Kathy Kolkhorst Ruddy Awards for the Arts
    Juneau Arts & Humanities Council > Kathy Kolkhorst Ruddy Awards for the Arts

Celebrating Juneau's Creative Citizens, Organizations, and Businesses

UPDATE: The Kathy Kolkhorst Ruddy Awards for the Arts is moving to a biennial schedule. Keep an eye out for more information about this event in 2025. Thank you! 

Juneau's extraordinarily rich arts and culture environment is due to the enthusiastic, exuberant creativity of its citizens. In 2007, Mayor Bruce Botelho instituted the first annual Mayor's Awards for the Arts to highlight and honor individuals and businesses in Juneau who are notable for their contributions through the arts to our town.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Kathy Kolkhorst Ruddy on September 10, 2020. Many of you knew her and know of her many, many contributions to the arts and culture community in Juneau, her exceptional generosity and kindness to so many people. In recognition of her years of inspired leadership and service, the Board of Trustees of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council voted to change the Mayor’s Awards for the Arts to the Kathy Kolkhorst Ruddy Awards for the Arts.

Nomination Categories

  • Exceptional Artist: Honors individuals for their creative contributions for our community.

  • Leadership in the Promotion of Oral Traditions: Recognizes individuals or programs who have aided significantly in the growth of Indigenous oral traditions, recognizing the crucial nature these traditions play in the health and success of our community.

  • Leadership in Environmental Health and Sustainability: Recognizes individuals or programs who have championed issues of local environmental health and sustainability as a critical component of southeast Alaska’s cultural Heritage.

  • Excellence in Arts and Cultural Education: Recognizes individuals or programs whose efforts advance the arts in education.

  • Business Leadership in the Arts: Recognizes businesses (profit or nonprofit) or individual business leaders whose efforts enhance and sustain the arts in Juneau.

  • Innovation in the Arts: Recognizes individuals or programs whose work uses the arts in new and inspirational ways to improve our community.

  • Patron of the Arts: Recognizes individuals whose support for the arts has made a significant impact in our community.

  • Lifetime Achievement in the Arts: Recognizes individuals who have had significant impact on our community over the span of their life and work.

  • Advancement of Community, Equity, and Stewardship by an Elected Official: Recognizes elected government officials (state or local) who have recognized and spearheaded initiatives of community, equity, and stewardship in their careers.

2023 Recipients

2023 Patron of the Arts - Amy Dressel
2023 Exceptional Artist - Lisa Phu
2023 Lifetime Achievement - Molly Smith
2023 Leadership in Promotion of Oral Traditions - Victoria Johnson
2023 Business Leadership in the Arts - Sealaska Heritage Institute
2023 Excellence in Cultural Education - Wayne Price
2023 Innovation in the Arts - Chloey Cavanaugh
2023 Leadership in Environmental Health and Sustainability - Rachael Juzeler
2023 Advancement of Community, Equity, and Stewardship by an Elected Official - Maria Gladziszewski

Previous Recipients

  • Exceptional Artist
    • 2007 Heather Haugland and Antonio Diaz
    • 2008 Barbara Craver
    • 2009/10 Sue Kazama
    • 2011 Della Cheney
    • 2012 Dan Hopson
    • 2013 Christy NaMee Eriksen
    • 2014 Dan Fruits
    • 2015 Pat Belec
    • 2016 Vera Starbard Bedard
    • 2017 Frank Kaash Katasse
    • 2018 Lily Hope
    • 2021 Rob Cohen
    • 2023 Lisa Phu
  • Leadership in the Promotion of Oral Traditions - New!
    • 2023 Victoria Johnson
  • Excellence in Arts and Cultural Education
    • 2007 Lorrie Heagy
    • 2008 Julia Bastuschek
    • 2009/10 Shona Strauser
    • 2011 MK MacNaughton
    • 2012 Nancy Lehnhart & Mimi Mendica
    • 2013 Shgen George
    • 2014 Jan Niemeyer (Posthumously)
    • 2015 Heather Ridgway
    • 2016 Jim Fowler
    • 2017 Miah Lager
    • 2018 Full Circle Music, Greg Burger and Mary DeSmet
    • 2021 Amy Rautiainen
    • 2022 Michael Bucy
    • 2023 Wayne Price
  • Leadership in Environmental Health and Sustainability  
    • 2023 Rachael Juzeler
  • Business Leadership in the Arts
    • 2007 Annie Geselle and REACH/The Canvas
    • 2008 Candy and Dick Behrends, Behrends Mechanical
    • 2009/10 Alaska Litho
    • 2011 Elgee Rehfeld Mertz, LLC
    • 2012 Alaskan Brewing
    • 2013 Amy Fletcher (Professional Leadership in the Arts)
    • 2014 Alaska Airlines
    • 2015 Annie Kaill’s Gallery
    • 2016 Alaska Music One
    • 2017 Studio A - Betsy Sims
    • 2018 Capital Copy, The Melvilles
    • 2022 Wooshkindein Da.aat | Lily Hope Weaver Studio
    • 2023 Sealaska Heritage Institute
  • Arts Organization
    • 2013 Alaska Folk Festival
    • 2014 Juneau Symphony
    • 2015 Juneau Lyric Opera
    • 2017 Miss Gigi Monroe (James Hoagland), Achievement in the Arts
    • 2022 Theater Alaska
  • Innovation and Inspiration in the Arts
    • 2007 Alberta Aspen, Our Auntie’s House
    • 2008 Alice Tersteeg
    • 2009/10 Adele Hamey, Taku Graphics
    • 2011 Theatre in the Rough
    • 2012 Lucid Reverie
    • 2013 Guo Hua Xia (Visionary Application for the Arts)
    • 2014 Mudrooms (Visionary Application of the Arts)
    • 2015 Ron Gile, Juneau Photo Group
    • 2016 Mark Kelley
    • 2017 Tom Locher
    • 2018 Collette Costa
    • 2021 Ceann Murphy
    • 2022 Melissa Leaanne Bakes
    • 2023 Chloey Cavanaugh
  • Lifetime Achievement in the Arts
    • 2009/10 Janice Holst
    • 2011 Susan Burke
    • 2012 Buddy Tabor (posthumously)
    • 2013 Natalee Rothaus
    • 2014 Sharron Lobaugh
    • 2015 Linda Rosenthal
    • 2016 R.T. Wallen
    • 2017 Mary Watson
    • 2018 Sherry Patterson
    • 2021 Janet Hall Schempf
    • 2022 Charles Rohrbacher
    • 2023 Molly Smith
  • Advancement of Community, Equity, and Stewardship by an Elected Official 
    • 2023 Maria Gladziszewski
  • Patron of the Arts
    • 2008 Ron and Kathy Maas
    • 2009/10 Lucy Merrell
    • 2011 Sharon Gaiptman, Missouri Smyth, Deborah Smith (King Island Christmas production)
    • 2012 Bruce Simonson
    • 2013 Bruce Botelho (Advocate for the Arts)
    • 2014 Wendy Wolf and John Osborne
    • 2015 ConocoPhillips
    • 2016 Scarlett Adam, for Leadership in the Arts
    • 2017 James Barron
    • 2022 Bing Carrillo
    • 2023 Amy Dressel
  • Volunteer
    • 2007 Susan Fitzgerald
    • 2008 Jim Simard
    • 2009/10 Peter Freer
    • 2011 Dan Beason
    • 2012 Bing Carrillo
    • 2013 Kathy Ruddy
    • 2014 Lyle James
    • 2016 Jeff Duvernay
    • 2018 Linda Kruger and Jeff Gnass
    • 2021 Jacque Farnsworth
    • 2022 Annie Calkins

Supporting Businesses

 

This work is supported in part by a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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