The United States Sports Academy introduced its 2021 Sport Artists of the Year to the public during a ceremony on the institution’s campus in Daphne, Ala., in November.
Prolific sports painter Brian Fox and renowned sculptor Sergey Eylanbekov were on hand to receive the Sport Artist of the Year Awards during the program. Academy Art Committee chair Nancy Raia presented Fox with his award, while Trustee Jack Scharr presented Eylanbekov’s award during the ceremony.
Fox donated a giclee print featuring NFL quarterback Tom Brady – titled “The GOAT” – to the Academy that is now on permanent display at the American Sport Art Museum & Archives (ASAMA). Eylanbekov, a two-time Sport Artist of the Year honoree, also has works on permanent display at ASAMA. His “Venus and Mars” sculptures are featured prominently outside the front entrance at the Academy.
The Sport Artist of the Year of the Year Award is part of the United States Sports Academy’s Awards of Sport program, which each year serves as “A Tribute to the Artist and the Athlete.” The Academy presents the awards to pay tribute to those who have made significant contributions to sport, in categories as diverse as the artist and the athlete in several different arenas of sport. The Academy’s American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) annually recognizes these men and women through its Sport Artist of the Year, Honorary Doctorates, Distinguished Service Awards, Outstanding Athletes, and Alumni of the Year awards. This is the 37th year of the Academy’s Awards of Sport program.
