"...the Engestrom Youth Arts Award honors our community’s extraordinary young artists and encourages them to further pursue their talents"
Mayor David Coss and the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission encourage community members to nominate talented young artists for the 2012 Melissa Engestrom Youth Arts Award. Santa Fe youth, 21 years or younger, who have demonstrated artistic excellence coupled with remarkable commitment to the arts and to their community are eligible to be nominated. Nomination forms are available online at www.SantaFeArtsCommission.org. The deadline for nominations is Monday, May 7, 2012.
Established in 1996, the Engestrom Youth Arts Award honors our community’s extraordinary young artists and encourages them to further pursue their talents. Presentation of the Engestrom Award is part of the Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The recipient is recognized alongside his or her adult peers as an outstanding contributor to the arts in Santa Fe at the annual Mayor’s Awards dinner and ceremony. This year’s ceremony is scheduled for October 18, 2012.
Past recipients of the Engestrom Award have continued to pursue artistic excellence, establishing themselves professionally in the community. For example, Bo Lopez received the Engestrom Award in 1996. Since then, he has become well-known for his stunning sterling silver jewelry. He currently owns and operates Silver Roadrunner Jewelry with Rikki Vieira. Eliot Gray Fisher received the Engestrom Award in 2000. Gray Fisher went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies from Wesleyan University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Documentary Studies from the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. He is active in the Santa Fe community as a filmmaker and composer.
Melissa Engestrom was a City of Santa Fe Arts Commissioner and a dynamic member of the Santa Fe arts community for more than 25 years. In addition to her service on the Arts Commission, Engestrom held positions with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Gerald Peters Gallery and the Museum of New Mexico Foundation. She also served on numerous boards. The award was named in her honor upon her passing in 1997.
The Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts were started in 1989 as a means of acknowledging living individuals, organizations and corporations that have made outstanding contributions to the arts in Santa Fe. Over its 20-year history, the Mayor's Awards have honored many outstanding individuals, organizations, and corporations for their work in visual, performing and literary arts, as well as for arts education and philanthropic work.
For more information about the Melissa Engestrom Youth Arts Award or the Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, visit www.SantaFeArtsCommission.org, email jmbystrom@ci.santa-fe.nm.us or call (505) 955-6707.
