Washburn University staff member and alumna to be honored with Arty Awards

TOPEKA, Kan. - Washburn University proudly announces the recognition of Washburn Theatre Shop Manager Deb Bruner and alumna Zandra Sneed-Dawkins at ArtsConnect's 15th annual Arty Awards.

Bruner will receive the Liz Stratton Arts Champion Award for decades of behind-the-scenes commitment to and support of the performing arts, organizations and actors on stages across Topeka. Bruner has served as designer (scenic, lighting, projection and sound), painter, carpenter and technician for more than 350 professional, educational and community theatre productions in northeast Kansas as well as in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Scotland. In addition to working at Washburn for three years, Bruner is a production manager and technical director for Shades of Theatre Company, a community theatre in Topeka.

Sneed-Dawkins, a visual artist, will receive the Glenda Taylor Visual Arts Award for her dedication to creating art that reflects the values and history of the community, as well as for supporting other visual artists as they develop their practices. She earned her bachelor of fine arts in painting and drawing from Washburn in 2021 and was recognized in 2024 as a Washburn College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Fellow. In 2025, she led the creation of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas mural, "Community - Minded - Kansas - Rooted."

The Arty Awards will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at Heritage Hall near 17th Street and Western Avenue. For more information, contact Sarah Fizell, ArtsConnect executive director, at [email protected].

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For further information, contact:
Lacey Kinder
Content Specialist
Telephone: (785) 670-2154
Cell: (785) 845-1909
Email: [email protected]