Friends of the San Antonio Public Library Arts & Letters Awards - 50th Anniversary!

The Friends of the Library Arts & Letters Awards were first presented in 1972 to “recognize and celebrate achievement by individuals who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in the arts and letters.” The list of more than 100 past honorees includes “artists, writers, musicians, educators, community leaders, and entertainers whose dedication and devotion to their chosen fields have served to enrich the cultural and spiritual life of San Antonio.” Past recipients have included authors Janette Sebring Lowrey (writer of children’s classic The Poky Little Puppy), Jacques Barzun, Sandra Cisneros, Rick Riordan, Jay Brandon, and Naomi Shihab Nye; architect O’Neil Ford; actor Tommy Lee Jones; dancer/teacher Rosita Fernández; artist Lyn Belisle; and glass artist Gini García. In 2021, the honorees were theatrical costume designer Margaret Mitchell, poet Octavio Quintanilla, and sculptor Sabine Senft.