Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Arts Council today announced the recipients of the 2025 Governor's Arts Awards recognizing outstanding individual and organizational contributions to the arts. Awards honor educators, artists, performers, advocates, administrators, volunteers, and scholars.
Vermonters are recognized for their contributions in five categories.
Photographer Dona Ann McAdams will receive the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the highest honor presented to an artist by the state of Vermont.
Studio Place Arts Executive Director Sue Higby will receive the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts.
Circus performer and teacher-in-residence Troy Wunderle will receive the Ellen McCulloch-Lovell Award in Arts Education.
Community leader Zon Eastes will receive the Margaret L. (Peggy) Kannenstine Award for Arts Advocacy.
The family collective Juniper Creative Arts will receive the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts. Photo: Shane Rumrill
Dona Ann McAdams of Sandgate will receive the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, the highest honor presented to an artist by the state of Vermont. The award has been presented in conjunction with the governor's office since 1967.
The recipient of multiple national awards, McAdams has been making photographs for over 50 years and has been exhibited widely, nationally and internationally. Throughout her career, she has been committed to bringing cameras and photography into small, underserved communities, setting up community darkrooms and teaching people how to shoot, process, and develop their own film and document their own lives. She has worked in places as diverse as adult homes for people living with mental illness, homeless shelters, small mountain communities in Appalachia, dairy farms in New England, and on the backstretch of thoroughbred racetracks.
In selecting McAdams for the award, Gov. Phil Scott said, "Your commitment to sharing your passion for your work by bringing photography equipment and your expertise to underserved communities will undoubtedly leave a lasting and historical impact."
In addition to the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the other awardees are as follows:
Studio Place Arts Executive Director Sue Higby of Barre will receive 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.
Circus performer and teacher-in-residence Troy Wunderle of Chester will receive the Ellen McCulloch-Lovell Award in Arts Education for his longtime dedication to teaching the circus arts to thousands of young Vermonters.
Music director and cellist Zon Eastes of Guilford will receive the Margaret L. (Peggy) Kannenstine Award for Arts Advocacy for his years-long commitment to building communities through arts and culture.
The family collective of Juniper Creative Arts of Brandon will receive the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts for their contributions to fostering community engagement through creative placemaking.
"With deep admiration, we celebrate these gifted and devoted Vermonters, whose creativity shines brightly across our cultural landscape. They embody the very spirit of our vibrant arts community, and their passion and contributions are a powerful inspiration—truly deserving of this honor," said Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Susan Evans McClure.
The winners are reviewed by an outside panel, except for the recipient of the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts who is chosen by the Vermont Arts Council staff.
The 2025 awardees will be honored at a public ceremony with Gov. Scott on Sept. 17 at Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester
More information about the recipients and the awards ceremony can be found at vermontartscouncil.org/2025artsawards.
About the Vermont Arts Council
The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont. Learn more at www.vermontartscouncil.org
7.7.2025. MONTPELIER—Vermont Arts Council
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