JACKSON, Wyo. — Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has named the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s (NMWA) Jane Lavino a recipient of his Governor’s Arts Awards. Lavino is the Museum’s Sugden Chief Curator of Education.
Established in 1982, the Governor’s Arts Awards recognize excellence in the arts and outstanding service to the arts in Wyoming. According to the NMWA, Lavino is recognized for her dedication to arts education and curatorial excellence.
Lavino told Buckrail that she will be attending the 42nd Annual Governor’s Arts Awards banquet in Cheyenne on February 28, where the honorees will be celebrated by the Governor, First Lady and other state leaders.
“I hope this award will make people more aware of the NMWA and all that it offers,” Lavino said. “The Museum has been around for 37 years now and I have worked there for 34 of them. As much as the Museum has grown and improved over the years, it still holds the potential to touch more lives and brighten the world in new ways. It needs and deserves more attention and more support to realize its potential.”
The NMWA wrote in a press release that many nominations were submitted for this year’s awards, and the selection process was competitive. NMWA’s Executive Director, Steve Seamons, nominated Lavino for the award.
“Jane’s impact as an art educator in Wyoming has been tremendous,” Seamons said via press release. “She has worked in education for decades, teaching everything from photography and papermaking to wilderness skills.”
According to the NMWA, Lavino and her staff conceptualize, teach and evaluate programs, including educational tours, symposiums, studio classes, teacher workshops, film and lecture series, artist-in-residence programs and website curriculum. She has educated school groups from Star Valley, Kemmerer, Eden, Buffalo, Laramie, Sheridan and Casper.
NMWA Trustee Sue Simpson Gallagher said in a statement that Lavino not only has the ability to make art accessible, but she gives regional artists a platform for their work.
“Her exhibits and education programs at the NMWA have brought thoughtfulness, fun and energy to the Museum, its staff and visitors,” Gallagher said. “Over the past 34 years, Lavino has built an award-winning program reaching over 10,000 adults and children annually.”
Other Wyoming honorees for this year’s Governor’s Arts Awards include Mike Kopriva, Tim Allen Lawson, Sue and Albert Sommers and Wille LeClair (Posthumous).
