AUGUSTA, GA.- Morris Museum of Art founder and chairman William S. Morris III has been named a recipient of the 2020 Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities. Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, in partnership with the Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities, presented the awards to all nine awardees on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

“The two most important things in life are, I think, family and community. That’s why my late wife Sissie and I founded the Morris Museum of Art. We’d reached a point in our lives when we had the means to do something of significance for Augusta, the place that is our home. It had an obvious need that we could address. So that’s what we did. The museum is our contribution to the well-being of Augusta. Witnessing its growth and success over its first 28 years of service, knowing that Augusta is a better place—a better community—because of it, really is reward enough. Receiving the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities for doing something that I love is like gilding the lily. I am as humbled by this recognition as I am grateful for it,” said Wiliam S. Morris III, founder of the Morris Museum of Art.

“I’m honored to recognize the organizations and individuals whose efforts have preserved and enhanced our culture and stories to create a better Georgia,” said Governor Kemp. “When our arts and humanities sectors thrive, we see prosperity and revitalization in communities across our state. I applaud the work of each of our recipients of the 2020 Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities and the valuable impacts they have made in our state.”




Ten members of Georgia’s arts and humanities communities were awarded with this honor following a selection process from nominations submitted from around the state.

The recipients of the 2020 Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities are:

· Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, Blue Ridge Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon
· Dr. Eddie Bennett, Decatur
· Mr. Brian Brown, Fitzgerald
· Mr. Kevin Cole, Atlanta
· Dr. Jim Hammond, Atlanta
· Ms. Yvonne Grovner, Sapelo Island
· Mr. William S. Morris III, Augusta
· Ms. Susan Majette Murphy, Darien
· Maestro Robert Spano, Atlanta

View the acceptance video featuring each of the 2020 Governor’s Awards recipients here.