During the Athens-Clarke County Mayor & Commission meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6, Mayor Kelly Girtz recognized one resident and three ACC employees for their recent achievements in the arts. 

Last December, longtime Athens resident and sculpture artist Harold Rittenberry received a Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities, presented by the Office of the Governor in partnership with Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities. The award recognizes distinguished citizens and organizations across the state that have made significant contributions to Georgia’s civic and cultural vitality.

“Mr. Rittenberry is best known in and around Athens for his majestic and whimsical metal sculptures,” said Girtz. “They’re iconic, and several of them are hosted in our public parks, like in Dudley Park and at the Lyndon House just a couple blocks from here. This longtime Athenian has been drawing, cutting and welding metal for his lifetime. He is a self-taught artist and a beloved Athens icon.” 

Girtz also presented Rittenberry with a ceremonial key to the city of Athens. 

“As a metallurgist, as a sculptor, we want you to have as much raw material to work with as you possibly can have,” said Girtz. “Given that one of the opportunities I have within my role is to provide what in this case is a very deserving key to the city, I’d like to present Mr. Harold Rittenberry with a key to the city. I can only hope that it shows up in one of the sculptures.”

In addition to Rittenberry, Girtz recognized three staff members of the ACC Leisure Services Arts Division for their recent accomplishments. 

Nena Gilreath, program supervisor of the East Athens Educational Dance Center, was also honored by Governor Brian Kemp with a Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities. Gilreath, a former Dance Theatre of Harlem and Atlanta Ballet dancer, was recognized for her work in establishing the Ballethnic Dance Company, a professional ballet company devoted to increasing the visibility of Black and culturally diverse dancers as well as making a radical shift in the access of classical and contemporary ballet in Atlanta. 

Lynn Green, facility supervisor of the Morton Theatre, was recognized during the 34th annual Emancipation Proclamation Observance and Pioneer Awards ceremony on Jan. 1. Green has served as a staff member of the Morton Theatre for 17 years, and previously contributed in other capacities as a contractor, board member and interim Arts Division administrator. Green also accepted an award on behalf of the Morton Theatre itself, which was recognized for its endurance as one of the first and oldest surviving African-American vaudeville theaters in the U.S. 

Didi Dunphy, program supervisor at the Lyndon House Arts Center, was recognized for two awards the LHAC recently received from the Georgia Association of Museums during its annual conference in January. The first award, given to an exhibition that demonstrates scholarship and originality contributing to the cultural fabric of the state, recognized “Resilient Civic and Musical Life: Ware-Lyndon House Enslaved and Descendant Stories.” The second award, the 2024 Institution Award, was given to the LHAC for its dedication to serving as a cultural resource within the community, providing outreach programs, and promoting cooperation across Georgia museums and galleries. 

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