Press Releases

Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico Arts Commission and the New Mexico Arts Division are seeking nominations for the 2024 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The annual Awards are New Mexico’s highest and most prestigious honor recognizing the considerable role the arts play in the economic and cultural lives of New Mexicans. Nominations will be accepted until April 24, 2024.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Governor’s Arts Awards which celebrate the diversity of New Mexico’s cultural and artistic traditions, in addition to celebrating new and innovative forms of artistic expression. The awards also recognize the important work of arts supporters and contributors who passionately ensure the arts are available and accessible in their communities.

“We are incredibly fortunate to live in a state where arts and culture are so deeply embedded in our everyday lives, so much so in fact, that we are at risk of taking them for granted,” said Michelle Laflamme-Childs, New Mexico Arts Executive Director. “The Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts reaches into villages, towns, Pueblos, and cities across the state to publicly and proudly acknowledge the people and organizations who make a difference through the arts. If there is someone in your community you feel is worthy of this prestigious honor, we hope you will take a few minutes to nominate them.”

Nominations for the awards may include individual New Mexican artists currently working in any discipline who have demonstrated outstanding achievement; individuals who have consistently made significant or distinguished contributions to the arts in New Mexico; or businesses, nonprofits, or foundations with sustained involvement in and support for the arts.

Nominations are accepted online via a Google form on the New Mexico Arts website at: https://www.nmarts.org/governors-arts-awards/. Nominations must be received by April 24, 2024, 5 p.m. MDT. Please note: Nominations may not be made by New Mexico Arts Commissioners, New Mexico Arts Division staff, or galleries nominating artists they represent. Self-nominations and nominations by immediate family or members of the same household will also not be accepted.

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, more than 300 artists and arts supporters have received this coveted award. The awards are a collaboration of New Mexico Arts, the New Mexico Arts Commission, the New Mexico Arts Foundation, and other partners.

About New Mexico Arts New Mexico Arts is the state arts agency and a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs. 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.