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Kim Hale Honored As Branson Art Citizen Of The Year 2023

  • dateOctober 29, 2023
  • userBranson Regional Arts Council
  • commentNo Comments
  • view3598 Views

At various times throughout it’s 58 year history, the Branson Regional Arts Council selects an individual to receive the prestigious “Art Citizen of the Year” award. The recipients are selected by the BRAC Board of Directors due to the significant contributions they have made to the field of arts and culture in our area.

CLICK Photo for High Resolution Version of Kim Hale & Jim Barber by Marshall Meadows

This year, BRAC Executive Director Jim Barber was thrilled to present the award to Kim Hale at the first annual Arts Gala at the Branson Convention Center on October 13, 2023. Kim has been involved heavily in the Arts Council for over ten years, including several years as the Board President. Kim has been working as a physical therapist at Mercy Branson Therapy Services for over 20 years and currently is the Therapy Manager for Mercy Branson Therapy Services. She is an orthopedic physical therapist with specialty in Dance and Performing Arts Medicine providing rehabilitation to dancers and performing artists working professionally in Branson. She has a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology. She also served on the board of Tri-Lakes Community Theatre (TLC ) as Vice-President before it was incorporated into the Branson Regional Arts Council.

Kim has co-produced over 35 musicals and plays over the past 10 years and has enjoyed the collaboration of BRAC with the community. She organized and collaborated with local school administrators for the induction Thespian Society chapters and serves as an outreach resource for local schools and the Arts community. She is passionate about continuing to bring awareness to the importance of arts education to the youth in the Tri-Lakes area.

“The Arts foster creativity and creative thinking and intellectual curiosity and BRAC offers a place in the community where the youth and adults can grow as an Arts community.” – Kim Hale

Though Kim recently stepped away from the Board of Directors after completing her 5th 2-year term, she remains as active as ever in her volunteer role of Education Director for BRAC’s Youth Theatre Arts program.  Arts and Culture are essential components of human society, contributing to our intellectual, emotional, and social well being, while also playing a vital role in the preservation of our collective heritage advancement of society.

“We recognize Kim for her excellence in youth arts education, and celebrate her with this award as a way to acknowledge her value and impact on the lives of so many young people in our area communities.” – Jim Barber, BRAC Executive Director

The Art Citizen of the Year award has been presented to several deserving individuals, though not necessarily every year. The following is a running list to date of past recipients:

  • 1997 – Bill Godsey
  • 1998 – John & Shirley Mizell
  • 2000 – Viola Hartman
  • 2001 – Jack & Sherry Herschend, Pete & JoDee Herschend
  • 2002 – Steve Wehr
  • 2003 – Andy & Debbie Williams
  • 2006 – Americanna Magness
  • 2007 – Marilyn Droke & Deb Corbin
  • 2009 – Kristin Weingertner & Mary Elizabeth Bradley
  • 2010 – Greg Hoffman
  • 2011 – Bob & Ruth Abbott
  • 2012 – Shanda Watts-Stringer, Bucky & AJ Heard
  • 2013 – Robert & Barbara Cohn
  • 2016 – Marc Mulherin & the Branson Convention Center
  • 2017 – Bonnie Herrmann (past Arts Council Executive Director)
  • 2023 – Kim Hale

A very special thank you to all of the past winners of this award, as well as to all of our generous donors, patrons, actors, directors, technical crew, students and hard working volunteers for helping us bring the arts to life in the Branson region! 

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