Previous Governor’s Arts Awards Recipients

John Garrett has been working with the application of textile technologies and imagery to various untraditional fiber materials for over 50 years.  The National Endowment for the Arts awarded him fellowships in 1983 and 1995.  In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council’s College of Fellows.

Diana Ingalls Leyba is a mixed-media artist, gallery owner, and founder/director of the Youth Mural Program. The twenty-one-year-old Youth Mural Program has created over 85 projects engaging several thousand area youth. The Mission of YMP is to engage and empower youth enriching the community through public art that interprets the history, culture, and ecology of southwestern New Mexico.

Ross Kagan Marks is an award-winning director, writer and producer. He has worked with Academy Award winners Al Pacino, Brendan Fraser and Faye Dunaway as well as Edward James Olmos and George Lopez. His more than sixteen films have won awards at festivals throughout the world. The Executive Director and founder of the Las Cruces International Film Festival, Ross is a professor at New Mexico State University.

Arlo Namingha (Tewa/Hopi) Arlo is a Santa Fe -based internationally known sculptor and multi-media artist with a love for his community and his cultural upbringing. He studied fine arts with a focus on architecture and business. From an early age, Arlo created art in various mediums ultimately settling on sculpture as his primary medium. His works are in numerous museum collections, and he continues to pursue his passion for teaching by working alongside his father, Dan Namingha, at the Namingha Institute.

Pamela Smith launched her paper marbling career 50 years ago in tandem with her work as founding director of the Press of the Palace of the Governors. Curator, educator, award-winning book designer/letterpress printer, and proprietress of the widely recognized MarbleSmith Papers, today, at age 80, she continues teaching her skills.

Jock Soto, a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet (1981-2005), is celebrated for his powerful technique and artistry. Beyond performing, he has significantly contributed as a choreographer, teacher, and writer, leaving a lasting impact on the dance world.

Robert and Ellen Vladem were awarded the Mayor’s Art’s award for philanthropy in 2022. They are the lead donors of the New Mexico Museum of Art, Vladem Contemporary Museum, their contribution ensuring the museum would be built. At the Santa Fe Opera, they created the Robert and Ellen Vladem Perpetual Fund for Opera Production which will underwrite a production a year in perpetuity. They also named the Opera’s Costume shop, pavilions, kiosks, and walkways. Robert is the First Vice President of the Opera’s Board and has been appointed by the Governor a Trustee of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Ellen is a docent at the Vladem Contemporary and volunteers at the Opera’s gift shop. They look forward to supporting the Arts in New Mexico for many years to come.