Creativity in the Spotlight/”Best of Show”

As part of Santa Cruz County Arts Month the Santa Cruz County School Superintendent Alfredo Velásquez and his Office had a momentous arts celebration at the 1904 Historic Courthouse in downtown Nogales on October 23rd, 2021. The County honored many local artists by giving recognition to muralists who have beautified our community and presented the Ambassador of the Arts Awards to 10 leaders in the arts. The Courthouse hosted two beautiful exhibits by local artists: painter Luis Preciado and photographer Kevin Zúñiga. There was also live music performed by the talented Rio Rico High School Jazz Band and the Sky Islands Piano Trio of the Santa Cruz Foundation for the Performing Arts. October Arts Month, proclaimed by Santa Cruz County and the City of Nogales, aimed to unify our artistic community and fantastic local arts organizations through events such as hosting the Nogales/ Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce government affairs meeting, creating a monthly Master Arts and Culture Event Calendar for the county, establishing a county-wide arts committee, and sponsoring the Dia de Muertos Festival. At the awards ceremony Mr. Velásquez and Arts Director Evan Kory presented many special awards that honor the great artistic talent that exists in Santa Cruz County. The inaugural Nils Urman Mural of the Year Award, in memory of Mr. Urman, who had a major impact in our community through his work as Executive Director of Nogales Community Development and countless projects, was awarded to artist Karla Osete for her mural “Torch Cactus Blooms.” Recipients of the Ambassador of the Arts Award were, Janice Johnson, Sandra Kory, Robert “Bob” Ochoa, Grecia Solorio, Antonio Lucero, Christina Wilhelm, Kevin Zúñiga, Luis Preciado, Mark Dittmar, and Carolina Lopez. The Santa Cruz County School Superintendent’s Office will continue to promote the Arts in our community and looks forward to many more celebrations in the 1904 Historic Courthouse.

For artists of all genres, Saturday, October 30th, was an exciting day. La Linea Art Gallery and the downtown area of Nogales were alive with art and culture. As part of the event, the Santa Cruz County School Superintendent's Office highlighted the "Best of Show" exhibits from the Santa Cruz County Fair. Those in attendance arrived at La Linea Art Gallery that afternoon to view the exhibits, art and "Dia de los Muertos" altars, while also enjoying the array of appetizers. Santa Cruz County School Superintendent Alfredo I. Velásquez, Patricia Barraza-Preciado and staff would like to thank La Linea Art Gallery and Ms. Aissa Huerta for letting us share their space and feature these students' work. In addition, we would like to thank all the Santa Cruz County schools that participated with exhibits for the Santa Cruz County Fair. We're glad to see that everything is returning to normal and that students are once again able to showcase their talent.