Colorado businesses, individuals honored for contributions to the arts
The rebel band Itchy-O is among those feted for its work with engineering students
The Gill Foundation, Mishawaka Amphitheatre and U.S. Bank were among those celebrated Tuesday at the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts’ annual awards honoring cultural, civic and business leaders who support the arts.
This year’s honorees included businesses and individuals who support, among other things, BIPOC, LGBTQ and disabled artists – and, this year, even musically inclined college engineering students.
Colectiva is dedicated to advancing Latinx and BIPOC artists and creative businesses, ranging from chefs to dancers. The Gill Foundation partnered with Scream Agency, History Colorado and the RiNo Arts District to raise awareness about pivotal LGBTQ movements in 2021. Modivcare worked with Access Gallery to fill their new corporate headquarters with nearly 100 original artworks created by artists with disabilities and seniors.
And about those engineering students? Colorado School of Mines students and faculty collaborated with renegade performing-arts collective Itchy-O to create a one-of-kind musical instrument as a way of showcasing the intersection of the arts and science. Working with artist-in-residence Sarah Harling, the band helped to design a”gamelan-like” instrument – that’s a set of gongs and metallophones originating in Indonesia around 78 A.D., according to the college – made from 600 pounds of donated metal.
The Mishawaka Amphitheatre, located 65 miles north of Denver in Bellvue, was honored for helping to expand access to live music to the Front Range community. U.S. Bank was cited for making $250,000 available to a range of Colorado cultural organizations each year. Among the other honorees was Fitzsimons Credit Union, which supports efforts on behalf of the Aurora Cultural Arts District.
The most prestigious individual honor, called the John Madden Jr. Leadership Award, went to Merle Chambers, co-founder of the Kirkland Museum and a pioneering leader and philanthropist. Chambers has supported significant capital projects at museums, performance venues and cultural institutions. And she was recently was appointed by President Joseph Biden to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
The EY Next Wave Leadership Award went to Ashley Cornelius, a program manager at Denver Health and passionate advocate for mental health, empowerment and racial equity. She’s also the Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate and is committed to using poetry as a platform to speak up for marginalized groups.
The PNC Bank Cultural Leadership Award went to Deborah Malden, whose leadership service includes 3rd Law Dance/Theater, the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Create Boulder and Boulder Chamber.
The Volunteer Attorney Impact Award went to Brian Hanning of Hanning Law Limited, who has been an active volunteer with Colorado Attorneys for the Arts since 2017.
“This year’s honorees truly demonstrated the impact of CBCA’s mission and how arts and business partnerships can foster innovation, inclusion and economic growth,” said Dustin Whistler, Chair of the CBCA’s board of directors.
The CBCA Awards, presented before 700 at Tuesday’s sold-out luncheon in the Seawell Ballroom in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, is the only statewide event honoring companies and individuals for their commitments to the arts. The emcee was retiring CBS4 news anchor Jim Benemann. The program included live performances by Denver singer Kayla Marque, the Leela Dance Collective (which specializes in the North Indian dance form called kathak), the Boulder Bassoon Quartet and Wild Heart Dance.
Here’s the complete listed of honored businesses, with links to more information on each:
• The Gill Foundation and Scream Agency
• Mishawaka Amphitheatre and the Mish Initiative
