HONORED FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN THE ARTS
Seven to receive Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts today.
Seven artists and major contributors to the arts in New Mexico will be honored at the 2017 annual Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts today.
“Through these lifetime achievement awards for the arts, we celebrate the diverse and amazing talents of these 2017 recipients whose efforts help drive our creative economy and truly make our state the Land of Enchantment,” Gov. Susana Martinez said in a statement.
The ceremony is set for 5:15 p.m. at the St. Francis Auditorium in the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe. The ceremony will be preceded by an afternoon reception and exhibition opening from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in the Governor’s Gallery at the state Capitol. Both the ceremony and reception are free and open to the public. This year’ awardees are:
Musical duo Bayou Seco of ■
Silver City. Ken Keppeler and Jeanie McLerie, known the world over as Bayou Seco, are not only extraordinary performers but they are ambassadors of New Mexico music, preserving the cultural heritage of Hispanic and cowboy folk music, organizers said.
Author William deBuys of ■
Chamisal. DeBuys is an internationally recognized author and conservationist who has worked throughout his lengthy literary career to celebrate New Mexico’s distinctive peoples and landscapes.
Master santero Gustavo
Victor Goler of Taos. In 1988, Goler was juried into Traditional Spanish Market, where his high level of craftsmanship and innovative design have garnered him dozens of awards, including being recognized in 2016 with a Master’s Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Artist and potter Russell Sanchez of San Ildefonso Pueblo. He has been making pottery since he was 12 years old and has continued a Native American tradition that has been in New Mexico for hundreds of years.
Diné photographer William (Will) Wilson. He spent his formative years living on the Navajo Nation. He studied photography at the University of New Mexico and Oberlin College.
Helen R. Lucero of Albuquerque. Lucero has spent her entire career helping to promote and educate the public about the Hispanic arts of New Mexico. She is considered one of the first female Hispanic curators in the country.
Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program. This program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, providing about six contemporary artists a year with “a gift of time” — a one-year residency with a house, studio, living stipend and an exhibition at the Roswell Museum and Art Center.