The Arrowhead Arts Awards were created to celebrate the best artists and arts advocates in the region. Many of us know an artist or arts advocate that deserves a little more recognition for all they do. Nominations are accepted all year with the selections made during the winter and awards presented late spring.

George Morrison Artist Award
This award recognizes an individual artist whose body of work has made a significant contribution to the arts over an extended period of time. The George Morrison Artist award comes with a $2,000 prize.

The George Morrison Artist Award is named after internationally acclaimed visual artist George Morrison (1919-2000), who was an important member of the second generation of American abstract expressionist artists. Morrison was heralded for successfully synthesizing American Indian themes with abstraction and surrealism. A life-long member of the Grand Portage Chippewa, he resided and worked for many years in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota.

Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award
This award recognizes an arts administrator, arts educator, volunteer for a nonprofit arts organization, or artist whose involvement in a project or program has substantially contributed to the arts in the Arrowhead Region. The Maddie Simons Arts Advocate award comes with a $1,000 prize.

The Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award is named for Madeline Simons, the first volunteer Chair of the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Board. A long-time resident of Grand Marais, MN, she owned a dance studio, helped start the Grand Marais Playhouse, the Lutsen Art Fair, and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts.

Award for Transformational Art
This new award was created to recognize the efforts of artists to transform their communities through their work. We realized that amazing work was being done in our region and that we didn’t have the right award to recognize that. So we created this new award to honor artists who have created in ways that have transformed the entire arts community in our region.

We think that those who take their art skills to create positive change or promote healing and recognition in our communities need to be honored. The Award for Transformational Art comes with a $1,000 prize.