The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), in partnership with the Governor’s Office, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2027 Governor’s Arts Awards.
The 2027 recipients and awards are as follows:
Alvin Shelby, Lifetime Achievement
Doy D. Gorton, Excellence in Photography
Duwane Pendarvis, Excellence in Dance
Square Books, Arts in Community
Wright Thompson, Excellence in Literature
“Our recipients this year showcase the wide range of excellence in our artists and arts community in Mississippi, and we are privileged to honor them by sharing their stories,” said Lewis. “Their work has taken them from Mississippi to the world and back, extending to the top of ESPN, on tour with Sesame Street Live, to the White House, into the classroom, and through the pages of many books. We are eager to begin sharing their stories with you as we celebrate their contributions to the cultural landscape of our great state and our nation.”
The Governor’s Arts Awards are the highest award a living artist can receive in Mississippi. The awards recognize individuals and organizations for outstanding work in their artistic disciplines, arts-based community development, and/or arts patronage. This year, the awards celebrate 39 years of honoring artistic excellence in the state. MAC partners annually with the Governor’s Office to host the Governor’s Arts Award. The collaboration cultivates the important partnership between the arts and government.
The 2027 recipients will be recognized at the award ceremony on Thursday, February 11, 2027, at The Westin Jackson. A public reception will take place at 4:30 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 6 p.m., at The Westin Jackson. A one-hour program featuring all five recipients will air in Spring of 2027 on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
About the Recipients
Alvin Shelby
Alvin Shelby – Lifetime Achievement
Natchez, MS
Alvin Shelby is a music educator, music director, and performer with more than 40 years of experience, 35 of which he spent teaching at Cathedral Catholic School in Natchez, MS. Shelby has inspired numerous students who have gone on to pursue musical careers. He specializes in traditional inspirational music, but also enjoys writing and performing music for children, film, and jazz. He has worked with many great talents, including Lemmie Battles of the Chicago Mass Choir, Dr. Margaret Douroux of Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Princella Lee of Chicago, Elton John, Benjamin Cone, Tricia Walker, David Curry, the Mississippi Mass Choir, and many others. He has performed around the world, and his work has appeared in numerous television and film productions. He has also been band leader and musical director for many recording sessions, including Holy Family Gospel Choir in Natchez, MS, the award-winning program Southern Road to Freedom, and many others.
Doy Gorton
Doy D. Gorton – Excellence in Photography
Greenville, MS (currently residing in Carbondale, IL)
Doy D. Gorton is a photojournalist who worked as Chief Photographer of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington Photographer for the New York Times, covering the White House and Capitol Hill. Gorton attended the University of Mississippi, where he became engaged with the Southern Civil Rights Movement through Fannie Lou Hamer and John Lewis. He was the only white Mississippian on the staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). During his time in SNCC, he decided to become a photographer. In addition to his journalistic work, Gorton shot the image used on the 1990 Fleetwood Mac album cover for “Behind the Mask” and was the photographer for “A River Runs Through It,” among other Hollywood and commercial projects.
Duwane Pendarvis
Duwane Pendarvis – Excellence in Dance
Jackson, MS
Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Duwane Pendarvis is an accomplished dancer and educator whose career spans 50-plus years with performance experience in Concert Dance, European Tours, Festivals, Musical Theatre, and Television. Pendarvis embraced professional dance after earning a four-year music scholarship at Tougaloo College, training with renowned figures such as Gus Giordano and Joel Hall. He became a Principal Dancer and Assistant Director with the Joel Hall Dancers, touring nationally and internationally, and later gained experience with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and many others. For 30 years, the Joel Hall Dancers were his home. Pendarvis has choreographed, taught, and led programs in Chicago, Los Angeles, and his home state of Mississippi, including serving as Artistic Director of Joel Hall II and Resident Choreographer for Montage Theatre of Dance. In 2021, he launched Duwane Pendarvis & Company Dance Theatre.
Square Books
Square Books – Arts in Community
Oxford, MS
Founded in 1979 by Richard and Lisa Howorth, Square Books is a general bookstore located on the historic town square in Oxford, Mississippi, home of William Faulkner and the University of Mississippi. With four stores and over 10,000 square feet on the square, all readers will find something to their liking. Square Books hosts over 150 author events per year and has many signed and collectible books, a very strong literary fiction section, and Southern fiction and history. The second floor of Square Books has a coffee bar so browsers can enjoy a cup and, when the weather is fair, relax on the balcony overlooking the courthouse.
Wright Thompson
Wright Thompson – Excellence in Literature
Clarksdale, MS
Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN. His work has been anthologized in Best American Sports Writing more than anyone in history. He is the author of three bestsellers: “The Cost of These Dreams,” “Pappyland,” and “The Barn,” which was named Time Magazine’s non-fiction book of the year. He has won the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sports Writing and the Ernie Pyle Award for international reporting (he’s been in war zones in Iraq and Ukraine). He has won two Emmy Awards for reporting, including one from Kyiv during the war. He is the executive producer and creator of “TrueSouth” on the SEC Network, the Emmy Award winning series that celebrates the South. His hero is Willie Morris. He is also a fifth-generation farmer in Bolivar County and a proud Mississippi resident. When asked why he lives here, when he works remotely, he often quotes Eudora Welty: “Because it’s home.”
MAC seeks sponsorship support annually to produce the Governor’s Arts Awards. If you are interested in sponsoring the awards this year to help honor these exceptional recipients, please contact communications@arts.ms.gov or visit arts.ms.gov/gaa.
Award recipients are nominated by members of the public and selected by a committee of community arts leaders and industry peers. Recipients are not required to be Mississippi residents but must have significant ties to the state through some years of residency. Nominations for the 2028 Governor’s Arts Awards will open in April 2027.