By Mike Cook
“My dad loved this community,” Chris Todd said Sept. 23, as he accepted the Doña Ana Arts Council’s (DAAC) Papen Family Award on behalf of longtime community activist and arts supporter Norman Todd, who died Aug. 25.
DAAC Executive Director Greg Smith said Todd and his wife, Georgette Malooly, have been DAAC supporters for more than two decades. In 2020, Todd and Malooly leased a building to DAAC as its new arts and cultural center “by making the lease one that was manageable for the Arts Council,” Smith said. Smith said Todd also personally oversaw the conversion of the property, located at 250 W. Amador Ave., from a bank to a gallery.
Before his death, Smith said, Todd thanked DAAC for the award, calling it “truly the honor of a lifetime.”
The award is sponsored by former state Sen. Mary Kay Papen and was presented by Smith and Papen.
Other 2021 DAAC award winners were
- Newcomer Award, sponsored by La Posada Assisted Living: fiber artist Svea Peterson, who joined the Mesilla Valley Weaver’s Guild in 2020. The award was presented by Marlene Atwood. Peterson regularly volunteers at Cruces Creatives makerspace teaching weaving and felting and at New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, where she demonstrates spinning yarn. Peterson won the 2020 New Mexico “Make It with Wool” contest with a felted churro wool bag.
- Public Service to the Arts Award, sponsored by Dr. Andrew and Shalini Bruner: Las Cruces Space Festival. The award was accepted by the festival’s executive director Alice Carruth, who is also public relations coordinator for Spaceport America. The award was presented by Las Cruces Public Schools Content Specialist Joseph Flores.
- Arts in Education Award, sponsored by Dan and Mary Lere: Patricia Brown Gill, who has been a Las Cruces storyteller for 61 years, and was mentored by Jenny George Curry, who founded Storytellers of Las Cruces in 1927. “Stories are a wonderful way to get a point across,” Gill said. The award was presented by Louise O’Donnell, who said Gill “has become the face of storytelling in Las Cruces.”
- Community Arts Award, sponsored by Barbara Reasoner: Former DAAC Executive Director Kathleen Albers. Presenter Kathleen Key, who is Albers’ business partner in ARTE For Lifelong Learning, said Albers is “the epitome of a person passionate about the arts.” “It’s been a wonderful creative ride,” Albers said. “I’ve seen the power of the arts in education.”
- Arts in Public Places Award, sponsored by Michael and Barbara Mandel: Artist Kathy Morrow. “Kathy’s art is for all of us,” said presenter Rebecca Courtney. Morrow began creating small animals from rocks she found along the top of Tortugas Dam north of New Mexico State University and soon had created a “trail of wildlife.” She has been a professional artist since 1975.
- Cultural Heritage and Development Award, sponsored by Kathleen Squires: David Chavez, who has participated in many preservation projects in Las Cruces, including renovation of Phillips Chapel and walking tours of his native Mesquite Historic District. Chavez has been a part of Las Cruces’ Arts and Cultural District Coordinating Council since it began in 2014 and is its current vice chair. “I will continue to fight for historic preservation,” Chavez said. “The past is important because without a past you don’t have a future.” The award was presented by Faith Hutson.
- John Glowacki Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Scott Breckner, who also presented the award: Barbara Hubbard. Hubbard began her local career as a teacher at Las Cruces High School. She was director of special events at NMSU from 1977 until her retirement in 1996, bringing more than 100 major concerts and performances to NMSU. “Nobody’s had the life that I’ve been blessed to live,” said Hubbard, who earned her nickname, “Mother Hubbard,” from Bob Hope.
The DAAC awards were held outdoors at The Hood.
Visit https://daarts.org/.
