The winners of the 40th Annual Ozzie Awards have been announced. They’ll be honored next month at the Historic Gillioz Theatre. The Springfield Regional Arts Council presents the award, which honors those who have contributed to the arts in the Ozarks.
Kat Allie will receive the Excellence in Arts Education award. She serves as the department chair of arts, design and humanities at Ozarks Technical Community College and is a founding member of their fine arts & humanities team.
“She shaped inclusive curriculum pathways, established the Associate of Arts in Visual Arts + Design + Art Education, and expanded transferable course offerings,” according to SRAC in its awards announcement. She “is dedicated to fostering creative confidence and access for all students.”
Boys & Girls Club of Springfield is the Arts Champion winner for making the arts a cornerstone of their programming, according to SRAC. The organization gives “thousands of young people access to music, theatre, dance, and visual arts regardless of income or background,” according to SRAC. “From full-scale musical productions to youth showcases, fashion design and the new CREATES teen arts spaces, the Club provides opportunities for kids to discover passions, express themselves, and build confidence.”
Samuel Knox is this year’s Arts Ambassador winner. He’s the publisher and co-founder of UniteNews Magazine and has served as the event planner for the Springfield Multicultural Festival for nearly three decades, “overseeing every detail of the annual citywide celebration of cultural heritage,” according to SRAC.
Molly Healey is the Volunteer of the Year winner. She’s the founder of the Earth Day Springfield Festival, which began in 2022 and has raised $91,000 for environmental causes. Healey, along with a team of volunteers, coordinates the plastic-free music festival each year “to bring the community together through music to raise awareness about sustainability and generate a new revenue for environmental sustainability," said SRAC in the announcement.
And Author David Harrison will receive the Bucky Bowman Lifetime Achievement Award. The poet laureate from 2023-2025 has authored more than 108 books and has a Springfield elementary school named for him.
“His writing has been anthologized in over 200 volumes, translated into 12 languages and even celebrated in public spaces,” according to SRAC.
The award ceremony is set for October 11. This year, for the first time, it will be held at the Gillioz Theatre. Tickets are $35, and proceeds will benefit SRAC programming and projects. This year's theme celebrates the innovation and inspiration of Route 66.
