Awards and Honors

2016 NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES YOUTH PROGRAM AWARDS ANNOUNCED!

Each year, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and its cultural partners — the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services —  recognizes 50 outstanding programs all over the country for their work in providing excellent arts and humanities learning opportunities to young people. This is the third time AfA has been recognized as having one of the top 50 youth arts programs in the country.

The committee sent the following letter to Art from Ashes announcing our award:

Congratulations! Your program’s work has been chosen for recognition as a 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award (NAHYP) Finalist by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and its partner agencies, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

We are highly impressed with the successful work your organization and the other Finalists have accomplished in youth after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities learning.

Your program’s selection as one of the 50 Finalists distinguishes it as one of the top arts- and humanities-based programs in the country.

National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award 2015

Art from Ashes was again named as a finalist for the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities 2015 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program (NAHYP)  Award. This was the second time AfA has been recognized as one of the top 50 youth arts organizations in the country in the past three years.

AfA was recognized out of 335 nominations for the award for accomplishments youth out-of-school arts and humanities learning. The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award is “the Nation’s highest honor for out-of-school arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people, particularly those from underserved communities. This award recognizes and supports excellence in programs that open new pathways to learning, self-discovery, and achievement.”

2013 Art from Ashes considered one of the top 50 youth arts organizations in nation

AfA was named a Finalist for the prestigious President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities 2013 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. In the certificate from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Art from Ashes is noted as “one of the top arts and humanities-based programs in the country.” The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities “bridges the interests of federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation and excellence in the arts and humanities and helps incorporate these disciplines into White House objectives under our Honorary Chairperson First Lady Michelle Obama.”

“From all of us here at Colorado Creative Industries, congratulations on being named a Finalist for the prestigious President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities 2013 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. We are proud to have supported your wonderful work over the years!”
Best, Sheila Sears
Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Creative Industries Division

Art from Ashes receives 2012 human rights award

Art from Ashes received the cherished award from the Cherry Creek Diversity Conference for our efforts to create a diverse and inclusive society! The award is presented annually to an organization that best exemplifies “Hard Work and Dedication in Promoting the Ideals of Peace, Unity and Understanding for the Youth of Colorado.” More than 1,000 teenagers from over 90 Colorado high schools and youth organizations gather every February to celebrate diversity and to strategize on developing a safe and welcoming learning environment across the state’s high schools and communities.

Friends of Beanstalk!

Catherine O’Neill Thorn has been designated a Community Leader by Beanstalk Foundation. Check out the blog, featuring Art from Ashes and other great organizations doing good work in our community!

Read this amazing article about AfA and information about Catherine O’Neill Thorn, founder and executive director of Art from Ashes, and a Beanstalk “Neighborhood Hero.”

2011 international women’s day award

Art from Ashes Executive Director Catherine O’Neill Thorn was a keynote speaker at the International Women’s Day Conference on March 7th and 8th. International Women’s Day is sponsored by the Women’s Information Network and was the largest gathering of women in the history of the world (176 countries). Catherine spoke on Women and Power: How words transform our reality. She also was presented with an Outstanding Service Award, for outstanding leaders who perform at the highest level in her career and community and who help other women excel!

American Association of Law Libraries Award

In 2010 Art from Ashes was chosen by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) as their community outreach organization in Denver. Each year the AALL researches different non-profit organizations in the host city of its annual meeting and selects one group for their outreach.

MasterMind Award for Literary Arts

…Art from Ashes has shown itself deserving of a MasterMind award. But Thorn insists that the real brains are the people her organization serves. “We know that arts are intrinsically healing, but Art from Ashes goes one step beyond that,” she says. “There is a cathartic process, where kids use poetry to talk about their pain and their rage. They listen to each other’s poems and find out that they’re not as isolated as they thought… We believe in the power of words, because words create, and because these kids are creative geniuses. We lead them to a place where they start to create a different reality for themselves.” —Amber Taufen, Westword

Westword’s Best of Denver 2007 award for Best Therapeutic Poetry Organization

“Life isn’t always easy for the young. And high-risk youth whose lives are impacted by violence, drugs and alcohol sometimes don’t have the opportunity to find their voices or learn to express themselves. To combat that, Art From Ashes collaborates with other youth-service organizations to offer poetry and spoken-word workshops for kids who are homeless, incarcerated, in the court system or residing in treatment centers or just urban settings. Art From Ashes encourages emotional catharsis and expression through writing therapy, giving kids their voices before they lose them forever.”

2006 Community “Artivist” Award

The Pan African Arts Society awarded Catherine O’Neill Thorn, executive director of Art from Ashes, the 2006 Community “Artivist” Award for “years of consistent commitment to the urban art scene in the Denver Metro area.” Awards are presented to organizations and individuals who “work to encourage and support arts education, personal creativity and community engagement.”