A student clarinet player, an advocate for the disabled and a number of educational nonprofits are among the 2014 winners of the Denver , The Denver Post has learned.
Mayor Michael Hancock will announce the awards at 11 a.m. Tuesday at a news conference at the McNichols Civic Center Building.
The program, which began in 1986, recognizes people and organizations “that make significant and lasting contributions to the artistic, cultural and creative landscape in the City and County of Denver,” according to Arts & Venues Denver.
A panel of and members of Denver’s Commission on Cultural Affairs voted on the main awards:
• Youth Arts: Ryan Culhane
Colorado Honor Band student representative and clarinet player Culhane was responsible for developing instrument demonstrations at Hill Academy of the Arts and Sciences.
• Impact: Think 360 Arts Complete Education
Think 360 Arts is a Denver nonprofit that provides arts-related teacher training, services to students and public awareness programs.
• Arts Innovation: Damon McLeese
McLeese is director of VSA Colorado, a nonprofit that offers arts education and opportunities to people with disabilities.
• Global Arts: Christoph Heinrich
Heinrich is the Fredrick and Jan Mayer Director of the Denver Art Museum who brought popular exhibits such as “Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective” to the city and helped drive Denver tourism.
Additionally, members of the public voted on a pair of People’s Choice Awards:
• Unique Collaborations: RedLine’s E.P.I.C. Arts Program
The Curtis Park-area RedLine gallery offers an Educational Partnership Initiative for the Creative (E.P.I.C.) Arts program, which reaches out to schools and encourages students to find their voices through social justice-themed art.
• In-School Arts: Leslie Draper Roy
As a Denver Public Schools music teacher, Roy has won grants from Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, VH1 Save the Music Foundation and others in her quest to educate students with real-world examples.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642, jwenzel@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnwenzel
