Telluride wins Governor’s Arts Award, celebrates with party, 3/20

Telluride wins Governor’s Arts Award, celebrates with party, 3/20

Telluride is populated by winners from all walks of life: skiers, bikers, artists, writers. Now the town itself takes home the gold.

The Telluride Council for Arts and Humanities, Town of Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser and The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art invite the community to celebrate Telluride’s Governor’s Award. The event takes place on Saturday, March 20, 6 – 7 p.m. at The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, with wine tastings by The Wine Mine and chocolate treats from Telluride Truffle, special performances, collages celebrating Telluride’s art organizations, and the presentation of The Governor’s Art Award.

The following is an excerpt from the State of Colorado’s press release about the award.

“TELLURIDE WINS GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARD. A total of 13 Colorado cities were nominated.  

Telluride was 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 Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser in unveiling the awards, which were original artworks by artist Gayle Gerson of Grand Junction.

In announcing the awards, Governor Ritter noted: ‘Not only are the arts a way to share our heritage and show us new ways of thinking and seeing, the arts are also a way to grow jobs and revitalize Colorado’s economy. It gives me great pleasure to honor these two communities.’

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 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. 

The Colorado Council on the Arts combines state funds with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and invests in communities across the state to ensure that the cultural, educational and economic benefits of the arts are enjoyed by thousands of Colorado youth and millions of Colorado citizens and visitors every day. “

For more information, visit www.telluridearts.org and click on “Grants,” or call 728-3930.

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