Taubmans, Fralins Named Among Virginia Commission for the Arts “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Award” Honorees

ROANOKE, Va. (Oct. 20, 2017) — The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to share that the Virginia Commission for the Arts has named Jenny and Nicholas Taubman and Cynthia and Heywood Fralin among their “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Award” honorees.

The Taubmans and Fralins were among the founding trustees and champions for the Taubman Museum of Art and have been instrumental in the Museum’s continued growth. They also have supported a number of other arts organizations and endeavors across the state, from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond to the Fralin Museum of Art in Charlottesville.

They were named to the Inspiration Awards’ “Arts Leaders and Supporters” category.

According to the Commission, these honorees “have demonstrated a serious sustained leadership in the arts that have made a significant contribution to their communities, have encouraged decision makers to create a sustainable environment for artists and arts organizations, have taken an original approach to arts leadership and encouraged the engagement of others, and have championed a broad role for arts organizations and artists to play in their own respective communities.”

“You can’t think of the arts in Virginia without thinking of the Taubmans and Fralins,” said Leon Harris, chairman of the Taubman Museum of Art Board of Trustees. “Their generosity of spirit and vision for the future have helped build celebrated permanent collections and world-class art museums that will inspire and educate Virginians for generations to come.”

Established in 1968, the Virginia Commission for the Arts is commemorating 50 years of supporting and celebrating the arts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Awards” were designed to recognize programs, individuals and organizations critical to the arts in Virginia during that same time period.

More than 350 individuals and organizations were nominated for the awards. A panel of former Commissioners and arts leaders selected the winners, who were then confirmed by the Commission Board.

Honorees will be recognized at a reception at the Executive Mansion with Governor Terry McAuliffe and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe at a later date. The Commission also will recognize honorees at an anniversary program at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts January 31, 2018.