News Release

Dr. Ann Tomlins to receive Governor's Arts Award

Nov. 6, 2007

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

Oklahoma City, OK – Ann Tomlins, Tulsa, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 32nd Annual Governor’s Arts Awards. Tomlins will receive an Arts & Education Award which recognizes professional educators who go above and beyond the call of academia to promote arts education for Oklahoma’s students.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and four 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., Wednesday, November 28th 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 Interim Executive Director Suzanne Tate.

Ann Tomlins has been an art teacher, arts coordinator and arts volunteer for over 30 years. Currently the Fine Arts Coordinator for Tulsa Public Schools, she has raised thousands of dollars in grants and donations to increase arts opportunities for students and teachers beyond what is provided by the district. She has worked diligently to see that every Tulsa school has a fine arts teacher on staff. Previously she was principal of All Saints Diocesan Schools, a teacher at Broken Arrow Public Schools, and an Adjunct Professor at Tulsa Community College and Northeastern State University.

An author, visiting scholar and arts consultant, Tomlins also serves as chair of the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education and Chair of the Kennedy Center Network for Arts Education. A three time Fulbright Scholar, Tomlins earned her Ed.D. and her Masters degree in Sculpture from the University of Tulsa, and her B.A. from New Jersey State University. Among her numerous honors, she was named Phi Delta Kappa, and Teacher of the Year for Broken Arrow Public Schools.

A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.  A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov. For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, please contact Ann Dee Lee at (405) 521-2931 or at 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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