Southeastern professor Gleny Beach to receive prestigious Governor's Arts Award

Press Release Date: 10-07-2009

DURANT, Okla. – Dr. Gleny Beach, Director of Art at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, has been working with art students for more than 20 years and loved every minute of it.

A strong testament to that is the fact that she will receive a prestigious Governor's Arts Award, an award that recognizes individuals for longtime leadership and significant contributions to the arts across Oklahoma. She will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 34th Annual Governor's Arts Awards ceremony, scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, October 20 in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol.

When Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Suzanne Tate contacted Beach recently with news of the award, Beach was, in a word, surprised.

"When someone is nominated for such an award, it somehow does not seem real when you actually receive a telephone call telling you that you have won," she said. "I just couldn't believe it -- it is such a humbling experience. I'm very proud of the students that I have been able to perhaps influence in a positive way and very proud of what we do in the support of the arts at Southeastern Oklahoma State University."

Beach completed both her B.A. in Art Education and her M.A. in Education at Southeastern. In 2007, she earned her Ph.D. in Art Education at the University of North Texas. She serves as the tenured Associate Professor and Director of Art in the Art, Communication, and Theatre Department at Southeastern.

"This is a tremendous honor for Dr. Beach, the University and the community," said Southeastern interim president Larry Minks. "She has distinguished herself in her field, while at the same time, encouraged others to appreciate the arts. Dr. Beach is very deserving of this recognition and we are proud that she is a member of the Southeastern family."

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and five organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state.

Beach teaches art, produces art and advocates the value of the arts in her daily life. Grants she has written annually have provided support for the Art Exhibition Series and for renovation and redesign of Southeastern's Centre Art Gallery.

In 2004-05, she received the Southeastern Faculty Senate Award for Excellence in Service given for service to the university and the community.

She is an active advocate for art in the community, serving on numerous committees promoting the arts. Local Government Challenge Grants she wrote in collaboration with the City of Durant have resulted in $30,000 in funding for public art. Beach currently serves as the President of the Red River Arts Council (RRAC) and has been a board member for 14 years. Grants she wrote for the Council resulted in $40,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for Southeastern's music programs.

Under her leadership, Beach led the RRAC Public Art Committee to plan and launch a "Horses in Durant" project to raise funds for a permanent bronze sculpture in downtown Durant. She has also worked with the Durant Main Street Project to put a historical monument in Market Square.

In 1994, Beach founded "Young Artist's Experience," a low-cost summer visual art program for children age 6-15 that has continued every summer.

Previous Governor's Arts Awards recipients from Southeastern have included Dr. Molly Risso, Max McClendon, and Dr. James Wintle.

The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.