Mercer University Associate Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies
Dr. Melanie Pavich is among the honorees for this year’s Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities for her work and the work of Mercer students on the Georgia coast.

“I am thrilled that the important work our students have done in coastal Georgia is being recognized and honored in this way,” said Dr. Pavich. “I share this award with them and all at Mercer who have supported the coastal Georgia Research Initiative through their time and effort as well as through grants and donations. I share this award, too, with everyone on the coast who so generously shared their history and stories with us over the past eleven years.”

Governor Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp announced the recipients of the 13th annual Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities at a ceremony at the Capitol. The awards honor individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Georgia in these fields.

“On behalf of the State of Georgia, I want to congratulate the recipients of this year’s Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “A vibrant arts scene and culture are essentiaingredients in the recipe that makes Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family. Thank you to these exceptional Georgians and organizations for their dedicated work in these fields that have made a long-lasting impact on our cultural fabric.”

Dr. Pavich leads a multiyear project with her College of Professional Studies students to preserve Gullah Geechee and African American heritage and heritage sites in Coastal Georgia. She has received three Georgia Humanities grants for the nine-plus-year research-based service-learning project, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, through funding from the Georgia General Assembly.

Her research is focused on race and gender in the South during the 19th and early 20th centuries and includes the study of African American education and teachers. Dr. Pavich has developed research-and-service-learning-based courses for undergraduate students centered on the study of Gullah Geechee and African American communities and schools in Georgia.

“This is well-deserved recognition by Gov. Kemp for Dr. Pavich and her students’ extraordinary work to preserve African American history, culture and heritage on the Georgia coast,” said Dean of the College of Professional Advancement Dr. Priscilla Danheiser. “For more than a decade, Dr. Pavich, in collaboration with the Saint Simons African American Heritage Coalition and with the support of her liberal studies department chair, faculty and staff members in the College of Professional Advancement and alumni, the provost of the University and Georgia Humanities, has tirelessly and passionately dedicated her teaching and scholarship to a project that has had a remarkable impact on our students and on the residents and descendants of residents of Saint Simons Island.”

Presented in partnership with Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities, the Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities honor outstanding individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Georgia’s civic and cultural vitality through service to the humanities or excellence in the arts.

Following a competitive nominations process, 10 members of the arts and humanities communities from across Georgia were awarded with this year’s honor. The recipients represent a diverse group of individuals and organizations that have contributed to and supported the growth of Georgia’s thriving creative industries through community involvement, pioneering programs and long-term financial commitment.

Each recipient received handmade sculptures created by Charles Pinckney of Athens. More information about each of the 2024 Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities winners is available in the online program.