Arts Champion nominees create, support and sustain the local arts community 

The fourth and final category that the Springfield Regional Arts Council will recognize at the 38th Ozzie Awards is Arts Champion. This award recognizes a corporation or organization that has made meaningful contributions to advance the arts in the Ozarks. The winner will be recognized at the Ozzie Awards ceremony at Springfield-Branson National Airport Oct. 14.

All 12 of this year’s Ozzie finalists were chosen from more than 70 nominations, and the three organizations nominated for Arts Champion have each made significant impacts on the arts community in Springfield and the Ozarks. The nominees are: Judith Enyeart Reynolds — The School of the Arts, Missouri State University; Neosho Arts Council; and Springfield Symphony Orchestra. 

Judith Enyeart Reynolds — The School of the Arts, Missouri State University

The School of the Arts (art and design, music and theatre and dance), housed in the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at Missouri State University, is dedicated to nurturing the visual and performing arts, critical thinking and cultural literacy.

Since 2017, the Reynolds College has raised eight figures in private funding for new facilities, including the All-Steinway Music School in the new Ellis Hall, Brick City and the Carolla Arts Exhibition Center downtown, and the John Goodman Amphitheatre at the Judith Reynolds Arts Park.

This fall, the Reynolds College announced the largest one-time gift in MSU history. The gift will support a new arts facility, inspired by Reynolds' legacy, that will transform the corner of campus by Grand and National, offering an expanded connection to the arts community.

All programming and future planning are driven by a commitment to maintain and expand partnerships with the arts community in Springfield and across the region. This includes a strategic interest in partnering with non-profit organizations, making an economic impact with the arts, enhancing the presence of public art across the region, supporting local and regional businesses and more.

Neosho Arts Council

The mission of the Neosho Arts Council is to strengthen and enrich the community by growing appreciation, participation and support of the arts. Ongoing NAC contributions include a commission-free art gallery housed in the Neosho Chamber of Commerce, free community performances during Make Music Day and an arts scholarship for community college students.

This year, the NAC Mural Restoration Project has worked to restore two historic murals in Neosho. The “Centennial Mural,” created by James Duard Marshall in 1939 and on view at Neosho/Newton County Library, has been cleaned and restored for the first time in 50 years.

The project has also repaired and restored the “Rocketdyne Mural,” painted by Lawrence Sanchez in 1963. It was originally located inside the cafeteria of the Rocketdyne facility in Neosho. A manufacturer of rocket engines for NASA, Rocketdyne made engines for programs such as Mercury and Gemini, and the Saturn V that took Apollo 11 to the moon. This piece of southwest Missouri space history was moved to Crowder College in 2013.

The NAC has also worked to make public art more accessible to all. This summer they launched a new Murals of Neosho Guide and Descriptive Audio Tour, with audio descriptions that guide viewers with descriptive language while weaving in historical and cultural narratives.

Springfield Symphony Orchestra

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra was nominated as an organization that makes the arts more accessible to the community through high-quality performances, arts education, and outreach activities designed to enrich quality of life.

The SSO works to break stigmas around symphony performances, making them more accessible and less intimidating with fun and relatable season themes and concerts, kids programs — including the free Spooky Symphony on Oct. 26 — and the ongoing “Behind the Baton” series that encourages community interaction through live and virtual events.

While the majority of orchestras globally were unable to continue during the pandemic in 2020, the SSO fell into the minority group that found a way to play while keeping patrons and musicians safe. The orchestra pivoted over the summer months to provide bi-weekly performances of recorded material via the “Plugged In” series, which was broadcast on YouTube and Facebook.

To entertain and educate the next generation of patrons, the Ensembles-In-Schools program allows small groups of Springfield Symphony musicians to travel to area elementary and middle schools to perform for students. Each small ensemble presents a 30-minute program for as many as 200 students at each school visited.

Ozzie Awards include a lifetime achievement award

The Ozzie Awards on Oct. 14 will honor these Arts Champion finalists, as well as the nominees for Volunteer, Arts Ambassador and Excellence in Arts Education. The inaugural Bucky Bowman Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Randy Russell.

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins is a freelance writer in Springfield who's eager to share stories about our unique and far-reaching arts scene and the people who make it all happen. More by Sarah Jenkins

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