The Ordway Center in St. Paul has announced the winners of the 2011 Sally Awards, artists and arts administrators who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of arts education, access, commitment, vision and initiative. The awards, instituted in 1992, are named after arts advocate and donor Sally Ordway Irvine.

The 2011 winners are chosen by a committee made up of Ordway Center representatives, the 2010 Sally Award recipients, Minnesota State Arts Board and media representatives, and other leaders from the Minnesota arts and cultural community.

"Our honorees personify the creative spirit and commitment to the arts for which our state is rightfully known," said Patricia A. Mitchell, Ordway president and CEO. "The depth and breadth of talent in Minnesota is truly remarkable."

The winners are:

Rick Jacobson (access). Jacobson has been a leader in the audio description of theater productions, television programs and arena concerts. He's described more than 950 stage productions since 1994, enhancing the theater-going experience for blind patrons. He works on more than 90 shows each year, at 20 different Twin Cities venues.

Kevin Smith (commitment). Smith was president and CEO of Minnesota Opera from 1986 t0 2011, during which time it expanded from three to five productions per season and saw its annual budget grow from $1.5 million to $9 million. Smith has been active in national organizations for the arts, including Opera America, the American Arts Alliance and the NEA.

Ta-Coumba Aiken

Ta-Coumba T. Aiken (vision). Aiken, a St. Paul painter, has worked with schools, neighborhood groups and cities to create public art throughout the Twin Cities since the 1970s. His creations can be seen at the Jax/Gilette Children's Hospital, the Minneapolis Central Library and the North Side's Pilot City murals projects, among many other places.

Uri Sands and Toni Pierce-Sands

TU Dance (initiative). The professiional dance troupe, led by Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, was founded in 2004 and has produced a repertory based in modern dance but incorporating ballet, African and hip-hop movement techniques. In 2011, the Sands opened the TU Dance center for rehearsing and teaching. TU Dance won the Star Tribune's Artist of the Year designation in 2005.

Ross Sutter (education). Sutter, a Minneapolis singer and multi-instrumentalist, has worked with schools and arts organizations for 30 years. His school residencies focus on folk music played on instruments from the guitar and dulcimer to accordian and bodhran. Sutter's has lent his baritone voice to concerts for radio and television and has recorded multiple CDs, including popular ones for children.