Former Georgia first lady Betty Foy Sanders showed Southern charm Thursday night as she gracefully accepted honors as the 2015 Legend in the Arts award recipient.

    "My roots are in this town and in this county," she said after being introduced by Georgia's current first lady, Sandra Deal.

    Both Deal and Sanders entertained those attending the ceremony with friendly banter that evidenced their friendship, cultivated when Deal sought Sanders' knowledge of the Governor's Mansion, which Sanders and her husband, former Gov. Carl Sanders, designed.

    Betty Foy Sanders is the sixth local artist to be awarded the Legend of the Arts honor, following community legends Emma Kelly, Willie McTell, Michael Braz, Roxie Remley and Delmar Presley. The ceremony was held in the Emma Kelly Theater and was hosted by the Averitt Center for the Arts.

    The former first lady of Georgia has led the state in arts creativity and advocacy on many levels. She co-founded the Georgia Arts Council; has designed fashionable dresses and hats, gardens and interiors; and is a renowned painter.  Statesboro Mayor Jan Moore, who introduced Deal, said Sanders is also known for her landscaping, interior design, floral arrangements and other artistic talents. Before introducing Deal, Moore read a proclamation by the city of Statesboro declaring Sept. 10 as Betty Foy Sanders Day.

    Sanders grew up in Statesboro, and although she has spent most of her adult years in Atlanta, she still calls Statesboro home.

    "I grew up playing kick the can with the other children on Savannah Avenue," which is where her father, Manassas Foy, built what is now called the Brannen-Donehoo home, she said. "I say it's the Foy home."

    Sanders was born on South Main Street in Statesboro and said she has always been drawn to her hometown. She shared memories of getting married at Statesboro's First Baptist Church.

    Deal told the crowd how she reached out for Sanders' advice after she and husband Gov. Nathan Deal moved into the Governor's Mansion. The mansion is decorated with some of Sanders' artwork, including a painting of water lilies. Sanders also designed the landscaping and helped raise funds for a Georgia marble fountain to be installed at the mansion.

    In 1967, Sanders established the Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection, which she continues to curate, as it is on permanent display at Georgia Southern University's Center for Art and Theatre, featuring the works of Georgia artists. She is also the namesake of the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art at Georgia Southern.

    After the ceremony, a reception was held in the Main Gallery of the Averitt Center for the Arts, and an exhibition about Sanders' lifetime of interest and involvement in the arts was on display in the Averitt Center's Legends Gallery. 

    "As Statesboro works to build a strong arts culture for generations to come, the Averitt Center for the Arts feels it is important to recognize those artists who have made significant contributions to the arts in the past," said Tim Chapman, executive director of the Averitt Center.

    Since opening in 2004, the Averitt Center has inducted a new member into its Legends Gallery every other year, beginning in 2005 with Emma Kelly.

    To be eligible for Legend in the Arts status, an artist must have been born in Bulloch County or resided there for two or more consecutive years. Nominees are evaluated on their level of achievement, which includes the scope of their artistic endeavors, their influence on others and their professional conduct and image.

            Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.