Trinity Rep Calling for LOCAL Pell Award Nominees
The Pell Awards Gala at Trinity Rep slated for May 30, 2008
Trinity Rep and the Rhode Island Pell Awards Selection Committee are inviting the public to nominate outstanding local artists for the 2008 Rhode Island Pell Awards for Excellence in the Arts. To nominate an artist, please submit the artist’s name, contact information, and a brief description of his or her work and the contributions that he or she has made to Rhode Island.
Nomination forms are available online at http://www.trinityrep.com or by calling Danielle Kemsley at (401) 521-1100 x297.
The Pell Awards honor Senator Claiborne Pell and recognize artistic excellence in Rhode Island and the New England region as well as on the national level. Throughout his life, Senator Pell has worked to support the arts and provide new opportunities for artists. He sponsored the landmark legislation that established the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities in 1965, and chaired the Senate Education and Arts subcommittee.
An independent committee, comprised of former Rhode Island Pell Award recipients, reviews nominations and selects the new recipients each year. The Pell Awards’ criteria include excellence in the artist’s chosen field; work that significantly advances the art form; and contribution to the betterment of the community and the world at large through artistic presence and community service.
Nominations are due by February 15, 2008. Mail completed forms to: Rhode Island Pell Awards, ATTN: Danielle Kemsley, Trinity Rep, 201 Washington St., Providence, RI 02903. Or fax to (401) 751-5577, Attn: Danielle Kemsley – RI Pell Awards.
Previous Lifetime Achievement honorees include Jason Robards, Arthur Miller, Beverly Sills, Stephen Sondheim, Toni Morrison, Robert Redford, Maurice Sendak, Jane Alexander, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis and Chita Rivera. Since the inception of the Pell Awards in 1997, there have been thirty-two New England and Rhode Island winners, including Howard Ben Tre, Dorothy Jungels, Chris Van Allsburg, Paula Vogel, Eugene Lee, David MacCaulay, Rose Weaver, Thomas Sgouros, Dave McKenna, Maria Spacagna, William Warner, Brian Dennehy, Barbara Meek, Ruth Frisch Dealy, Gretchen Dow Simpson, Dan Butterworth, Virginia Lynch, Toots Zynsky, George Kent, Bob Colonna and Duke Robillard.
