Florida Artists Hall of Fame

Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognizes artists who have made significant contributions to art in Florida. It was established by the Florida Legislature in 1986. There is a Florida Artists Hall of Fame Wall on the Plaza Level in the rotunda of the Florida Capitol. The Florida Council on Arts and Culture reviews nominations annually and makes recommendations to the Florida Secretary of State. No more than two inductees are selected in any year[1] until 2012 when four inductees were added.

In 2013 legendary Florida folk singer & songwriter Frank J. Thomas born and raised in Clay County;[2] Latin pop superstar Gloria Estefan and painter Laura Woodward were inducted.

In 1986, the Hall was established by the Florida Legislature. It provides recognition to persons, living or dead, who "made significant contributions to the arts in Florida either as performing or practicing artists in individual disciplines." The awards recipients show diversity of artistic accomplishment in the state's "cultural tapestry." Inductions take placed each March during the Florida Heritage Awards. Each honoree receives a commemorative bronze sculpture. The sculpture, La Florida was created by Enzo Torcoletti.[1]

## Alphabetical list of inductees[edit]

Year[3] | Name  | City  | Lifetime  | Artform

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2004 | Alfred Hair and the Florida Highwaymen | Fort Pierce, Florida | 1941 – 1970 | Folk artists
1993 | George Abbott | Miami Beach, Florida | 1887 – 1995 | Thespian and theater impresario
1993 | A. E. "Bean" Backus | Fort Pierce, Florida | 1906 – 1990 | Artist
2012 | Jacqueline Brice | Jupiter, Florida | 1935 - | Painter
2012 | Robert C. Broward | Jacksonville, Florida | 1926 – 2015 | Architect
2012 | Ricou Browning | Tallahassee, Florida | 1930 – 2023 | Underwater film actor and director
2000 | Jimmy Buffett | Key West, Florida | 1946 – 2023 | Musician
2002 | Fernando Bujones | Miami, Florida | 1955 – 2005 | Dancer
1998 | Clyde Butcher | Ochopee, Florida | 1942 – | Photographer
1992 | Ray Charles | Greenville, Florida | 1930 – 2004 | Musician
2020 | Rita Coolidge | Tallahassee, Florida | 1945 - | Musician
2009 | Harry Crews | Gainesville, Florida | 1935 – 2012 | Writer
2003 | Earl Cunningham | St. Augustine, Florida | 1893 – 1977 | Folk artist
2010 | Bo Diddley | Archer, Florida | 1928 – 2008 | Blues musician
1993 | Marjory Stoneman Douglas | Coconut Grove, Florida | 1890 – 1998 | Author
2013 | Gloria Estefan | Miami, Florida | 1957 – | Singer and songwriter
1988 | George Firestone | Miami, Florida | 1931 – 2012 | Politician who supported arts
2003 | William P. Foster | Tallahassee, Florida | 1919 – 2010 | Marching band director and innovator
1992 | Duane Hanson | Davie, Florida | 1925 – 1996 | Artist/ sculptor of human figures
1995 | Martin Johnson Heade | St. Augustine, Florida | 1819 – 1904 | Painter of nature
1987 | Ernest Hemingway | Key West, Florida | 1899 – 1961 | Author
1990 | Zora Neale Hurston | Eatonville, Florida | 1891 – 1960 | Folklorist, historian, and novelist
2011 | James F. Hutchinson | Stuart, Florida | 1932 – | Painter
2002 | Lou Jacobs | Sarasota, Florida | 1903 – 1992 | Circus clown
2000 | James Weldon Johnson | Jacksonville, Florida | 1871 – 1938 | Writer
2006 | John Rosamond Johnson | Jacksonville, Florida | 1873 – 1954 | Composer and singer during the Harlem Renaissance
2005 | Stetson Kennedy | Beluthahatchee, Florida | 1916 – 2011 | Journalist
2000 | Elaine L. Konigsburg | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida | 1930 – 2013 | Author and illustrator
2020 | Guy LaBree | Hollywood, Florida | 1941 – 2015 | Painter
1999 | Doris Leeper | New Smyrna Beach, Florida | 1929 – 2000 | Painter and sculptor
2007 | Lawrence Hankins "Hank" Locklin | McLellan, Florida | 1918 – 2009 | Songwriter
1991 | John D. MacDonald | Sarasota, Florida | 1916 – 1986 | Writer
1996 | Will McLean | Chipley, Florida | 1919 – 1990 | Folk singer/ songwriter
2001 | Addison Mizner | Boca Raton, Florida | 1872 – 1933 | Architect
1994 | Ralph Hubbard Norton | West Palm Beach, Florida | 1875 – 1953 | Art collector and museum founder
2008 | Victor Nuñez | Tallahassee, Florida | 1945 – | Film director
2004 | Albin Polasek | Winter Park, Florida | 1879 – 1965 | Sculptor
2006 | W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor | Tallahassee, Florida | 1939 – | Sculptor
1991 | Robert Rauschenberg | Captiva, Florida | 1925 – 2008 | Painter
1987 | Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings | Cross Creek, Florida | 1896 – 1953 | Author
1993 | Burt Reynolds | Jupiter, Florida | 1936 – 2018 | Actor
1987 | John N. Ringling | Sarasota, Florida | 1866 – 1936 | Circus empresario
1998 | Gamble Rogers | St. Augustine, Florida | 1937 – 1991 | Folk musician and storyteller
2012 | Louis Roney | Winter Park, Florida | 1921 – 2017 | Opera singer
2001 | James Rosenquist | Aripeka, Florida | 1933 – 2017 | Artist
2008 | Augusta Savage | Green Cove Springs, Florida | 1892 – 1962 | Sculptor
1999 | Patrick D. Smith | Merritt Island, Florida | 1927 – 2014 | Author
2010 | Christopher M. Still | Tarpon Springs, Florida | 1961 – | Painter
2013 | Frank Thomas | Lake Wales, Florida | 1943 – 2020 | Musician
2009 | Mel Tillis | Silver Springs, Florida | 1932 – 2017 | Musician
2011 | Johnny Tillotson | Jacksonville, Florida | 1938 – | Singer and songwriter
1994 | Jerry N. Uelsmann | Gainesville, Florida | 1934 – 2022 | Photographer
1997 | Edward Villella | Miami, Florida | 1936 - | Ballet dancer
1994 | Hiram D. Williams | Gainesville, Florida | 1917 – 2003 | Painter and professor of art
1989 | Tennessee Williams | Key West, Florida | 1911 – 1983 | Author
2013 | Laura Woodward | Palm Beach, Florida | 1834 – 1926 | Painter
1994 | Ellen Taaffe Zwilich | Miami, Florida | 1939 – | Music composer
2015 | Carlisle Floyd | Tallahassee, Florida | 1926 – 2021 | Opera composer
2014 | Tom Petty | Gainesville, Florida | 1950 – 2017 | Singer and songwriter
2014 | Bruce Helander | West Palm Beach, Florida | 1947 - | Collage artist, painter, arts critic and curator
2016 | Jane Davis Doggett | Jupiter Island, Florida | 1929 – 2023 | Artist & Environmental Graphic Designer
2016 | Romero Britto | Miami, Florida | 1963 - | Visual Artist
2017  | Don Felder | Gainesville, Florida | 1947 -  | Musician/Guitarist
2017  | Billy Dean | Quincy, Florida | 1962 -  | Singer/Songwriter
2017  | Lee Bennett Hopkins | Cape Coral, Florida | 1938 - 2019  | Poet/Anthologist
2017  | Jim Stafford | Winter Haven, Florida | 1944 -  | Musician/Entertainer
2018  | Purvis Young | Miami, Florida | 1943 - 2010  | Visual Artist
2018  | The Bellamy Brothers | Darby, Florida | Howard: 1946 - , David: 1950 -  | Singers/Songwriters/Recording Artists
2019  | George Inness, Jr. | Tarpon Springs, Florida | 1854 - 1926  | Painter
2019  | Ann Norton | West Palm Beach, Florida | 1905 - 1982  | Sculptor
2019  | Bertie Higgins | Tarpon Springs, Florida | 1944 -  | Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist

## See also[edit]

* Great Floridians
* List of music museums

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Florida Artists Hall of Fame". Division of Cultural Affairs, Secretary of State of Florida. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
2. ^ "Frank & Ann Thomas - Division of Historical Resources - Florida Department of State".
3. ^ "Florida Artists Hall of Fame - Division of Cultural Affairs - Florida Department of State". dos.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2017-04-04.

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