Arts NC State Presents Bowers Medals

Arts supporters Richard Bryant, Paul Michaels, Mimi McKinney and the late Claude McKinney received the 2009 Bowers Medal of Arts Award from Arts NC State.

Bryant, co-founder and president of Capital Investment Companies in Raleigh, is a 1981 College of Management alumnus. A founding member and former chairperson of the Friends of Arts NC State (FANS) Board of Advisors, Bryant created a thriving NC State Athletic Bands Endowment. He co-chaired the Frank Thompson Hall Renovation Campaign that raised $2.8 million in private funds.

Michaels was instrumental in creating Arts NC State, the umbrella organization for the six visual and performing arts at the university. He served as the first chair of the FANS Board of Advisors. Following two terms on the board, he served as Arts NC State’s campaign co-chair for the Achieve!capital campaign. He is a partner at the Raleigh law firm of Michaels and Michaels.

The McKinneys were honored for contributions to the community, NC State University and Arts NC State. The late Claude McKinney served as dean and professor in the College of Design from 1973 to 1988. He was founding coordinator for the development of Centennial Campus, served on the FANS Board of Advisors, advocated for the Frank Thompson Hall Renovation and actively served throughout the community. He passed away in November 2008. Mimi McKinney served on the Friends of the Gregg (FOG) Board of Directors and co-chaired the 1991 FOG Gala. The McKinneys were founding members of the University Visual Arts Center, which became the Gregg Museum of Art & Design.