Larry Bissonnette of Williston and Jarvis Green of White River Junction have been named winners of the 2022 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, the state's highest honor bestowed on an artist. The pair are among six recipients of this year's Vermont Arts Awards presented by the Vermont Arts Council.
Bissonnette, a visual artist and disabilities rights activist, was cited by Governor Phil Scott for his “creativity and emotion” communicated through his paintings and his involvement with the Grass Roots Arts and Community Effort, a program of the Vermont nonprofit Rural Arts Collaborative that facilitates artmaking with seniors and people with disabilities. Green, the founding artist director of JAG Productions, a Vermont- and New York City-based Black theater company in White River Junction, was recognized by Scott for having worked to “bring more diversity and incredible talent to the Upper Valley and our state.”
In addition to Bissonnette and Green, other awardees were:
- Christal Brown of Middlebury, winner of the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts for her sustained contribution to the arts and its impact on Vermont’s cultural life.
- Eugene Uman of Brattleboro, winner of the Ellen McCulloch-Lovell Award in Arts Education for his deep dedication to teaching Vermont’s jazz musicians of all ages through classroom instruction, summer intensives and ensembles.
- Robert Resnik of Burlington, winner of the Margaret L. (Peggy) Kannenstine Award for Arts Advocacy for his decades-long commitment to Vermont's traditional musical culture and history and his longtime support of Vermont musicians.
- Judy Dow of Vergennes, winner of the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts for her influential guardianship of Abenaki history and culture and her selfless service and devotion to teaching artistry.
“The Vermont Arts Council is proud to honor and celebrate the creative practice and accomplishments of these six extraordinary artists,” said Arts Council Executive Director Karen Mittelman. “Together, they exemplify the rich, vibrant and diverse artistic landscape across Vermont.”