The 2023 Pell Awards Gala will be the first to be held since 2019. All four local honorees were originally slated for recognition at the Pell Awards Gala in June 2020, which was cancelled due to the pandemic. Trinity Rep’s 2023 Pell Awards Gala will be held in Providence, Rhode Island at WaterFire Arts Center, located at 475 Valley St. in a renovated historic, industrial building in the Olneyville/Valley neighborhood of Providence. The event is co-chaired by Kibbe and Tom Reilly and Richard and Sharon Jenkins.
The Pell Awards Gala will begin at 6:00 pm with a VIP cocktail reception. All guests will enjoy a seated 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 go on sale January 10 at www.trinityrep.com/pell or by phone at (401) 453-9235. Individual gala tickets are $300; VIP tickets are $600. All proceeds from the Pell Awards Gala support Trinity Rep’s artistic, education, and community engagement programs. Event program tribute ads are also available.
“For over two decades, Trinity Rep has honored Senator Claiborne Pell's visionary dedication to the arts and humanities by recognizing remarkable arts leaders and practitioners in Rhode Island,” Artistic Director Curt Columbus said. “Suzanne, Marta, Barnaby, and Trudy have made an indelible impact on the lives of people in our state, demonstrating the significance that a life spent dedicated 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.”
ABOUT THE PELL AWARDS
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 Deloris 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, as well as Jeannine Chartier, Joseph A. Chazan M.D., Mihailo “Misha” Djuric, Michael Gennaro, Roger Mandle, Senator Claiborne Pell, J.L. “Lynn” Singleton, and George Wein.