2006 Mother Teresa Awards
AWALT & RHETTS ARE SELECTED FOR THE MOTHER TERESA AWARD
Barbe Awalt & Paul Rhetts, Senior Partners of LPD Press in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, have been named as 2006 Laureates for the Mother Teresa Award. The award recognizes their efforts to bring to the world the beauty of Hispanic New Mexican art through their books and their magazine Tradición Revista. Along with Awalt & Rhetts, this year’s Laureates include: the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Dalai Lama, actress Olivia Hussey, Father Daniel Berrigan, and others.
Mother Teresa said, “The world is not only hungry for food but also for beauty.” The award will be given to Awalt & Rhetts on September 7 at Expo NM at the Hispanic Awards Reception at 5:30pm. by Dan Paulos of the Saint Bernadette Institute of Sacred Art. One of last year’s winners will also be present, Dr. Charlie Carrillo.
The statuette is made by the R. S. Owens Company of Chicago, the same designers who make the Oscars.
Last year’s winners included: Pope John Paul II, President Jimmy Carter, Oprah, Archbishop Tutu, Bill & Melinda Gates, Santa Fe’s Charlie Carrillo, Archbishop Michael Sheehan and Guadalupita Ortiz. The Mother Teresa Award Program is organized by the St. Bernadette Institute of Sacred Art and Dan Paulos, its founder. The St. Bernadette Institute is located in Albuquerque.
For more information on the Mother Teresa Awards CLICK HERE.
The Albuquerque Journal ran this story in the September 7, 2006 issue of the newspaper.
Los Ranchos Pair to Be Honored
By Amanda Stevens
Of the Journal
For the past two years, those who beautify the world in any way have been not only noticed, but honored.
The Mother Teresa Awards are sponsored by the Saint Bernadette Institute of Sacred Art in Albuquerque to recognize those who bring beauty to the world, with an emphasis on religion, social justice and the arts.
"(The awards were) founded in 2004 and the whole idea was to encourage people around the world to continue to do beautiful things around the world," said Dan Paulos, director of the institute and of the awards. "... Some of the people are getting the award because they have dedicated themselves to sacred art, others are philanthropists and give to the poor ... it could be for almost anything."
Today, Los Ranchos residents Paul Rhetts and his wife, Barbe Awalt, will be honored with the award at the Hispanic Awards Reception at Expo New Mexico.
"We are absolutely in awe of being selected for this," Rhetts said. "But it is quite an honor."
Awalt and Rhetts are founders of the New Mexico Book Co-op, which sells and promotes New Mexico books, and senior partners with LPD Press and Tradicion Revista magazine. They are being recognized for featuring the "art and culture of the Southwest, especially the devotional art of New Mexico," through their books and magazine, the award Web site said.
Awalt and Rhetts founded the New Mexico Books & More store, the New Mexico Book Fiesta and the Chama Book Fiesta.
"I think the idea that they have devoted their entire careers to supporting and devoting sacred art to New Mexicans, this is wonderful," Paulos said. "... Their dedication is beautiful because they are not getting rich off of this, but they keep going because they have a love and the drive of Hispanic folk art."
One hundred people have been nominated for the award by the general public during the past two years. Each year, 33 laureates are chosen.
This year's other winners include the Dalai Lama, actress Olivia Hussey and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
"It was a shock that we were nominated. It was a total shock that we were selected," Rhetts said. "... If somebody thinks we have made a contribution that puts us in this same category (with the other winners), we are very honored."