The Arnold Ricks Award (formerly the Hiland Hall Award)
This award is presented by the Museum to an individual or organization in recognition of exceptional contributions to the Bennington community and Bennington Museum.
R. Arnold Ricks III (1923 – 2018), Bennington Museum trustee from 1995 to 2015, helped initiate a period of growth and revitalization for the museum. In 2013, the Museum created the Hiland Hall Award to recognize Arnold’s service. Arnold was a long-time resident of Old Bennington and a professor of Modern European History at Bennington College. He served 40 years as a trustee of the Village of Old Bennington and as the Old Bennington Road Commissioner. Arnold, an outspoken advocate of Bennington Museum, was highly regarded by all and exemplified the ideal good citizen, gentleman, teacher, historian and role model.
In 2021 the Museum Development Committee voted to change the name of the Hiland Hall Award to the Arnold Ricks Award in his honor and to offer it as the only annual award.
The Arnold Ricks Award recipients:
2023: Bob Tegart
2022: Michele and John Pagán
The following have received The Hiland Hall Award:
2015 Tyler Resch
2013 Pat Adams and R. Arnold Ricks
General Stark Award (retired 2021)
This award, created in 1982, is presented by the museum to an individual or organization in recognition of outstanding service to Bennington Museum.
The following have been General Stark Award recipients:
1982 Gene E. Irons
1983 George J. Cushing
1984 Dr. Dudley M. Baker
1985 Russell Bagley and Ronald Cox
1986 Antiques and the Arts Weekly
1987 Henry Marvin Dodge
1988 Herbert T. Woodman
1989 Tirzah Sweet
1990 The Volunteers Corps
1991 Catherine Cumpston
1992 Eugene Kosche
1993 David L. Thomas
1994 Ella Graves and Townsend K. Wellington
1995 S. Lane Faison
1996 Hemmings Motor News
1997 Marie and George Hadwen
1998 Alan H. Morrison
1999 Edith Lambert
2000 Will Moses
2001 Ed Cotter
2002 Pat Guerrero
2003 Hal and Betsy Ehrenfreund
2004 Norman Wilder
2005 Ted Atkinson
2006 Verrall and Don Keelan
2007 Fred Ehrich
2008 Fred and Constance West
2009 Bruce and Elizabeth Putnam
2010 Mel and Michael Madison, Madison Brewing Company
2011 Sheela Harden
2012 Don and Bettenell Miller
2013 Tony and Jackie Marro
2014 Tom Fels
2015 Galerie St. Etienne
2016 Joyce Hall
2017 Anne Bugbee
2018 Frances Holbrook
2019 The George Aiken Wildflower Trail Volunteers
2021 Alison Nowak and Robert Cane
Walloomsac Award (retired 2019)
This award, created in 1991, is presented by the museum for significant contribution to the community in the field of art, history, or education.
The following have been Walloomsac Award recipients:
1991 Lucy Doane
1992 Art Department of the Mount Anthony
Union Schools
1993 Tordis Isselhardt
1994 Eric Peterson
1995 Mary Geannelis
1996 John T. Harrison, Jr.
1997 Rochelle Duboff
1998 Stanley Tools
1999 Jane R. Hanks
2000 David Gil
2001 Robert Howe
2002 John Dostal
2003 Joe Parks
2004 Russ Housman
2005 Bruce and Elizabeth Laumeister
2006 Barbara Sarvis
2007 Vermont Arts Exchange – Mathew Perry
2008 Beverly Petrelis
2009 Mary Morrissey
2010 Charles Dewey
2011 Fred Brownstein and Stella Ehrich
2012 The Greenberg Family
2013 Jonah Spivak
2014 Sage City Symphony
2015 Polly and Rosamond van der Linde
2016 Lindy and Kevin Lynch
2017 Rob Woolmington
2018 Elizabeth Coleman & Susan Sgorbati
2019 Greg Van Houghten, GVH Studios