Releases | New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs

Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts Suspended Until Next Year

August 4th, 2020

SANTA FE – The 2020 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts has been suspended until next year, with a new deadline of March 5, 2021, for nomination submissions. This decision was made with the ongoing interest of public health and safety top of mind. The event was scheduled to take place this September in Santa Fe.

Complete nominations submitted for the 2020 Awards will be rolled over to the 2021 Awards. To nominate an individual artist or a major contributor, please visit http://nmarts.org/governors-arts-awards/  

"Although we are disappointed to miss the awards this year, public safety must be our number one priority,” said Michelle Laflamme-Childs, Executive Director of New Mexico Arts. “That said, we are very excited about gathering together again in 2021 to celebrate New Mexico’s best and brightest artists and arts contributors."  

Administered by the New Mexico Arts Commission and New Mexico Arts, a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, the annual Governor’s Arts Awards are New Mexico’s highest and most prestigious artistic honors and are intended to celebrate extraordinary achievement in the arts.

Established in 1974 by then-Gov. Bruce King and First Lady Alice King, the Governor’s Arts Awards celebrate the role that artists, craftspeople, and arts supporters play in the economic and cultural life of New Mexico. Throughout its existence, a diverse and prestigious list of painters, weavers, sculptors, dancers, musicians, storytellers, poets, actors, playwrights, and potters have been honored. Since 1974, over 300 artists and arts supporters have received this coveted award. 

About New Mexico Arts
New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, is the state arts agency. New Mexico Arts administers the state’s One Percent for Public Art program, awards grants to nonprofit organizations for arts and cultural programs in their communities across the state, and provides technical assistance and educational opportunities for organizations, artists, and arts educators throughout New Mexico.

Events, news releases, and images related to activities in divisions of the DCA can be accessed at media.newmexicoculture.org.

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