Arts Fort Worth Unveils The Heart of Gold Awards
Celebrating Arts Advocates and Emerging Leaders in a Thriving Arts Community
Fort Worth, Texas (Tuesday, August 29, 2023) - Arts Fort Worth is pleased to announce The Heart of Gold Awards, an esteemed annual event recognizing outstanding contributions to the arts community with the addition of two new award categories: Advocate for the Arts and Emerging Leaders in the Arts. The awards will be presented alongside the prestigious Heart of Gold Award, each recognizing exemplary dedication and advocacy within the arts sector.
The Heart of Gold Awards, now in its 11th year, continues to celebrate visionaries, creatives, and philanthropists who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to arts and culture and share Arts Fort Worth’s commitment to creating an environment that nurtures art forms as diverse as Fort Worth.
The Advocate for the Arts award honors an individual or organization that has shown unparalleled dedication to advocating for the arts. In this award’s first year, Arts Fort Worth recognizes Fort Worth Worth’s Art Commission Chair Estrus Tucker for his tireless efforts to promote accessibility to and through the arts. Tucker is President & CEO, and co-founder of DEI Consultants LLC, a national consulting firm serving corporations, nonprofits, and local governments in designing and implementing strategies that advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Emerging Leaders in the Arts award will celebrate talented professionals who have made significant strides leadership in their respective fields and highlights the crucial role and the invaluable impact of emerging talents in shaping the future of the community through the arts here in Fort Worth. The inaugural Emerging Leaders in the Arts Award recognizes Armond Vance (Working Artist/Performer/Writer), Wesely Kirk (Community Advocacy), Dr. Stephanie Love (Education), Jesse Borries (Philanthropy), and Ayesha Ganguly (Arts Administration).
In addition to the new awards, the Heart of Gold Award, will continue to shine a spotlight on a philanthropist, patron, or artist who has made an indelible mark on the arts through their extraordinary contributions, support, and dedication. Among her many successes is the nationally recognized nonprofit organization Imagination Celebration Fort Worth, a program she developed in collaboration with community arts and cultural leaders and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Ginger Head-Gearheart, a lifelong innovator and connector in the arts embodies the spirit of the Heart of Gold Award.
"The local arts community is built on passion and dedication, and these new awards will celebrate those who have gone above and beyond to ensure that the arts thrive and continue to inspire and connect us all," said Wesley Gentle, Executive Director and President of Arts Fort Worth who continued, “We are fortunate to have such dedication and compassion personified in each of the people honored this year.”
The Heart of Gold Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, September 20 at Fort Worth Community Arts Center. Individual tickets and sponsorship packages are still available. For more information about the Heart of Gold Awards luncheon, please visit artsfortworth.org/heart or call 817-738-1938.
