News Release
January 18, 2006
Maruca Salazar Among Recipients Of 2005 Mayor's Awards For Excellence In The Arts; Free Community Reception Tuesday, Feb. 21
Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs yesterday (Tuesday, Jan. 17) announced the recipients of the 2005 Mayor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The 2005 honorees included Maruca Salazar, a Denver Public Schools area specialist and arts coordinator, and her husband, Daniel Salazar. Both are visual artists and long time Denver arts activists.
Other recipients of the award included Ron Henderson, co-founder and artistic director of the Denver Film Society and Shadow Theatre Company, highlighting the African-American experience through live theatre. Additionally, the Mayor will present a fourth but distinct award, the Mayor's Cultural Legacy Award, to Eleanor "Ellie" Caulkins in honor of her and her late husband George Caulkins, who passed away in 2005. More information on the honorees is included below.
The 2005 Mayor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Mayor Hickenlooper will present the awards to the honorees at the event. The public is invited to attend this free community celebration. RSVP to 720-865-4318. Additional information regarding the reception, including entertainment, will be forthcoming as the event approaches.
First presented in 1986, the Mayor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts is an annual tradition of recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions to the arts in the City and County of Denver.
2005 Recipients of the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts:
RON HENDERSON
Ron Henderson, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Denver Film Society, is credited with growing the organization over twenty-eight years from an all volunteer staff to one of Denver's most recognized cultural institutions. Henderson's roster of accomplishments includes the renowned Starz Denver International Film Festival and the establishment of a permanent home for the Denver Film Society at the Starz Film Center on the Auraria Campus (due to open in March 2007). A large membership, several additional successful film festivals and numerous other acclaimed programs are attributed to Henderson's creativity and tenacity.
DANIEL AND MARUCA SALAZAR
Visual artists and long-time arts activists Daniel and Maruca Salazar have been leaders in Denver's cultural community for more than thirty years. In the 1970's, they formed Chispa, a predecessor to the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC). The venue served as a visual arts space, as well as a gathering place for Chicano artists of all kinds, including poets, actors, musicians and dancers. Equally passionate about their art and their community, the Salazars have worked to develop cultural policy to allow for more opportunities for Latinos and other artists of color. Through all of their efforts, they have made significant contributions both professionally and philanthropically to the arts in Denver.
SHADOW THEATRE COMPANY
Over the last eight years, Shadow Theatre Company has built a strong reputation in Denver as a vital and stimulating African-American institution that both entertains and educates. Its programs consistently raise the bar for professional theatre, as they utilize theatre to spread intercultural understanding and probe life's complexities and address social issues. Shadow Theatre Company is unique in that it has been designed to both reach and give expression to those segments of society that often remain out of conventional theatre companies. In its eight-year history, Shadow has produced thirty-one plays - an unprecedented accomplishment for an African-American theatre company in the Rocky Mountain Region.
2005 Recipient of the Mayor's "Cultural Legacy Award:"
GEORGE AND ELEANOR "ELLIE" CAULKINS
Ellie Caulkins has been a steadfast supporter of the cultural enrichment of Denver with her tireless work as an advocate for opera. A leader on the board of Opera Colorado, serving several terms as board chair, she earned the distinguished title of Opera Colorado's Lifetime Honorary Chair. Her long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and its National Council further demonstrate her zeal. Her additional volunteer work in the arts, education and children's healthcare reveal her passion for giving back to the community. Her late husband, George Caulkins, was an entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist. Known for his leadership role in the development of Vail, Colorado as a ski destination, he more recently made a major impact on the arts in Denver. In January 2004, he joined with his children to surprise Ellie with a significant gift to the City in her honor to support the creation of the new lyric opera house. In response to the gift, Mayor Hickenlooper named the new opera house The Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Caulkins' unique spirit of philanthropy combined with their dedicated work in the cultural community is at the core of the Mayor's "Cultural Legacy Award."