By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – Best-selling author Anne Hillerman is joining some of New Mexico’s most celebrated artists as a recipient of the 2026 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, an honor she says left her both surprised and deeply grateful.
“Oh my gosh, I was thrilled, and I guess humbled is the word,” says Hillerman. “So many wonderful writers have received this award that it’s just kind of stunning to be included in their company.”
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced this year’s eight recipients on July 30. The awards recognize outstanding artistic achievement and contributions to New Mexico’s cultural landscape. This year’s honorees include artists, musicians, educators, museums and cultural leaders from across the state.
In the press release announcing the honorees, Lujan Grisham said, “Every year I am astounded by the talent and passion that recipients infuse into our state’s cultural fabric. This year’s awards culminate with eight honorees from across the state who truly represent what it means to embody the arts in New Mexico.”
Hillerman, whose continuation of her father Tony Hillerman’s beloved New Mexico-set Leaphorn and Chee mystery series has earned national acclaim, explains that the recognition is especially meaningful because of the writers who came before her.
“My dad received this award back in 1990,” says Hillerman. “There are so many wonderful, wonderful writers in New Mexico that there could have been a dozen people other than me who could have received this award, but I’m glad it’s me.”
Hillerman credits New Mexico with shaping both her life and career. “My mom and dad moved to New Mexico when I was, I think, 3 years old. So, I’ve lived here my whole life, and I think it was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me was being able to grow up here,” says Hillerman.
She began her career as a journalist before writing nonfiction. After her father’s death, she decided to continue the stories and characters readers had come to love. “I really loved his stories, and I thought, well, I don’t know if I can write a novel, but it’s worth a try. I just hated to see those characters not be able to continue,” says Hillerman.
Hillerman also praises New Mexico’s literary community, saying writers here tend to support one another rather than compete.
“I think we realize that the world just needs all the good stories we can come up with,” says Hillerman. “There’s something about this beautiful, diverse and expansive landscape that kind of encourages that same kind of diverse and expansive and creative and energetic writing.”
Also receiving the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts is Albuquerque’s Andrew Connors, director of the Albuquerque Museum. Connors has spent much of his career developing exhibitions and collections focused on Hispanic, Latino, Native American and Folk Art. He was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022 to the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Properties Advisory Committee and continues to serve in that role.
Other 2026 recipients include visual artist Adrián Aguirre, sculptor Bill Barrett, painter Eli Levin, painter Sam Scott, musician Delbert Anderson and the Institute of American Indian Arts.
The awards will be presented Oct. 15 during a ceremony at the St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, followed by a public reception. An exhibition featuring this year’s recipients will also open that day in the Governor’s Gallery at the Roundhouse.