NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Sept. 25, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov

EDNA MAE HOLDEN TO RECEIVE
GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARD

Oklahoma City, OK -- Edna Mae Holden, Enid, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 33rd Annual Governor’s Arts Awards. Holden will receive the prestigious Governor’s Award which recognizes individuals for longtime leadership and significant contributions to the arts across Oklahoma.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 15 individuals and three organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Thursday, October 23rd in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol and is open to the public. Presiding at the ceremony will be Council Chair Jim Tolbert and Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Suzanne Tate. A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.

Holden has been described as a Renaissance woman. She is a fourth generation Oklahoman, a writer, gallery owner and an attorney who lives near Kremlin. For more than 20 years, Holden has brought Oklahoma history to life by creating art, volunteering and organizing public art events. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Enid Arts & Humanities and runs Holden Art & Law art gallery in Enid. Her successful fundraising ability has raised over a quarter of a million dollars to fund albums, art shows, educational programs and many events that have increased public awareness and understanding of Oklahoma history, heritage and the arts of the state.

Her works have been published in prominent magazines that capture the spirit of the American West. She is the creator and Executive Producer of the Oklahoma Centennial Symphony, “Oklahoma….Where the West Remains, A Centennial Journey in Story and Song" which received the 2007 Wrangler Award for "Outstanding Traditional Album" from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Persimmon Hill Magazine published her story entitled “From the Mercantile to the Movies” in the winter 2006 issue. Cowboy Magazine featured her story entitled “Bob Payne, Oklahoma Cowboy”along with a cover painting by her husband, Western Artist Harold T. Holden in the 2006 Winter issue. In February 2004, she authored “Ranching in Osage Country” which was published in Western Horseman Magazine. In 1993, she produced “Lettin’ Er' Rip For The Cherokee Strip” a Centennial album which commemorated the largest land run in Oklahoma's history. In 1994, she released an award winning album of original cowboy music entitled “These Canyon Walls.” She also hosted “The Cowboy Hour” from 1991 to 1994 on KNID radio in Enid.

A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov.

For more information, contact Ann Dee Lee, Public Relations Director, Oklahoma Arts Council, (405) 521-2931 or anndee@arts.ok.gov.

ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL

The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.

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