Florida Artists Hall of Fame

Established by the Florida Legislature in 1986, the Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognizes persons, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions to the arts in Florida either as performing or practicing artists in individual disciplines.

The artist may be a native of the state or one who adopted Florida as home. Recipients of this award demonstrate the diversity of artistic accomplishment that comprises the rich cultural tapestry of this state.

The State of Florida recognizes that the individual artist and benefactor are paramount and fundamental to cultural development. These individuals contribute to Florida's national or international reputation as a state with a strong and sustained commitment toward the development of cultural excellence.

The Florida Artists Hall of Fame Wall is located on the Plaza Level in the rotunda of the Capitol building. There is also a framed image of this year's Artist's Hall of Fame inductees on the Hall of Fame Wall. In addition to a plaque mounted on the Hall of Fame Wall, inductees receive a commemorative bronze sculpture commissioned by the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The sculpture, La Florida, was created by Enzo Torcoletti, an artist residing in St. Augustine.

2020 Florida Artists Hall of Fame Inductees

Photo of Rita Coolidge smiling by Matt Beard Photography

Rita Coolidge - click for more.

Photo of Guy LaBree making a painting

Guy LaBree - click for more

Nomination Process

The nomination period for the 2022 Florida Artists Hall of Fame is currently closed. The deadline for submission was August 30, 2021 at 5pm.

Please click here to access the nomination form.

The nomination form requires information about the artist including their artistic and philanthropic contributions to the state of Florida as well as their national and international experience (please use complete sentences). You will also need to include support materials (which may include samples of work, newspaper articles, websites, etc) and letters of support from field experts, public officials, impacted citizens, or other individuals that can offer compelling information about the nominee. The nomination form allows you to save your progress as you go. For problems and questions with the nomination process, please contact Rachelle Ashmore at Rachelle.Ashmore@dos.myflorida.com.

The Florida Council on Arts and Culture reviews nominations annually and makes recommendations to the Secretary of State. Please click here to access the nomination form. Mailed items must be postmarked by July 31. If July 31 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the postmark deadline will be the next following day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

In addition to a plaque mounted at the Hall of Fame in the Florida State Capitol, inductees receive a commemorative bronze sculpture commissioned by the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The sculpture, La Florida, was created by Enzo Torcoletti, an artist residing in St. Augustine.

Alphabetical List of Hall of Fame Inductees

Name	Inducted	City	Life
Alfred Hair and the Florida Highwaymen	2004	Fort Pierce
Abbott, George	1993	Miami Beach	1887 – 1995
Backus, A. E. "Bean"	1993	Fort Pierce	1906 – 1990
Bellamy, Howard and David (The Bellamy Brothers)	2018	Darby	Howard: 1946 – David: 1950 –
Brice, Jacqueline	2012	Jupiter	1935 –
Britto, Romero	2016	Miami	1963 –
Broward, Robert C.	2012	Jacksonville	1926 – 2015
Browning, Ricou	2012	Tallahassee	1930 –
Buffett, Jimmy	2000	Key West	1946 –
Bujones, Fernando	2002	Miami	1955 – 2005
Butcher, Clyde	1998	Ochopee	1942 –
Charles, Ray	1992	Greenville	1930 – 2004
Coolidge, Rita	2020	Tallahassee	1945 –
Crews, Harry	2009	Gainesville	1935 – 2012
Cunningham, Earl	2003	St. Augustine	1893 – 1977
Dean, Billy	2017	Quincy	1962 –
Diddley, Bo	2010	Archer	1928 – 2008
Doggett, Jane Davis	2016	Jupiter Island	1929 –
Douglas, Marjory Stoneman	1993	Coconut Grove	1890 – 1998
Estefan, Gloria	2013	Miami	1957 –
Felder, Don	2017	Gainesville	1947 –
Firestone, George	1988	Miami	1931 – 2012
Floyd, Carlisle	2015	Tallahassee	1926 –
Foster, William P.	2003	Tallahassee	1919 – 2010
Hanson, Duane	1992	Davie	1925 – 1996
Heade, Martin Johnson	1995	St. Augustine	1819 – 1904
Helander, Bruce	2014	Palm Beach	1947 –
Hemingway, Ernest	1987	Key West	1899 – 1961
Higgins, Bertie	2019	Tarpon Springs	1944 –
Hopkins, Lee Bennett	2017	Cape Coral	1938 – 2019
Hurston, Zora Neale	1990	Eatonville	1891 – 1960
Hutchinson, James F.	2011	Stuart	1932 –
Inness, Jr., George	2019	Tarpon Springs	1854 – 1926
Jacobs, Lou	2002	Sarasota	1903 – 1992
Johnson, James Weldon	2000	Jacksonville	1871 – 1938
Johnson, John Rosamond	2006	Jacksonville	1873 – 1954
Kennedy, Stetson	2005	Beluthahatchee	1916 – 2011
Konigsburg, Elaine L.	2000	Ponte Vedra Beach	1930 – 2013
LaBree, Guy	2020	Winter Haven	1941 – 2015
Leeper, Doris	1999	New Smyrna Beach	1929 – 2000
Locklin, Lawrence Hankins "Hank"	2007	McLellan	1918 – 2009
MacDonald, John D.	1991	Sarasota	1916 – 1986
McLean, Will	1996	Chipley	1919 – 1990
Mizner, Addison	2001	Boca Raton	1872 – 1933
Norton, Ann	2019	West Palm Beach	1905 – 1982
Norton, Ralph Hubbard	1994	West Palm Beach	1875 – 1953
Nunez, Victor	2008	Tallahassee	1945 –
Petty, Tom	2014	Gainesville	1950 – 2017
Polasek, Albin	2004	Winter Park	1879 – 1965
Proctor, W. Stanley "Sandy"	2006	Tallahassee	1939 –
Rauschenberg, Robert	1991	Captiva	1925 – 2008
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan	1987	Cross Creek	1896 – 1953
Reynolds, Burt	1993	Jupiter	1936 – 2018
Ringling, John N.	1987	Sarasota	1866 – 1936
Rogers, Gamble	1998	St. Augustine	1937 – 1991
Roney, Louis	2012	Winter Park	1921 – 2017
Rosenquist, James	2001	Aripeka	1933 – 2017
Savage, Augusta	2008	Green Cove Springs	1892 – 1962
Smith, Patrick D.	1999	Merritt Island	1927 – 2014
Stafford, Jim	2017	Winter Haven	1944 –
Still, Christopher M.	2010	Tarpon Springs	1961 –
Thomas, Frank	2013	Lake Wales	1943 –
Tillis, Mel	2009	Silver Springs	1932 – 2017
Tillotson, Johnny	2011	Jacksonville	1939 –
Uelsmann, Jerry N.	1994	Gainesville	1934 –
Villella, Edward	1997	Miami	1936 –
Williams, Hiram D.	1994	Gainesville	1917 – 2003
Williams, Tennessee	1989	Key West	1911 – 1983
Woodward, Laura	2013	Palm Beach	1834 – 1926
Young, Purvis	2018	Miami	1943 - 2010
Zwilich, Ellen Taaffe	1994	Miami	1939 –

Contact

Florida Artists Hall of Fame Coordinator
850.245.6490