Kansas arts award honors Melissa Etheridge for sharing state’s greatness with the world
There are some celebrities and famous folks who never, ever talk about where they grew up.
Melissa Etheridge is not one of those stars.
The Leavenworth, Kansas native speaks often of her home state and is a passionate fan of Kansas City sports teams — the Chiefs, Royals and KC Current as of late.
Her star power holds so much sway in the state that during the pandemic, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly asked Etheridge to publicly ask residents to follow recommended COVID safety rules such as social distancing.
The 63-year-old Oscar and two-time Grammy winner is currently recording a new album — working title is “Rise.” And before it comes to fruition and begins competing for prizes, Etheridge now can add a prestigious arts award from Kansas to her list of accomplishments.
In a ceremony in Topeka on Thursday, Kelly and the Kansas Arts Commission announced the recipients of the 2025 Kansas Governor’s Arts Awards.
The event celebrated 17 individuals and organizations working to advance and elevate the arts in Kansas.
Etheridge was named the recipient of the 2025 Governor’s Award — chosen by Kelly — for her decades of work in the music industry and her hands-on advocacy of Kansans.
Last year she released a two-part docuseries, “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken,” that followed her meeting with incarcerated women at the Topeka Correctional Facility who inspired her to write a song and perform it for them.
“Across the nation and world, people are connecting with Etheridge’s music and can see how she truly embodies the Kansas values of hard work, self-reliance and kindness,” Curtis Young, Kansas Arts Commission director, said in a statement.
“She takes all the things that make Kansas great and shares them with the world — and she regularly brings it back home to benefit communities through her generosity and spirit.”
In the same statement Kelly hailed the arts for enhancing people’s lives and noted the “many talented Kansans involved in creative work across our state.”
Honorees from the Kansas City area included:
- Arts Patron of the Year: Paul Dorrell, Roeland Park, author and founder of Leopold Gallery in Brookside.
- Emerging Arts Leader of the Year: Lacey Connell, Overland Park, actress, arts educator and coordinator of theatre and performing arts for the Johnson County Park & Recreation District.
- Arts Organization of the Year: Theatre in the Park, Overland Park
- Arts Legacy Award: NedRa Bonds, Kansas City, activist, retired teacher and quilter born and raised in KCK’s historic Quindaro neighborhood.
The full list of honorees can be found on Kansas Arts Commission website, kansascommerce.gov.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 3:52 PM.
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