Mayor's Awards Honor Creatives, but Where's the Arty Party?

On Thursday, December 7, Mayor Mike Johnston celebrated the latest round in the annual Mayor's Awards for Excellence in Arts & Culture. “Denver is brimming with artistic talent and is one of the most vibrant arts centers in the U.S.,” Johnston said, backed by officials with Denver Arts & Venues and the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs. “It’s my honor and privilege to recognize our honorees, individuals who continue to build, strengthen and enhance arts and culture in Denver.”

If this is really such a vibrant arts center, why not offer a more vibrant celebration? Every year since 1986, Denver's mayor has honored creative individuals and institutions, but in recent years, the awards ceremony has been an invite-only affair that isn't shared with the city. It should be.

In other ways, the city's arts efforts have come a long way since Mayor Wellington Webb named First Lady Wilma Webb to head the Office of Cultural Affairs, which was suddenly seeing a flood of funding following then-Mayor Federico Peña's push in the late ’80s to put 1 percent of city construction projects to the arts. That office became a more integral part of the city's infrastructure under Mayor John Hickenlooper, who celebrated Denver's embrace of the Creative Class. As Mayor Michael Hancock took office in 2011, he engineered a merger of the Office of Cultural Affairs with the Division of Theatres & Venues, creating a powerhouse department in Denver Arts & Venues, which not only handles programs and projects, but oversees major city facilities — including Red Rocks and the Colorado Convention Center.

While Ginger White-Brunetti was an able director of the department, she was not kept in that slot by the new administration (and disappeared almost overnight). Instead, last month Johnston announced that Gretchen Hollrah, who'd already left her job as COO at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to become his deputy chief operating officer, will also head Arts & Venues. She's got the financial savvy to handle the job — and in another smart financial move by the city, she won't be paid for her double duty, which leaves an opening to appoint a shrewd creative as a deputy. The city could use that boost.

Shortly after Johnston took office in July, I offered a variety of suggestions for how the new mayor could help this city get its mojo back, and a reboot of these awards was on my list. While I'm not suggesting a Nuggets-sized parade and rally at the Denver City and County Building, why not expand the awards ceremony so that the city realizes it has winners outside the sports arenas? Why not create a real showcase for these talented individuals and organizations, one where everyone can see who and what is being honored? If it can't be on the steps of City Hall, at least put it in a major venue. After all, Arts & Venues controls those.

And while the city's upping the ante for the arts, I'd like to see one more honor added to the program: an award celebrating free speech and expression in the name of Joyce Meskis, the fierce protector of the First Amendment and lover of literature who passed away last December after running the Tattered Cover Book Store for almost five decades.

Here are the 2023 winners of the Mayor's Awards for Excellence in Arts & Culture (descriptions are the city's, not mine). They each received artwork created by FuMei Sorteberg from Access Gallery and a $2,500 stipend; maybe the next round will also offer a moment in the spotlight before the entire city.

ARTS & CULTURE IMPACT AWARD
Award Winner: Grace Gillette

This award is presented to an individual or an organization that has made a significant and lasting impact on arts and culture in the City and County of Denver, with at least 10 years of history in the arts in the City and County of Denver.

Grace Gillette has been a Denver resident for 52 years. She has been actively involved in the Denver Indian Community by serving on boards of directors, and as speaker, panelist, emcee and head dancer. Grace has been the Executive Director for the Denver March Powwow (DMPW) for 33 years. Under her leadership, the DMPW has received many accolades and awards, including permanent exhibits in the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She has been named in "Who's Who in Denver Business" and was selected as one of “Denver’s 150." The American Indian College Fund named her "Elder of the Year." She was inducted into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame, and has also been recognized by Dance/USA and the National Indian Council on Aging.

ARTS & CULTURE YOUTH AWARD
Award Winner: Megen Gilman

This award is presented to an individual or organization that has significantly impacted the lives of youth in the City and County of Denver through the arts, or a young person who has made a noteworthy difference in the community through the arts.

Megen Gilman has been a teacher in Denver Public Schools for more than 20 years and has been the Theatre Director at North High School for the past 11 years. When Megen became the Theatre Director at North High School, the program had been all but dismantled. Leveraging community and student buy-in, North Black Masque Theatre began establishing itself as a cornerstone for performing arts. Much of her work is centered around inclusivity to give a voice to marginalized students.
ARTS & CULTURE INNOVATION AWARD
Award Winner: Joshua Emerson

This award is presented to an individual or organization that is breaking new ground in the arts and whose contribution to innovation in the arts has been significant in 2022 or 2023.

Joshua is a Navajo comedian based in Denver. He has worked on comedy projects with the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Museum of Contemporary Arts, the Dairy Arts Center, the Denver Zoo, Comedy Works and the Trinidad Correctional Center. He is the co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission, a regular contributor for CityCast Denver, and a founding member of the award-winning comedy troupe and production company, DeadRoom Comedy.

ARTS & CULTURE EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AWARD
Award Winner: Chloé Duplessis

This award is presented to an individual or organization that has focused on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) through their work.

Artist. Curator. Speaker. Public Historian. Chloé Duplessis creates images that illuminate the forgotten, elevate the unknown, and mindfully address the present. In doing so, she seeks to erode the social constructs that oppress people of color and those navigating disability. She is a legally blind artist and culture bearer committed to creating work that centers equity, accessibility and healing.

ARTS & CULTURE GLOBAL AWARD:
Award Winner: Tsogo Mijid

This award is presented to an individual or organization that has brought Denver’s arts and culture to the national or world stage. Nominees for this category have received national or international recognition.

Tsogtsaikhan “Tsogo” Mijid was born and raised in the mountains of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Tsogo is a cultural ambassador and the recipient of “Juuh'' Honorarium appointed by the Mongolian Ministry of Education Culture and Science, and founder of the Mongolian Culture and Heritage Center of Colorado. His artworks are owned by the 14th Dalai Lama and the Denver Art Museum, and are included in permanent installations at The Denver Zoo and Meow Wolf Denver. In 2009, Tsogo became the first Mongolian artist to design a public sculpture in the U.S.

Find out more on the Arts & Venues website.