HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 30, 2020) – One of the longest running art exhibitions in Sumner County will now bear the name of one of the region’s most beloved public figures. In January, the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center’s board of directors voted to name its Annual Best of Sumner County Student Art Exhibition after James B. Hawkins, the Sumner County Board member who passed away Dec. 6, 2019 following a months-long battle with cancer. The 44th Annual James B. Hawkins Best of Sumner County Student Art Show will run April 5-19 at Hendersonville’s Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center.
“Jim Hawkins was a great supporter of arts education, and his genuine delight at watching students perform music or display their artwork was inspirational,” says Barry Ellis, chairman of the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center’s board of directors. “His support for Sumner County Student Art Show was unquestioning. He eagerly attended the show with the enthusiasm of a proud parent. It is with the same eagerness that we wish to honor him and continue his legacy of care and support of the arts by renaming the SCSAS to the James B. Hawkins Sumner County Student Art Show.”
A graduate of Gallatin High School who went on to earn a law degree from Duke University, Hawkins was widely admired throughout the region for his devotion to public service. After opening a general practice and public service law firm on Gallatin Square in 2002, Hawkins became heavily involved in his community, teaching Sunday School and singing in the choir at Gallatin First United Methodist Church while also serving with Gallatin Rotary Club, Boy Scout Troop 407 and Habitat for Humanity.
In 2016, Hawkins was elected to the Sumner County School Board, where he quickly established himself as an outstanding leader. He had himself been a certified high school teacher and had a master’s degree in educational policy. Not surprisingly, he was convinced that the strength of any community was directly related to the success of its local schools. Moreover, he believed the arts played an integral part in every student’s education.
This deeply felt commitment to arts education inspired Cheryl Strichik, the MACC’s executive director, to suggest changing the name of the organization’s long-running art exhibition to honor Hawkins. “It’s said that a man is never really gone as long as his name is still spoken,” says Strichik. “I felt it fitting for Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center to honor Jim Hawkins in this way, with his name forever linked with the sort of project that he that he had devoted his life to supporting. I know I will always be grateful for the tremendous enthusiasm, encouragement and love he had for the MACC, its young artists and arts education.”
The 44th Annual James B. Hawkins Best of Sumner County Art Show is open to all Sumner County middle and high school students. Each school will be allowed to enter up to 10 pieces of artwork in four categories: drawing, painting, 3D, and miscellaneous mixed media. Dr. Ted Rose, chair of the art department at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, and Lois Riggin-Ezzell, director emeritus of the Tennessee State Museum, will judge this year’s exhibition.
Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center is conveniently located off Gallatin Pike just three miles east of Rivergate Mall. The place serves as a haven for the arts, hosting major art exhibitions throughout the year. It also offers classes and summer camps on art and film for children and adults. Monthaven Mansion is available to rent for weddings, receptions, showers, corporate team-building classes and private parties. For more information, visit www.monthavenartsandculturalcenter.com or call (615) 822-0789.