ATKINS — Scarlet Sims, a native of Atkins, received a 2011 Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the Arkansas Arts Council.
She was recognized along with eight other recipients during the keynote luncheon at the ArtLinks 2010 statewide arts conference Oct. 25 at The Peabody Little Rock.
Fellowships worth $4,000 this year are awarded to artists in Arkansas in recognition of their individual artistic abilities. These fellowships enable artists to set aside time for creating their art and improving their skills. Three artistic disciplines are selected each year as categories for the awards — dance choreography, literary nonfiction and works on paper.
A jury of out-of-state professional artists, writers, performers and art administrators selected the fellowship recipients.
Sims, 32, won her fellowship in the literary nonfiction category.
“It was pretty amazing,” Sims said when asked about the honor. “I plan to use the money to get records from the Supreme Court for a nonfiction book I am writing.
“I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I want to continue my career in writing.”
Sims is the daughter of Fidge “Fidget” Hickey of Atkins and John Sims of Russellville. She is a graduate of Atkins High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Hendrix College, where she minored in German, and a Master of Arts degree in print journalism from American University in Washington, D.C.
Sims, who now lives in Springdale, is a reporter for the Northwest Arkansas Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and covers higher education. She has held positions as reporter and editor for Arkansas newspapers in Bentonville, Dardanelle and Russellville. She also has experience in storytelling, as well as video and audio reporting.