Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts
Santa Fe – Governor Susana Martinez
and the New Mexico Arts Commission today announced the eight artists
and major contributors to the arts who will be recipients of the 2016
Annual Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts.
“Our arts and culture make New Mexico unique, and are very important
economic and tourism drivers in our state,” said Governor Martinez.
“These artists and arts supporters represent the very best New Mexico
has to offer. Through the Governor’s Arts Awards, we recognize the
diverse and amazing talents of these 2016 recipients, and celebrate
their dedication and contributions that ensure our arts and culture are
accessible to all, and that our creative industries continue to thrive.”
The 2016 Governor’s Arts Awards ceremonies will be held on Friday,
September 23, at 5:15 pm at the St. Francis Auditorium in the New Mexico
Museum of Art in Santa Fe. The ceremony is preceded by an afternoon
reception and exhibition opening, 3:30 – 4:30 pm, in the Governor’s
Gallery at the State Capitol. Both the awards ceremony and gallery
reception are free and open to the public.
This year marks the 43rd annual celebration of the Governor’s Arts
Awards, which was established in 1974 to celebrate the extensive role
that artists and their work have in New Mexico. A diverse and noteworthy
list of painters, weavers, sculptors, dancers, musicians, storytellers,
poets, actors, playwrights, and potters have been honored by the
Governor’s Arts Awards, New Mexico’s most prestigious arts awards. Past
awardees include: Georgia O’Keeffe, Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin,
Maria Martinez, Tony Abeyta, Glenna Goodacre, Tony Hillerman, N. Scott
Momaday, Tammy Garcia, and Catherine Oppenheimer.
Nominations are accepted from arts groups and interested New
Mexicans. All nominations are reviewed by a committee of the New Mexico
Arts Commission, which sends its recommendations to the full commission
and to the Governor.
Governor Martinez and the New Mexico Arts Commission announce that
the awardees for this year’s Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the
Arts are:
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| "Monsoon" print donated to Capitan Library from Michael Hurd. Come by to view this beautiful artwork by "our" Michael. Josie's Framery donated its frame. |
Michael Hurd of San Patricio, Major Contributor to the Arts: An
accomplished painter in his own right, Michael Hurd is being recognized
not only for his own impressive artistic achievements but for his
vitally important work to preserve and enhance his family’s legacy and
historic property in New Mexico. The youngest son of Peter Hurd and
Henriette Wyeth Hurd, Hurd was born in Roswell and raised on the
family’s Sentinel Ranch in the Hondo Valley. Encouraged by his father to
explore pursuits other than art, Hurd studied business at Middlesex
School in Concord, Massachusetts, and graduated from Stanford University
with a degree in political science. He spent a year performing with the
New Kingston Trio and then did a stint in Chicago selling real estate.
Realizing he was “definitely not a city boy,” Hurd returned to his
beloved Sentinel Ranch in the 1970s. Hurd oversees the operations of the
Sentinel Ranch and the Hurd-La Rinconada Gallery, which he designed and
built. “The scenes immortalized through Michael’s work reflect the
inner soul of him,” said nominator Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell of Roswell.
“He is a true Renaissance Man whose importance to New Mexico encourages
viewers to be inspired by and to drink in the beauty and colors of his
timeless works of art.” Hurd works from reality, as did all the Wyeth
and Hurd painters. “The inspiration of his father’s landscape scenes and
the still life compositions of his mother are evident in his work,”
Ezzell said. “He doesn’t refute his heritage or the effect it has had on
his work, but Michael’s style is distinctly his own.” Hurd was very
involved in the massive undertaking to relocate his father’s mural, “The
Future Belongs to Those Who Prepare for It,” from Houston to the
Artesia Public Library, where it was dedicated in 2015. “Michael’s art
is rooted in the tradition of family – a family that has produced four
generations of world famous artists,” said Elizabeth Stephens of the
Artesia Arts and Cultural District. “Michael is devoted to keeping alive
the art of that family. At the same time, he paints his own vision,
seeing and capturing the world that he loves through his own eyes.”
Gallery owner Nedra Metteucci said Hurd is “tireless and broad thinking
in his pursuit of excellence for his own painting but also in his
efforts to sustain the rich artistic heritage that his family has
contributed to for generations. …His impeccable standards apply not only
to his colorful array of paintings that capture the heart of New
Mexico, but also to the arts community statewide, and he is sensitive to
our museums, with a continual awareness for cultural preservation.”
Other winners of Art Awards include:
David Bradley of Santa Fe, Artist, Painter/Mixed Media: David
Bradley is one of the nation’s most respected and well-known Native
American artists whose work has inspired at least three generations of
artists.
Nicholas Herrera of El Rito, Artist, Painting/Sculpture/Mixed Media: Nicholas
Herrera is one of the most important folk artists in the United States,
who has pioneered a folk art form with his more personal
interpretations of traditional
bultos and
retablos, using wood and recycled metal, including salvaged automobile parts.
Felix López of Espanola, Artist, Master Santero/Spanish Colonial Bultos: Felix
López, who grew up in the village of Santa Cruz, is one of the most
accomplished artists of his generation, renowned as a leader and a
teacher dedicated to preserving the traditions of
Santeros and to inspiring others.
Jim Vogel of Dixon, Artist, Painting: Born in Roswell,
Jim Vogel was encouraged by his parents to pursue drawing and painting
as a child. He is now considered a storyteller with a paintbrush and is
nationally recognized for his depictions of rural New Mexico.
Dr. Ramakrishna and Ammu Devasthali of Las Cruces, Major Contributors to the Arts: Dr.
Rama and Ammu Devasthali are passionate supporters of the arts in
southern New Mexico. “Their very generous donations of both time and
money have helped create a level of community engagement in the arts
that is unique,” said nominator Donna Tate of Las Cruces. “In addition,
they have and continue to encourage the diversity in the performing,
literary and visual arts that sharing a border with Mexico offers.”
New Mexico Magazine of Santa Fe, Major Contributor to the Arts: Founded in 1923 as the
New Mexico Highway Journal,
New Mexico Magazine is the oldest state magazine in the country. Today, as an arm of the New Mexico Tourism Department,
New Mexico Magazine is a key promoter of the state’s artistic assets and attractions, helping to drive tourism and build the New Mexico economy.
New Mexico Magazine
currently boasts an international circulation of 92,000, a total
monthly readership of 240,000, and a combined print and digital audience
of over 300,000. “No doubt,
New Mexico Magazine’s success is
partly due to its in-depth coverage of the arts, one of the state’s
major attractions for residents and visitors alike,” said nominator
Carmella Padilla, who received a Governor’s Arts Award in 2009 for
literary arts and is a frequent contributor to the magazine, which she
credits with helping to launch her professional writing career. “Above
all, I value having a voice in a publication devoted to promoting the
state, and the places and people, I most love.” The archive of
New Mexico Magazine
includes a who’s who of notable New Mexican writers, including Mabel
Dodge Lujan, D.H. Lawrence, Rudolfo Anaya, Tony Hillerman and countless
others. Renowned photographers such as Douglas Kent Hall and Jack
Parsons have contributed to the magazine. “Like the artistry it
promotes,
New Mexico Magazine is itself a dedicated work of
art, the creation of countless staff members, past and present who,
month after month, decade after decade, have ensured its delivery,”
Padilla said, calling the publication “one of our state’s most esteemed
artistic treasures.” Coverage by
New Mexico Magazine of its
many festivals, artists and galleries has helped Silver City become
known nationally as “one of the Best Small Arts Towns in America,” said
Faye McCalmont, the former longtime executive director of the Mimbres
Region Arts Council, which received a Governor’s Arts Award in 2013. “It
would be fascinating to discover how many others like myself were first
drawn to the Land of Enchantment – and learned to appreciate its arts
and culture – through
New Mexico Magazine.” McCalmont said she moved to New Mexico some 24 years ago “in part because of the beautiful photos and articles in
New Mexico Magazine
that painted a compelling picture of life in the Southwest.”
Artist
Michael Hurd said he remembers as a young boy seeing publicity about his
parents, artists Peter Hurd and Henrietta Wyeth, in New Mexico Magazine, and in LIFE and other notable magazines. “(LIFE has) faded away, but New Mexico Magazine remains a strong and vivid source for the great stories within our state,” Hurd said.
New Mexico Arts is a division of the New Mexico Department of
Cultural Affairs and partners with the New Mexico Museum of Art in
presenting the annual Governor’s Arts Awards events. The New Mexico
Department of Cultural Affairs is New Mexico’s cultural steward charged
with preserving and showcasing the state’s cultural riches. With its
eight museums, eight historic sites, arts, archaeology, historic
preservation and library programs, the New Mexico Department of Cultural
Affairs is one of the largest and most diverse state cultural agencies
in the nation. Together, the facilities, programs, and services of the
Department support a $5.6 billion cultural industry in New Mexico.
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