Nominations now open for the 2024 Circle of Excellence in the Arts Awards

Recognizing people and organizations in the Shenandoah Valley that enhance and strengthen the cultural community  

Nominations are now open for the Circle of Excellence in the Arts Awards, co-sponsored by the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, the Arts Council of the Valley, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at James Madison University.  

Founded in 2013, these awards recognize individuals and organizations in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley that enhance and strengthen the cultural community by promoting and advocating for artistic excellence. One award is given annually in recognition of an Augusta or Rockingham County, Harrisonburg, Staunton, or Waynesboro visual or performing artist, arts administrator, or arts educator whose creative and superior accomplishments in the arts have improved the cultural vitality of the Valley. Award nominations are based on sustained contributions in the visual and performing arts. 

Award recipients are nominated by members of the community and selected from those nominations by a committee made up of the executive director of the Forbes Center, the dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at JMU, and the executive director of the Arts Council of the Valley. 

Nominations are due by Friday, April 26, at 6 p.m. and winners will be contacted no later than May 10. For full details on eligibility and nominations, please visit: https://jmuforbescenter.com/about/circle-of-excellence-award.shtml.  

Past Winners: 

2023 - Heifetz International Music Institute 

2022 - Earlynn J. Miller, Harrisonburg, VA 

2021 - Harrisonburg International Festival, Harrisonburg, VA 

2020 - The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society, Harrisonburg, VA 

2019 - Staunton-Augusta Art Center, Staunton, VA, and Shenandoah Valley Art Center, Waynesboro, VA 

2018 - Pamela McCray, Shenandoah Civic Dance Company and Staunton Academy of Ballet, Staunton, VA 

2017 - Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin, Furious Flower Poetry Center, JMU, Harrisonburg, VA  

2016 - American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, VA 

2015 - Ken Nafziger, The Bach Festival, Harrisonburg, VA 

2014 - OASIS Fine Art & Craft, Harrisonburg, VA 

2013 - Stan Swartz - Harrisonburg High School, Harrisonburg, VA 

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About the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts
Experience the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, the premier performing arts center in the Shenandoah Valley, nestled within James Madison University’s vibrant campus. This expansive five-theatre complex is the destination for world-class music, theatre, and dance entertainment. Each venue is meticulously crafted and acoustically perfected. Audiences of all ages are captivated by internationally acclaimed guest artists and JMU’s award-winning faculty members, students, and alumni. The Forbes Center stands as a testament to JMU’s enduring dedication to the arts. Elevating the cultural landscape of the Shenandoah Valley, it fosters invaluable connections with local businesses and schools, enriches community life, and drives economic and social vitality.

About the Arts Council of the Valley
Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) cultivates the Arts, creates experiences, and connects communities throughout the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. ACV was founded in 2000 by a group of local citizens who had a dream of bolstering the arts within the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County communities. Today the Arts Council has grown into a multi-faceted community resource that offers Advancing the Arts grants to artists and art educators; coordinates Harrisonburg’s First Fridays of the Valley events; houses monthly exhibitions in its Smith House Galleries; supports public art initiatives, and operates Court Square Theater