Recipients of the 2009 Mayor’s Recognition Awards for Excellence in the Arts were:

• The Santa Fe Art Institute for outstanding contributions in the area of contemporary arts.
• Chrissie Orr for her many years of dedicated service in the community arts arena.
• Elias Rivera for his extraordinary talent and contributions to the visual arts.
• Mara and Charles Robinson for their ongoing philanthropic work in the arts.
• Ellen Zieselman her devotion to enriching the lives of Santa Feans through arts education

 

Melissa Engestrom Youth Artist Award

• Sarah Livingston for her outstanding dedication as a youth artist

 

The Santa Fe Art Institute is an independent educational non-profit organization founded in 1985 by Pony Ault and noted architect artist William Lumpkins.  Since the arrival of Director Diane Karp in 2001, SFAI’s mission has been to explore the intersections of contemporary art and society while enlivening public discourse on art through four key programs: artist lecture and master class workshop series; residencies for artists and writers; exhibitions; and educational programming in the schools and community.  In 2001, the Institute’s Residency Program was launched in response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001 with the creation of the Emergency Relief Residency Program.  This program provided living and studio space to more than 130 New York-based artists displaced from their homes in the aftermath of 9/11.  In 2005, the Institute reinstated the Emergency Relief Residency and again opened its doors to more than 40 Gulf Coast artists and writers who were affected by the devastation of the hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Institute is committed to programs that nurture artists and enhance and promote the arts as an essential element of American culture and society. The Institute provides education and outreach through programs in Santa Fe’s public middle schools, charter schools, the emergency youth shelter and youth detention centers.  

Santa Fe Art Institute video

Chrissie Orr was born in Scotland and attended the Edinburgh College of Art. Once a circus performer throughout Europe and a muralist in Corsica, Orr continued to develop her skills as an artist in unconventional ways through her involvement in community-based projects located in Australia, Iran, Turkey, Europe, Mexico and America.  Orr is the founder of the nationally acclaimed Teen Project in Santa Fe, New Mexico, now known as Warehouse 21, where her vision and skills were recognized by both the United States Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts.  She has lectured internationally on her work involving the Bridge Project which addressed issues on the border between El Paso, US, and Juarez, Mexico.  In 2006, Chrissie was the artist in residence at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California, where she designed portable urban, edible gardens.  She recently completed an installation project entitled El Otro Lado: the Other Side, dedicated to the diverse community of Santa Fe. She continues her passion of working as an artist in the community. 

Chrissie Orr video

Elias Rivera was born in New York City. In 1982, he moved to Santa Fe and quickly established himself as an internationally acclaimed painter. In his paintings, Rivera explores the colorful costumes and street life of the native populations of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. He has earned widespread recognition for a New Mexico series of paintings entitled “Under the Portal,” and international recognition for his Guatemala Series. Over the years, his generosity has supported many Santa Fe non-profits through the donation of dozens of paintings. In 2004, Rivera received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and in 2005 he was named the Artist of the Year by the Santa Fe Rotary Foundation. Rivera's works have been exhibited at the New Mexico Museum of Art, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Albuquerque Museum, the American Academy and Institute for Arts and Letters, the Nevada Institute of Contemporary Art, the Center for Contemporary Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Academy, the Northrup Gallery and the University of Minnesota.

Elias Rivera video

Mara and Charles Robinson have lived in Santa Fe for nearly 40 years.  The couple’s vision and philanthropic impact have dramatically affected many of Santa Fe’s major non-profit organizations, including the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, The Santa Fe Opera, National Dance Institute of New Mexico, Lensic Performing Arts Center, El Rancho de las Golondrinas, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, the Wheelwright Museum and St. John’s College.  The Robinsons’ support for these organizations has created ongoing opportunities benefiting children, adults, residents and visitors, while contributing significantly to the establishment of Santa Fe as a world-class art destination.  Mara Robinson, a former opera singer and founder of her own opera company in the 1950s, is responsible for bringing many new talented voices to The Santa Fe Opera’s apprentice training program while Charles Robinson, an entrepreneur and former State Department official, continues to be a visionary, along side his wife, in support of the non-profit world.

Mara and Charles Robinson video

Ellen Zieselman has been a Curator of Education at the New Mexico Museum of Art for over 20 years, where she has continued to train and direct over 80 volunteer docents at any given time.   Through her extensive knowledge of art history, she has made art come alive for both young and old by creating a “junior docents” program for young people and by teaching art history for Renesan, a lifelong-learning organization for seniors.  Zieselman is also the Director of Youth Programs at Temple Beth Shalom where she coordinates trips for teens to local museums and initiates conversations and debates surrounding art. She has coordinated conferences for Southwest Art History Council and New Mexico Association for the Education of Young, and given numerous presentations at the New Mexico State Conference for Art Educators, connecting hundreds of teachers with museum sites.  Zieselman writes for several publications including El Palacio and Tumbleweeds.  She has also written and co-authored several books about art and literature in New Mexico including The Hand-Carved Marionettes of Gustave Baumann, Taos Artists and their Patrons and The Founding of the Taos Art Colony.

Ellen Zieselman video

Sarah Livingston is a talented and dedicated performer who has become an invaluable asset to both Eldorado Children and Teen Players and Santa Fe High School’s performing arts department.  Currently a senior at Santa Fe High School, she has a powerful voice, great diction, graceful movement, and an abundance of charisma.  Livingston’s commitment to the arts is reflected in her roles as President of the Poetry Club and Thespian Club, her involvement with Warehouse 21’s “Lyrical Starfleet” poetry club and her devotion to her temple’s youth group as Social Action Vice President.  Her pursuits have included: fund raising for malaria prevention in Africa; aide for India’s orphans; global sustainability and feeding the hungry in Santa Fe.

Sarah Livingston video