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Carmen Durazo smilles as she reacts to a speach given by Hildy Carrillo Wednesday evening during the renaming ceremony of the Calexico Cultural Arts Center to the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center. (ERIC MILLER PHOTO / January 23, 2013) |
CALEXICO — Arts advocate and former City Councilwoman Carmen Durazo’s eyes shone brightly as she was honored Wednesday evening during a dedication ceremony for the newly renamed Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center, which she helped bring to fruition.
“Carmen envisioned a place where people could meet, take classes, showcase their arts and come together to celebrate talent and cultural events,” Mayor Pro Tem Bill Hodge said. “Carmen Durazo, filled with hope, vision, passion and determination, set out to complete her goals and she did.”
Old and new faces, many of whom were former City Council members, filled the center for the event which was fittingly held in conjunction with the fourth annual Black and White art exhibit. A plaque for the renaming ceremony was also unveiled at the event.
Councilman John Moreno recalled when the center was just a coffee shop and marveled at the transformation of the space.
“It was her project, it was her determination and her vision that got it here. It’s a testament to all the work that you’ve done for the community going way back as an educator and as an advocate for the arts that we have this,” he told Durazo. “We want to thank you for all the hard work that you did to make this a reality.”
Durazo, affectionately known as “Tiny” to friends, was visibly moved by the outpouring of love and appreciation shown Wednesday.
“It’s been a long road, and I’m just so proud of all the artists in Calexico. I’m so proud of the people pursuing the arts and in support of them in Calexico,” she said. “They were always here, they were just hiding in the cobwebs waiting for a home, and that’s exactly what the cultural arts center has become.”
Hodge listed Durazo’s numerous contributions to the community, which included creating both the Calexico Arts Commission and the Calexico Arts Council, serving on the veterans monument committee, pushing for city ordinances that benefited the arts, co-founding the Border Players theater group, and working on the binational mural project that brought together 1,500 volunteers from both sides of the border.
“It’s an honor well-deserved. … Although she’s not actively involved in politics anymore, it’s a good recognition for her,” her brother Alfonso Durazo said. “It wasn’t always the most politically correct thing with tight budgets and the recession, but the money she worked for was well-spent. She’s definitely left a legacy, and we’re all proud of her.”
Imperial County Supervisor John Renison and supervisors Chairman Ray Castillo also presented a resolution on behalf of the county supporting the renaming of the center in her honor.
The guests were able to see the fruits of her labor by admiring various art pieces at the event by more than 25 local artists.
“We need the arts. It’s important to expand and enlighten our minds. The arts are wonderful and there’s so much history in them,” former Mayor Richard Romero said.
Carmen Durazo credited her family and education growing up for her deep appreciation of the arts and humbly thanked those who supported her efforts.
“Nothing happens alone. It’s the people of Calexico that made it happen, the people of the Imperial Valley that made it happen,” she said. “The council, city officials, city employees, they all worked hard to help me follow my dreams, and it became their dreams as well.”
Despite her long list of contributions, Durazo still wants to do more, such as getting a piano, professional dance space and more for the center, and reminded people that there’s still a lot of work to do.
“This is a home for all the arts,” she said while smiling. “We’re not finished.”
Staff Writer Chelcey Adami can be reached at 760-337-3452 or cadami@ivpressonline.com
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