Representatives from Lee University and the Cleveland Creative Arts Guild during the scholarship signing. From left, Dr. Debbie Murray, Lee provost; Robert Cruden, Michael Plumley, and Graye Bradley-Ogle, Creative Arts Guild members; John Simmons; Jeanna Nipper Officer and Zach Officer, daughter and grandson of Billie Nipper; and Dr. Christine Williams.
Representatives of Cleveland Creative Arts Guild have established two scholarships with Lee University’s Department of Communication Arts in honor of John Simmons and Billie Nipper. Members of the honorees’ families attended a presentation ceremony held in the Squires Library art gallery on Lee’s campus.
“The Cleveland Creative Arts Guild decided to endow scholarships in theater and visual arts to promote local Bradley County students pursuing studies in these areas and provide assistance in attending Lee University,” said Mr. Simmons. “Hopefully these awards will stimulate interest in the arts throughout the region.”
The Cleveland Creative Arts Guild was founded in 1965 to provide an outlet and encouragement for local artists, with departments in writing, drama, arts and crafts. The Guild’s principal fundraiser was the annual Nillie Bipper Arts and Crafts Festival—a playful name derived from Billie Nipper’s own name. Both John Simmons and Billie Nipper served as longtime coordinators of the event, where Billie also began showing her own work.
“This is a tremendous gift, and we are thrilled to receive this opportunity to continue the great work of the Creative Arts Guild by investing in the next generation of artists in Bradley County,” said Dr. Williams, chair of Lee’s Department of Communication Arts. “These scholarships will create terrific opportunities for students pursuing their dreams of the arts at Lee. We are excited to help local students take the next step in pursuing their careers in art and theatre through these scholarships.”
The Billie Nipper Memorial Scholarship honors her for the years of service to the Arts Guild and her accomplishments as a self-taught artist. She became well known for her paintings of walking horses, including works commissioned for winners of the annual Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville, Tn., as well as for various celebrities. She made her work available commercially through numbered prints.
The John Simmons Visual Arts Scholarship honors and recognizes his years of contribution to the Arts Guild and to the students he instilled with his passion for the arts through his years as an instructor at Lee University. Simmons retired from the art faculty at Lee and has been instrumental in working with the Communication Arts Department on this presentation, along with donations to its permanent gallery, located in Squires Library, of art pieces from various Guild artists.
The scholarships will be awarded with first priority given to a full-time Bradley County incoming freshman majoring in visual arts or theatre with financial need. Second priority, if there is no incoming freshman meeting the prerequisite, goes to a sophomore or above with the same promise and need. Third priority, if neither of the above two are met, goes to any student from outside Bradley County with a major in visual or theatre arts. The Financial Aid Committee shall have discretion for awarding the scholarships. The intention for these scholarships is that the recipients will continue to instill a love for the arts to future generations.
For additional information, please contact jsimmons@leeuniversity.edu or christinewilliams@leeuniversity.edu.