N.C. A&T Visual and Performing Arts Professor Awarded Kennedy Center Gold Medallion

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Feb. 23, 2023) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Theatre Professor and Resident Costume Designer Gregory J. Horton was recently awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Gold Medallion in Theatre for Region IV during the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF).

“To be honored regionally and nationally by the academy is unbelievable,” said Horton. “I have reached a major milestone and the feeling is indescribable.”

The Gold Medallion is the highest regional award given by KCACTF, with Region IV covering North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Southern Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The eight KCACTF regions annually honor individuals or organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and have significantly dedicated their time, artistry and enthusiasm to the development of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Most importantly, recipients have demonstrated a strong commitment to the values and goals of KCACTF and to excellence in educational theatre. It is the most prestigious regional award given by KCACTF and is considered one of the greatest honors in theatre education.

“We are excited for Professor Horton as this prestigious award recognizes his vast talents, extraordinary contributions and dedication to theatre,” said Frances Ward-Johnson, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS). 

Before arriving at N.C. A&T in 2005, Horton taught at Olivet College in Michigan, Alabama State University, Florida A&M University and Saint Louis University in Missouri. A past interim chair and associate chair in the CAHSS Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Horton has contributed to the department’s major accomplishments. The department has participated in KCACTF for more than 30 years, winning numerous awards and honors, including First Runner-Up nationally and Best Play regionally, for the 2022 production of “Pretty Fire,” a play directed by Horton.

Horton has received many accolades, including the Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design Award from the National Black Theatre Festival, The Hillside High School Theatre Alumni Award and the KCACTF Distinguished Costume Award.

Horton has costumed casts and directed plays as a guest designer and director at college and professional theaters around the country. In 1996, he served as assistant wardrobe supervisor for the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. He led 250 volunteers in dressing participants in the opening and closing ceremonies. He shopped for outfits for Celine Dion, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and Little Richard.

The Durham native majored in clothing and textiles, with a minor in theater, at North Carolina Central University. He earned his MFA in costume design at Michigan State University.