The Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the Department of the Interior announced today the first set of four awards which will hereafter be made annually "in recognition of long and outstanding services in the preservation, encouragement and development of the arts and crafts of the American Indians."
The 1958 awards, consisting of certificates of appreciation, are being presented today in Gallup, New Mexico. Recipients, and the categories for which they won, include:
- The Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonial Association, of Gallup, New Mexico--Nonprofit organizations.
- Mr. Fred Wilson, Phoenix, Arizona--Dealers in arts and crafts.
- Mr. Ambrose Roanhorse, Gallup, New Mexico--Indian craftsmen.
- Mrs. Leslie Van Ness Denman, San Francisco, California--Collectors or patrons of Indian arts and crafts.
Actor Vincent Price, a member of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, is making the presentation of awards today. The basis for selection of winners is the longstanding services over and above the normal activities of the recipients in each classification.
The Chairman of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board is Rene d'Harnoncourt, Director of the Museum of Modern Art, New York City. Other members of the Board, all serving without compensation and under appointment by the Secretary of the Interior, are:
James W. Young, retired vice-president of J. Walter Thompson Company, New York City and Santa Fe, New Mexico; Frederick J. Dockstader, Assistant Director, Museum of the American Indian, New York City; Erich Kohlberg, dealer in Indian crafts, Denver, Colorado; and Mr. Price.
