Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) has announced that Walt Pourier (Oglala Lakota) of Nakota Designs has been named as a recipient of the 2014 Governor’s Creative Leadership Award. Pourier was one of three nominees selected from a list of 18 individuals and organizations throughout the State of Colorado.

The Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards honor Coloradans who have demonstrated a significant commitment to the state’s creative landscape through civic leadership and volunteerism, including advocacy, vision, collaboration, or innovation. Margaret Hunt, director of CCI, stated, “The goal of this award is to seek out those that are providing selfless service within the creative sector in Colorado, and to inspire others by honoring their process and celebrating achievements.”

This year’s awards will be presented in two categories: arts and community action, and arts and social change. Nominations were considered based on three factors, including the significance and magnitude of the use of the arts and the creative sector to enhance Colorado’s social and/or economic fabric, quality of life, and well-being; breadth of populations served by arts actions; and the extent of vision and long-term community impact.

Pourier was nominated in the arts and social change category for his suicide-prevention work with the Stronghold Society, a non-profit organization that inspires confidence, creativity, hope, and ambition for youth of Native and non-Native communities through leadership, development, arts programs, and skateboarding activities. The organization is active in Native communities and holds a variety of events to fulfill its mission. Among the largest is the One Gathering-Skate for Life event held each July. For more information on the Stronghold Society, visit: http://strongholdsociety.org/

THE STRONGHOLD SOCIETY
Our vision is to create a future where youth of Native communities and non-Native communities will live a successful, healthy way of life, both mentally and physically, to become the leaders of tomorrow.
http://strongholdsociety.org/