Celebrating Colorado Artists and Community Impact: Gov. Polis Announces Recipients of 2026 Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards

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To be presented at the Colorado Creative Industries Summit in Trinidad June 4

DENVER — Today, Governor Polis and the Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced the 2026 recipients of the Governor's Creative Leadership Awards. This year's honorees from Colorado Springs, Mancos, and Walsenburg, Colorado, are recognized for their significant commitment to the state's creative landscape through civic leadership.

"Arts and culture play a really important role in Colorado's thriving economy. Growing up in a family of artists, I know firsthand the impact art can have. I am thrilled to celebrate this year's award honorees and I am grateful for the amazing contributions to Colorado's culture and economy inspiring the next generation of artists," said Governor Polis.

The Governor's Creative Leadership awards will be presented on Thursday, June 4, at the Colorado Creative Industries Summit in Trinidad, Colorado. The CCI Summit is a two-day event that convenes more than 350 artists and creative leaders from across the state, featuring over 50 sessions, activations, and tours that explore Colorado's creative ecosystem. The wide range of sessions examine the role of creativity in addressing shared challenges and opportunities at the intersection of business, education, health, infrastructure and policy.

"We are thrilled to recognize the incredible contributions of the recipients announced today. The creative industries contribute nearly $20 billion to Colorado's economy and support over 120,000 jobs annually. These recipients' work strengthens our creative economy and reinforces the vital role arts and culture play in driving economic vitality. Congratulations to the honorees!" said OEDIT Executive Director Eve Lieberman.

The awards luncheon will feature the awards presentation, a moderated conversation on local cultural movements, music performances, and a poetry reading from Colorado Poet Laureate, Crisosto Apache. Press interested in attending and covering the awards luncheon should contact Libby Barbee at libby.barbee@state.co.us or Emma Acheson at emma.acheson@state.co.us.

"Arts and creativity play a critical role in supporting community development and cultural identity," said CCI Director, Josh Blanchard. "These outstanding artists and arts leaders uplift their communities' and contribute to making art accessible to all. As we look toward the next 150 years, these leaders remind us that creativity in Colorado is vibrant and essential to fostering resilient local economies and communities."

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The three categories of Creative Leadership Awards include: Arts and Community Action, Arts and Advocacy, and Arts and Creative Placemaking. The awards program honors and uplifts individuals that have gone above and beyond to utilize the arts as a tool for catalyzing social change, strengthening communities, and advocating for access to the arts for all.

This year's awards were created by Trinidad artist Thomas Laidig. Since a young age, Laidig has been on a life-long quest to carve indelible stone statements, which have evolved into a language he coined "Catastrophic Geometry". Laidig spends every summer teaching and facilitating at the MARBLE/marble Stone Carving Symposium.

The 2026 Creative Leadership Award recipients include the following (photos available by request):

Brendt Berger and Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger - Walsenburg, Colorado - 2026 Arts and Creative Placemaking Award

Brendt Berger is an artist who champions community, diversity and personal development. Together, Brendt and Maria founded the Museum of Friends (MoF) in 2006. MoF is a contemporary art museum recognized for applying the arts as a catalyst for social activism, civic engagement, and economic revitalization in rural Walsenburg, Colorado. MoF is not only a shelter for works of art, but also a community center offering a whole variety of community-building services. Some services include early childhood programs, art exhibits, lectures, films working in cooperation with the Fox Theater, The Green Thumb Initiative (Cañon City), Pueblo's United Way, and other local non-profits.

Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger is a practicing studio/public artist and educator. Maria's public art and community projects include murals, tile and garden installations, and collaborative banners created for Arts in Society in Walsenburg in partnership with the Downtown Revitalization Committee, NYC School Construction 1% for the Arts Program, Socrates Sculpture Park, PS1 Contemporary Art Museum, Queens, and many more. These collaborative contemporary interventions explored how community can be reimagined through art and give youth a voice.

Ashley Cornelius - Colorado Springs, Colorado - 2026 Arts and Advocacy Award

Ashley Cornelius is an award-winning spoken word poet and community leader whose work amplifies identity, social change, and joy. As the first Black Poet Laureate of the Pikes Peak Region and a licensed therapist, she reimagines poetry as a tool for healing, activism, and collective liberation. Ashley's work has been featured at protests, conferences, documentaries, and special events statewide, nationally, and internationally. A two-time TEDx speaker, she has opened for former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, performed for Juneteenth activist Opal Lee, and been commissioned for a James Turrell Skyspace installation. Beyond the stage, Ashley collaborates with businesses, nonprofits, and organizations to integrate poetry as activism in innovative ways. Ashley is the Co-Director of Poetry719, a grassroots Black-led poetry group in Colorado Springs lifting the voices of marginalized communities through art and poetry events.

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Tami Graham - Mancos, Colorado - 2026 Arts and Community Action Award

Tami Graham has spent her career working with and for nonprofit organizations, including KSUT Public Radio, where she has been the executive director since 2015. Tami led two successful capital campaigns, raising over $5 million to create new homes for both KSUT and Mancos Common Press. She had a successful nonprofit consulting practice from 2001-2015, and is a professional mediator and facilitator.  Tami was awarded Woman of the Year at Fort Lewis College in 1996 for her work at the helm of KDUR Community Radio. She served for six years as an appointee of Governor Polis to the Colorado Creative Industries board. She is a fifth-generation Coloradan and lives just north of Mancos, Colorado. She spends her time adventuring in the mountains, rivers, and deserts throughout the Four Corners region and has summited over 45 of Colorado's 14,000-foot+ peaks.

About Colorado Creative Industries

Colorado Creative Industries is a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Established to capitalize on the immense potential for our creative sector to enhance economic growth in Colorado, the mission of Colorado Creative Industries is to promote, support and expand the creative industries to drive Colorado's economy, grow jobs and enhance our quality of life. For more information, visit oedit.colorado.gov/colorado-creative-industries.

About the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) works to empower all to thrive in Colorado's economy. Under the leadership of the Governor and in collaboration with economic development partners across the state, we foster a thriving business environment through funding and financial programs, training, consulting and informational resources across industries and regions. We promote economic growth and long-term job creation by recruiting, retaining, and expanding Colorado businesses and providing programs that support entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes at every stage of growth. Our goal is to protect what makes our state a great place to live, work, start a business, raise a family, visit and retire—and make it accessible to everyone. Learn more about OEDIT.

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