees are not required to be affiliated with Art Spark Texas. Eligibility includes all artists with disabilities, who live or work in Texas, ages 16 and up. Visual art, 2D and 3D, media, dance, music, drama, poetry, literature, video, and photography (to name a few) are all welcome. Art Spark Texas staff and Board members are not eligible to receive awards. See award descriptions below for specific eligibility.
How will the awardee be selected?
A panel of judges will jury the nominations. The judges will review nominations based on each nominee’s eligibility and the nominee's contribution to the arts. The winner will exhibit the guidelines described in each awards’ criteria. Review the award descriptions below to learn more about the specific selection method.
What do the awardees receive?
Awardees will receive an honorarium, custom plaque commemorating artistic achievement, recognition as a featured artist on the Art Spark Texas' website and social media, and an invitation to attend our annual event as a guest of honor to be publicly recognized for their achievements.
Nominating Categories:
Past Honorees
Haven Allen Artist of the Year Award
Joan Lawson, 2021
Robert Kelley, 2020
Randy Souders, 2019
Joan Fabian, 2018
Spark Award
Ryan Schmidt, 2021
Josh Pflueger, 2020
Brandon Lack, 2019
Jordana Gerlach, 2018
DIRECTOR’S COMMENDATION Award
Maria R. Pérez, 2021
Adam Farris, 2020
Susan Beattie, 2019
Jackson Sutton, 2018
LYNN MARIE JOHNSON MEDIA ARTS AWARD
Miguel Hernandez (DJ MIK ONE), 2021
Tom Olin, 2020
Gene Rodgers and Dave Dauber, 2019
MOBILE ART AWARD
Gary Bachers, 2021
Gary Flemmons, 2020