Dana Maestas, one of the community souls looking after the Town of San Luis through her creative spirit, civic leadership and volunteerism, is among this year’s recipients of the Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards.

The Polis Administration and Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) announced Monday the 2025 recipients of the Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards to “recognize Coloradans who have demonstrated a significant commitment to the state’s creative landscape through civic leadership and volunteerism.” 

Maestas, who is receiving the Governor’s Arts and Community Action Award, will join three other awards recipients during a luncheon presentation on Friday, May 2, in Grand Junction. 

“In Colorado, we celebrate the arts as a key economic driver, job creator, and important contributor to our thriving culture. The arts commemorate who we were, celebrate who we are, and shape who we want to be,” said Gov. Polis. “We are grateful to the recipients announced today for their work to continually elevate this important part of Colorado’s culture and economy.”

Three categories of Creative Leadership Awards are presented to community members who have demonstrated a significant commitment to Colorado’s creative landscape through advocacy, vision, collaboration, or innovation: Arts and Community Action, Arts and Advocacy, and Arts and Creative Placemaking.

Here’s the full list of 2025 Creative Leadership Award recipients:

Dana Valdez Maestas

Recipient of the Arts and Community Action Award, presented to individuals who have demonstrated selfless service, inspired others to take action or catalyze change in their community using the arts.

Dana Valdez Maestas is a sixth-generation resident of the San Luis Valley and southern Colorado. She is a Latina business owner and art consultant at Jacales Fine Art, a gallery in San Luis. Also a freelance journalist, Maestas is the author of “Images of America: San Luis,” a pictorial history book. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and marketing from the University of Colorado. Her writings have appeared in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Muse, Santa Fe Circle, Valley Courier, Taos News, Costilla County Free Press and La Sierra. She is a grant writer for several San Luis Valley nonprofits, and Adams State University.

Maestas partnered with social practice arts resident Shelby Head and the Land Rights Council to co-produce and document seven land grant heirs’ personal stories concerning the historic use rights to La Sierra (formerly the Taylor Ranch), the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant. 

She co-authored and produced “The Miracle of San Acacio,” a historical play; worked with elementary students to create an ABC book on San Luis; and worked on a school curriculum project, “Preserving the Hispano Farm.” Maestas is working on a traditional & folk arts project to document and record the elders of the Rio Culebra Villages within the Culebra Watershed. 

Maestas has been a community advocate for the past 30 years, founding and spearheading art projects such as the Summer Arts Network, San Luis Performing Arts Series, Escultura San Luis, and ARTscape Sculpture Program in Alamosa. She has also sat on several boards, namely the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, Colorado Arts Consortium, Soul Players of the Valley, and Adobe de Oro Concilio de Artes.

Andy Sanchez

Recipient of the Arts and Advocacy Award, which honors individuals who work to advance economically vibrant, healthy, and equitable communities by ensuring that arts, culture and the creative industries and its workforce are valued and supported through policy, research, civic engagement, professional services and access.

As a Pueblonative, Andy Sanchez is an advocate for arts and culture in Colorado committed to furthering everyone’s access to quality of life through such advocacy. His past work for both the University of Colorado and Colorado State University systems and his post-graduate study in fine art and business supports his work in art administration now. 

His work as the CEO of the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center for the last three years and his board service there for nearly six years prior has been alongside a team that also recognizes the needs of the greater community that surrounds it. Sanchez and the team oversee an accredited American Alliance of Museums arts campus that has more than 84,000 square feet that includes an award-winning Children’s STEAM Museum, galleries, theater and conference space. The museum’s educational programming includes the practice of dance, performance, and the visual arts. 

His focus through his advocacy and work is to bolster the growth of Colorado arts and culture responsibly, yet with impactful results that leave it better prepared for our future and the next group of collaborators in the arts.

Cindy and David Starr

Recipients of the Arts and Creative Placemaking Award, which honors individuals who use the arts to envision new futures through activities such as activating a public space, animating a community or sparking redevelopment.

Cindy and David Starr have significantly impacted the cultural scene in Cedaredge, a town of 2,400 residents, and beyond on the Western Slope of Colorado.

Cindy Starr brought the Grand Mesa Arts and Events Center (GMAEC) to fruition after gathering a group of like-minded citizens from different backgrounds together in 2017 and working to open the center by June 2018. Cindy served as president of the Board of Directors for six years, a time in which GMAEC saw tremendous growth in programming, membership and reputation. It has grown into a campus, after securing a nearby auto repair garage that has been renovated into art and pottery studios. The campus is connected by a newly-acquired parking lot. She recently retired from her presidency position, but remains on the board as past president and is very active at the center in various roles.

David Starr is a professional musician and guitar store owner who has lived in Cedaredge for 24 years. He has singlehandedly changed the music scene in Cedaredge and the Surface Creek Valley through his musical advocacy and concert promotion. David was involved with the Art Center from the very beginning, overseeing the renovation of the 1904 historic Main Street building in Cedaredge. In 2020 David created an outdoor venue that allows 300-400 patrons to enjoy concerts every Friday night throughout the summer. He also serves on the Board of Directors and continues to give generously of his resources and time. His 50-plus years in the music business has been a valuable asset to the center.