TRINITY REP ANNOUNCES LOCAL PELL AWARD HONOREES AND EVENT LOCATION
Honorees
Barnaby Evans, Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Art
Marta V. Martínez, Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts
Trudy Coxe, Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts
Suzanne Magaziner, Charles Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts
24th ANNUAL PELL AWARDS GALA SLATED FOR JUNE 8, 2020
PROVIDENCE, RI – Trinity Repertory Company announced today that four Rhode Island residents will be honored at its 24th annual Pell Awards Gala on Monday, June 8, 2020 at Point 225 in Providence. Artist and creator of WaterFire Barnaby Evans, of Providence, and Rhode Island Latino Arts founder Marta V. Martínez, of Pawtuxet Village, will each receive a Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts. Trinity Rep board chair Suzanne Magaziner, of Bristol, will be awarded the Charles Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts. The Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts will go to Trudy Coxe, executive director of the Preservation Society of Newport County, who resides in Cranston. The event will also honor national artists, who will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2020 Pell Awards Gala is co-chaired by Kibbe and Tom Reilly and Richard and Sharon Jenkins.
Trinity Rep’s 2020 Pell Awards Gala will be held in Providence, Rhode Island at Point 225, phase one of Wexford Science & Technology’s multi-phase development and home to the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC). Located at 225 Dyer Street in the Providence Innovation and Design District, the 7th floor event location offers sweeping, panoramic views of the city and the river. “Trinity Rep is thrilled to have been granted access to this unique site, as we honor artists and leaders who have made an indelible mark on the vibrancy of our state,” said Trinity Rep Executive Director Tom Parrish.
The “creative black-tie” event will begin at 6:00 pm with a VIP cocktail reception, sponsored by The Providence Real Estate Guy. All guests will enjoy a seated gourmet dinner at 7:00 pm, followed by the awards ceremony at 8:00 pm. Attendees will enjoy mixing and mingling with artists, business, political, and social leaders; catering by Russell Morin Fine Catering; and unforgettable moments as the theater honors individuals who are committed to bettering the world through art, education and activism.
Tickets and sponsorships are on sale now at www.trinityrep.com/pell or by phone at (401) 453-9237. Individual gala tickets are $250; VIP tickets are $500. All proceeds from the Pell Awards Gala support Trinity Rep’s artistic programs. Event program tribute ads are also available.
“For 24 years, Trinity Rep has honored Senator Claiborne Pell’s visionary dedication to the arts and humanities by recognizing remarkable arts leaders and practitioners across the nation and in Rhode Island,” said Curt Columbus, Artistic Director. “Suzanne, Marta, Barnaby, and Trudy have made an enormous impact on our state, demonstrating the significant impact that a life spent in dedication to creativity, community, and philanthropy can make. We are thrilled to celebrate their individual achievements, their commitment to bettering the world through art, and their years of service to our region.”
Trinity Rep’s Pell Awards were established in 1997 to honor the legacy of Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) and recognize artistic excellence in Rhode Island and the New England region as well as on the national level. Between 1961 and 1997, Senator Pell held influential Senate posts in the fields of human resources, education, arms control, health, human rights, foreign relations, the environment, and the arts and humanities. Throughout his life, Senator Pell worked to support the arts and provide new opportunities for artists. He was the principal sponsor of landmark legislation that established the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities in 1965, and chaired the Senate Education and Arts subcommittee. He also took a lead role in eliminating barriers to higher education with his legislation creating the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, which Congress named “Pell Grants” in 1980.
Previous recipients of the Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts include 2019’s Valerie Tutson, as well as John Benson, Howard BenTré, Dan Butterworth, Len Cabral, Charlene Carpenzano, John Chan, Bob Colonna, Robert Coover, Umberto “Bert” Crenca, Richard Cumming, Ruth Frisch Dealy, Tony Estrella, Richard Fleischner, Peter Geisser, Malcolm Grear, Michael Harper, Bunny Harvey, Dorothy Jungels & the Everett Dance Theatre, George Kent, Eugene Lee, David Macaulay, Salvatore Mancini, Dave McKenna, Barbara Meek, Denny Moers, Morris Nathanson, Timothy Philbrick, Ricardo Pitts-Wiley, Duke Robillard, Thomas Sgouros, Sr., Consuelo Sherba, Gretchen Dow Simpson, Maria Spacagna, Judith Lynn Stillman, Chris Van Allsburg, Paula Vogel, Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop, William Warner, Rose Weaver, Steven Weinberg, and Toots Zynsky.
Past recipients of the Pell Award/Charles Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service in/to the Arts include 2019’s Dolores Davis Grant, as well as Elizabeth Z. Chace, Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr., Martha Douglas-Osmundson, Sally and Joe Dowling, Adrian Hall, Mary Paula Hunter, P. William Hutchinson, Virginia Lynch, Lowry Marshall, Jane S. Nelson, Elaine Foster Perry and Julie Adams Strandberg.
Past Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts honorees include 2019’s Rosanne Somerson (Rhode Island School of Design), as well as Jeannine Chartier (VSA arts RI), Joseph A. Chazan M.D., Mihailo “Misha” Djuric (Festival Ballet Providence), Michael Gennaro, Roger Mandle, Senator Claiborne Pell, J.L. “Lynn” Singleton (Providence Performing Arts Center), and George Wein (Newport Jazz Festival).