Heidi Wilson, former chair of Coronado’s Cultural Arts Commission, was named a community Woman of the Year by Assembly Speaker Emeritus Toni G. Atkins. Wilson was one of 26 other women in the 78th District honored for accomplishments and service to their community.
“These are extraordinary women doing extraordinary things and we want their efforts to be acknowledged,” Atkins said at a luncheon honoring the women on Friday.
Atkins spotlights women of distinction in her district every year in celebration of Women’s History Month; last year’s recipient was Doug St. Denis.
Like St. Denis, Wilson has been a strong force in transforming and raising the city’s cultural profile.
“Heidi has worked tirelessly to help coordinate Coronado’s arts community into one cohesive fabric,” said Mayor Casey Tanaka. “She is rightfully being recognized for making our city a more vibrant and exciting place to live, work and play.”
Wilson was the driving force behind Coronado’s Cultural Arts Commission. Under her leadership the commission launched CoronadoARTS.com, a website that highlights the city’s art scene, after a study that demonstrated economic benefits from arts and cultural organizations.
In 2015 she directed the planning and implementation of Coronado Celebrates 125 Years, a yearlong celebration of Coronado’s incorporation as a city that included concerts, films, and exhibits all themed to reflect Coronado’s history.
Wilson helped raise $150,000 in grants and $135,000 in sponsorships to produce 35 unique events and the creation of commemorative items and publications.
While the cultural arts commission has a hard working, dedicated team of volunteers, it was “largely through her efforts that the commission came into existence and now fosters the many cultural arts opportunities our community has available to the public from all over San Diego County,” said Councilwoman Carrie Downey, who accepted the award on Wilson’s behalf.
Wilson learned of the award a month ago. “I was stunned. I’m not someone who seeks the limelight,” Wilson said in a telephone interview from Hawaii, where she and her husband now live. “I can get up in front of a crowd and talk about things I am passionate about,” she said.
When Tanaka presented Wilson with a key to the city at a council meeting last month, he had to create a ruse to make sure she was there to receive the key. “Casey knew I wouldn’t have shown up if I knew it was to honor me,” Wilson said.
When it comes to talking about herself, she’s quick to shift attention to others, even when it comes to the cultural arts commission, something many consider her greatest accomplishment.
“I don’t take total credit for it,” she said. “It was the people who came together with a passion about the arts that created the synergy that made it all possible.”
Her proudest accomplishment was Coronado Celebrates 125 Years. We were able to address the cultural aspects of our mission,” she said. “When you celebrate the history of a community, its people and events, you touch the core of its culture and can address it in a significant way.”
