ARTS STARS
the GOVERNOR’S AWARDS for EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS
When artists and performers of all kinds, as well as arts patrons and arts educators, are honored with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, they join a roster that includes some of New Mexico’s most prominent cultural advocates. This year, the awards go to eight recipients in two categories: Individual Artist and Major Contributor to the Arts. The first category’s winners include master weaver IRVIN TRUJILLO, multimedia artist VIRGIL ORTIZ, painter VINCENT N. FIGLIOLA, papel picado (cut paper) artist CATALINA DELGADO-TRUNK, and music educator WILLIAM CLARK. Arts contributor awards go to pinhole photography advocates ERIC RENNER and NANCY SPENCER, and actor, singer, and philanthropist EDGAR FOSTER DANIELS. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Henriette Wyeth, Frederick Hammersley, Fritz Scholder, Laura Gilpin, and other past recipients, a list going back to 1974, when the awards were established by then-Gov. Bruce King and first lady Alice King. Since that time, New Mexico has bestowed this recognition on 289 individuals and organizations, including Pasatiempo, which received the award in 2009.
The Governor’s Arts Awards pay tribute to the role that New Mexico’s artists and arts supporters play in the vitality of the state’s economy and cultural landscape. In January and February of each year, New Mexico Arts solicits nominations from individuals and groups. The deadline for submitting a nomination form, available on New Mexico Arts’ website www.nmarts.org, is in March. The nominations are then reviewed by a committee of the New Mexico Arts Commission. In the last part of the nomination process, recommendations are sent to the governor, who makes the final selection. A public announcement of the award recipients happens in June. This year’s ceremony takes place at the New Mexico Museum of Art’s St. Francis Auditorium (107 W. Palace Ave.) on Friday, Sept. 18, at 5:15 p.m., following a 3:30 p.m. reception at the Governor’s Gallery on the fourth floor of the State Capitol, where an exhibit of the honorees’ artworks is on view through Dec. 11. The reception and ceremony are free to the public. For more information, call New Mexico Arts at 505-827-6490.