The towns of Creede and Telluride were honored at a ceremony at the Denver Art Museum on
Friday, February 26, as part of Arts Advocacy Day. The annual Governor's Arts Award
recognizes a Colorado town or city for their collective efforts to enhance their community and
their economy through strategic use of the arts. Governor Ritter joined Creede Mayor Rex
Shepperd and Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser in unveiling the awards, which were original artworks
by artist Gayle Gerson of Grand Junction.
The Colorado Council on the Arts, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development
and International Trade, annually convenes a panel to review the nominations. Although the
Governor's Award typically honors a single town or city, the review panel felt strongly that both
communities show exemplary commitment to the arts as a way to enhance the cultural and
economic vitality of their communities. The other nominated cities were Arvada, Broomfield,
Fort Collins, Glenwood Springs, Golden, Lafayette, La Junta, Montrose, Nederland, Pueblo and
Salida.
The Town of Telluride, which won an honorable mention in 2008, impressed the panel with its
high level of support for locally grown arts programs. Although Telluride is known for its
international summer festivals, the panel noted a strong commitment to funding for local arts
activities by the Town of Telluride, the Telluride Foundation, the Mountain Village Owners'
Association, and San Miguel County. The panel also applauded Telluride's commitment to youth
arts, including their ongoing integration of the arts into the school curriculum. The panel was
also impressed with Telluride's Cultural Master Plan and Commission on Cultural Assistance.
In 2007, the City of Grand Junction won the award, a large mono-print by Joellyn Duesberry. In
2008, the City of Loveland won, receiving a painting by Duke Beardsley.
Photo: Taken by Jessie Gilmer at the event and features Creede's Mayor Rex Sheppard, Diane Knutzon, President of Creede Arts Council, Steve & Marta Quiller, Creede Artists and Gallery Owners, George and Charlene Ameel, Owners of San Juan Sports, Mark Whitlock, local entrepeneur and President of the Friends of CRT, and Maurice LaMee, Ryan Prince, Renee Stynchula, Cat Lynch, Jeff Carey, and Jessica Jackson, Staff and Company Members from the Creede Repertory Theatre.
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