Americans for the Arts and National Lieutenant Governors Association Honor Reynolds’ Achievements in Iowa and Nationally

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Americans for the Arts and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) announced today that Iowa Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds was awarded the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership. The annual award—which was given at the NLGA’s Annual Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan—honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level.
 
Reynolds has served as Lieutenant Governor of Iowa since 2011 and currently chairs the NLGA, working to ensure that arts and culture are always on their conference’s agendas. Reynolds also co-chairs the governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Advisory Council, where she plays a central role promoting the arts through STEM. She was on the host committee of the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus in August 2015—which provided statewide advocacy training for arts leaders, educators, artists, and advocates—and gave the official welcome for the Iowa ArtsVote 2016 conference. These events were held at the same time as the Iowa State Fair, on which Reynolds served as Governor Terry Branstad’s board representative. 
 
Reynolds has been continually impressed with the dynamic and innovative female leadership that she meets throughout the state. In June 2015 she began honoring three female artists from the Iowa Women’s Art Exhibition, in conjunction with Art Week Des Moines. Displaying the art in her formal office has continued to give Reynolds the opportunity to recognize the important role that female artists play in developing and supporting creative and economic vitality in Iowa. 
 
The full press release is available here