PUEBLO, Colo. –- October 29, 2012 The Pueblo Performing Arts Guild’s (PPAG) Board of Directors is proud to announce the recipients of the 2012 Pueblo Arts Awards. These include the awards for Outstanding Arts Achievement, Pueblo Arts Hall of Fame and Angel of the Year. These awards will be presented to the recipients at the Backstage Pass, November 2, at the El Pueblo History Museum. Tickets are $10. Advance tickets can be bought online at www.PuebloPAG.org; The Party People, 130 S. Union Ave; and Broadway Cup ‘n Cork, 101 Broadway Ave. Tickets are also available during the event at the door.

The Party People will be presented with the Outstanding Arts Achievement Award. This award recognizes a PPAG Member, individual artist or arts organization, in the Pueblo community that has made a significant, unique and/or outstanding contribution in the 2011-2012 Season. The Party People’s list of outstanding accomplishments this year include performing more in the 2011-2012 season than at any other time: 30 performances in Grand Junction, 32 performances in Montana, 42 performances outside of Pueblo, but in the state, 220 performances in The Theater of Mystery and 63 performances in Pueblo outside of the theater. In all, they gave 354 performances from Pueblo to the Canadian Border and back. Many of the performances, approximately 60, were educational in some way: "I love to read," "No bullies allowed," "Dream Big" and "The Magic of Agriculture." They also found time to volunteer their talents for important causes, such as Relay for Life, Support for our Troops, etc. The Party People bring the art of magic to a new level. Recently, they won The Best of Pueblo, as one of the best places to have a birthday party.

The inductees into the Pueblo Arts Hall of Fame, Wayne Genova and Donna Stinchcomb, have shown a lifetime achievement of direct involvement and commitment to the arts in Pueblo. Genova retired from active teaching in the fall of 2008 after 38 years of teaching students music in the Pueblo, Colorado, school systems. He has taught General Music, Choral Music, Music Theory and Appreciation and Orchestra at the Junior High, Middle School, High School and Collegiate levels in Pueblo. During his career, Genova has been an outstanding advocate for the arts in our community and the driving force behind the summer musical in Pueblo for 30 years. Stinchcomb has been employed at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center since 1989. There she taught dance and theater, danced with the professional modern company, Danspectra, and has been artistic director of Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre, the Center’s past resident companies. As education director, she was instrumental in forming the charter for the Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences. She is currently the curator of the award winning Buell Children’s Museum. As the choreographer and co-director of the Pueblo Parks & Recreation/Pueblo City Schools Summer Musical, she produced numerous shows with area high school and college students for over three decades. She is an advocate for arts for all children and believes, in Elliot Eisner’s words, that “Art is the literacy of the heart.”

Angel of the Year will be awarded to La Renaissance for their continued support of the arts and their constant encouragement of productions of great performances by local artists.

About PPAG

PPAG's mission is to promote the production, enjoyment, and collaboration of the arts for the purposes of economic development and an enriched quality of life in Pueblo. PPAG is a nonprofit organization that exists to provide support to its membership in the form of (1) collaborating for marketing, performances, and education opportunities, (2) raising awareness in the community as to the availability of local and regional arts productions and events and (3) promoting and providing sustainable infrastructure for the creative industries. PPAG’s vision is to create a downtown arts district.

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PUEBLO, Colo.--October 17, 2012 The Backstage Pass treats you to a celebration of Pueblo’s burgeoning Creative Corridor with festivities benefiting the Pueblo Performing Arts Guild’s (PPAG) downtown cultural programming. Enjoy the party on Nov. 2, from 7 to 11 p.m., at El Pueblo History Museum. The event features Dia de los Muertos activities like face painting, sugar skull decorating and alter building. Also, enjoy music by The Blue Pepper Trio, performances by the fire juggling team of Circle Square Circus and specialty drinks. Silent auction includes Monarch Ski Passes and a Pilates Party.

Tickets are $10. Group sales are available. Advance tickets can be bought online at www.PueboPAG.org. The Party People, 130 S. Union Ave; and Broadway Cup ‘n Cork, 101 Broadway Ave. Tickets also available during the event at all participating First Friday Art Walk galleries and El Pueblo History Museum, 301 N. Union Ave. 

The sponsors for this event are Legacy Bank, R. Peter Sonntag DDS, Hunter Orthodontics, K. R. Swerdfeger Construction Inc., and Standard Sales.

For more information, please visit visiting www.PuebloPAG.org or follow on www.facebook.com/PuebloPAG. For information on the Pueblo Creative Corridor, call 855-543-2430 or find at www.facebook.com/PuebloCreativeCorridor.

About the Creative Corridor

The Creative Corridor is focused around the three historic city centers of Pueblo: Downtown Main Street, Union Avenue Historic District and the Mesa Junction.  Each retains its uniqueness while collaborating for maximum effectiveness. The Creative Corridor was formed with a partnership of PPAG, Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority, and City of Pueblo to attract artists, creative entrepreneurs and vistitors as a strategy to infuse new energy and innovation and enhance the economic and civic capital of the community. PPAG is the administrator of the Corridor and is responsible for facilitating meetings, communicating with the Corridor volunteers, strategic planning, meeting state requirements for technical support, data collection and reporting.

About PPAG

PPAG's mission is to promote the production, enjoyment, and collaboration of the arts for the purposes of economic development and an enriched quality of life in Pueblo. PPAG is a nonprofit organization that exists to provide support to its membership in the form of (1) collaborating for marketing, performances, and education opportunities, (2) raising awareness in the community as to the availability of local and regional arts productions and events and (3) promoting and providing sustainable infrastructure for the creative industries.  PPAG’s vision is to create a downtown arts district.

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PUEBLO, Colo.--October 15, 2012 The Pueblo Creative Corridor’s First Friday Art Walk festivities coincide with the annual Backstage Pass Fundraiser. First Friday activities begin at 5 p.m. on Nov. 2. The Backstage Pass Fundraiser and Party will be held at the El Pueblo History Museum from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets for the Fundraiser are $10. All activities associated with Pueblo’s First Friday Art Walk are free.

On First Friday Art Walk, visitors can create their own free walking tour of a variety of locations by starting at one gallery, picking up a guide, and traveling on to another destination after mingling with the artists. Pueblo’s First Friday Art Walk offers visitors more than paintings, photography, fiber arts, sculpture, glass and pottery. Many galleries have special demonstrations of “live art activities,” and visitors are treated to live music and entertainment in galleries, restaurants and a variety of shops. Pueblo’s First Friday Art Walk Guide is available in all galleries and participating businesses. The guide includes a plan of activities and a map. More information, schedules, galleries and activities can be found by visiting www.PuebloPAG.org or follow on www.facebook.com/PuebloPAG. For information on the Pueblo Creative Corridor, call 855-543-2430 or find at www.facebook.com/PuebloCreativeCorridor.

Mesa Junction Area:

Alter Image Salon, 114 Colorado Ave. New works from featured artists Lisa Bailey and Toni Labenburg. 

Cup & Bowl Studio & Gallery, 116 Midway Ave. “The Mystery of Clay” will feature potter Gary Holmes.

Cycle of Life, 111 E. Abriendo Ave., showing “Functional Artwork: Wood Craft” by Larry Viles, and paintings on canvas and styrofoam by Mike "Shrek" Sharek.

Steel City Theatre Company presents Grease at Central High School, 216 E. Orman Ave., 7:30 p.m., with a cost of $5 with donation of a canned food item.

Union Avenue Historic District:

Fun Yogurt, 223 S. Union Ave., will be displaying artwork by children with special needs who receive occupational therapy at the Pueblo Pediatric Therapy Center.

 Steel City Art Works Gallery, 216 S. Union Ave. Featured artists are Jay Hollingsworth, glass fusion; Lisa Bailey, mixed media; Bonnie Quillen, oils; Cheryl Scott, abstract.

Downtown Area/Main Street:

SAGE Art Academy, 203 N. Main St., celebrating its One Year Anniversary! Selected student show, live music and creative Art Table.

The Third Place in the Hoag Studio, Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, 210 N. Santa Fe Ave. Featuring The Pikes Peak Pastel Society. Also, visit with the artists the first and third Fridays of each month for a free public opening reception from 5 to 10 p.m. and then come back to witness their progress and watch them work on their latest creations.

The sponsors for the 2012-2013 First Friday Art Walk activities are Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, National Endowment for the Arts, Pueblo Community College and Pueblo Marriott. The Pueblo Performing Arts Guild promotes the production, enjoyment, and collaboration of the arts for the purposes of economic development and an enriched quality of life in Pueblo.

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PUEBLO, Colo.--October 10, 2012 The Pueblo Performing Arts Guild (PPAG), as well as several other groups in Pueblo, are recipients of the 2012-2013 Colorado Creates, the largest grant program of the Colorado Creative Industries. Colorado Creative Industries is a division of the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Other Pueblo-based grant recipients include: Chamber Music with The Veronika String Quartet, Inc. ($4,000), Pueblo Children’s Chorale ($4,000), Pueblo Symphony Association, Inc. ($7,500) and Southern Colorado Theatre Company ($4,000). PPAG received $4,000.

 “These grants support the artists and creative entrepreneurs who are critical to Colorado’s economy,” said Elaine Mariner, Director of Colorado Creative Industries. “There are over 186,000 jobs in our state’s creative sector, making it the fifth largest employment cluster. By investing in this sector’s vitality, the state builds its reputation as a premier creative hub and reaps significant economic returns.”

This grant provides financial awards to support arts and cultural activities in Colorado. Grants are geared to nonprofit cultural organizations and government agencies that produce and present arts and cultural activities, bring jobs to their communities and enhance their quality of life.

About PPAG 

PPAG's mission is to promote the production, enjoyment, and collaboration of the arts for the purposes of economic development and an enriched quality of life in Pueblo. PPAG is a nonprofit organization that exists to provide support to its membership in the form of (1) collaborating for marketing, performances, and education opportunities, (2) raising awareness in the community as to the availability of local and regional arts productions and events and (3) promoting and providing sustainable infrastructure for the creative industries.  PPAG’s vision is to create a downtown arts district.