July 12, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah McGreer
sarah@maaa.org

Mid-America Arts Alliance Elects Dorothy Morris to Board of Directors

Mid-America Arts Alliance is pleased to announce Dorothy Morris of Hot Springs, Ark., as a new member of its board of directors.

Since 1988, Morris has continued the legacy of her late husband, Walter, through her role as President of the Morris Foundation, Inc. The foundation seeks to strengthen charitable efforts and effectiveness by connecting those with similar interests and goals so they may better address the needs of the community.

Mary Kennedy McCabe, Executive Director of M-AAA, said, “Through her work with the Morris Foundation, Dorothy truly understands the benefits of collaboration, one of the keys M-AAA depends upon to bring successful arts programming to underserved communities. I sincerely look forward to working with her.”

Morris received the Governor’s Patron of the Arts Award in 2003. In addition, she was a recipient of the Arkansas Cultural Enrichment Award in 2001 from the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute.

“I have always appreciated the diversity and the excitement that the arts can bring to a community, and that’s exactly what Mid-America Arts Alliance strives to accomplish,” said Morris. “I am pleased to be a part of their board of directors.”

Morris also serves on the boards of Garvan Woodland Gardens, the Hot Springs Area Community Foundation, and Arkansas Hospice, Inc.

Other Arkansas board members include Bobbi Dodge, Chair of the Arkansas Arts Council, from West Memphis; Juanita Dunn a civic leader from Fayetteville; June Freeman a civic leader from Little Rock; Garbo Hearne, Director of Hearne Fine Art in Little Rock; Don Munro, Chairman/CEO of Munro & Company, Inc., from Hot Springs; and Joy Pennington, Executive Director of the Arkansas Arts Council in Little Rock.

The mission of Mid-America Arts Alliance is to enrich communities through cultural experiences. Founded in 1972, Mid-America Arts Alliance is a nonprofit regional arts organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. It is governed by a board of directors drawn from its partner states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Major support is for Mid-America Arts Alliance is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, participant state arts agencies, and leading foundations and corporations. For further information, visit the Web site at www.maaa.org.

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