Media Release

Recipients of 2014 Jack and Lavon Brosseau Creativity Awards Announced

Lawrence, KS, April 29, 2014 – The Jack and Lavon Brosseau Creativity Awards recognize outstanding creativity and originality among University of Kansas undergraduate students. Open to students in any department for writing and multimedia projects, the awards honor work that demonstrates risk-taking and critical thinking.

After poring over a top-tier collection of submissions, the multidisciplinary selection committee announced this year’s honorees: Anna Wenner of Topeka for her play, Because I Said So, in the diverse media category; and Rachel Cross of Wichita for a collection of poetry in the writing category.

This year’s submissions were particularly strong according to Celka Straughn, who leads the Brosseau Creativity Awards initiative as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of Academic Programs for the Spencer Museum of Art.

Bios and project details for all award recipients are available upon request.

Lavon Brosseau of Concordia, Kansas, believes in education and in the profound importance of teaching. She states, “There is a deep and almost sacred beauty in literature and in art. Each may deal with the abstract and each may involve interpretation, but each has its own reality that permits the mind to explore and to soar.” Her ultimate goal in establishing this award is to encourage and reward the caliber of creative work that, if properly nurtured, has the potential to influence the cultural contributions of an emerging generation.

“It is a giant step in the right direction to reward students for their creative skills expressed in compositions in either prose and/ or poetry,” she says. “If you keep encouraging kids this way— with a little praise— you may well awaken a new Mark Twain or Walt Whitman. They are out there somewhere!”

These awards form part of the Spencer Museum’s mission to strengthen, support and contribute to academic research, as well as to foster interdisciplinary exploration at the intersection of art, ideas, and experience. The Spencer’s contemporary vision is to motivate creative work, object-centered learning, and transformative public dialogue.

Media Contacts

Elizabeth Kanost

Elizabeth Kanost
Communications Manager
785.840.0142
elizacat@ku.edu

Celka Straughn

Celka Straughn
Andrew W. Mellon Director of Academic Programs
Spencer Museum of Art
785.864.0136
straughn@ku.edu