All Pawtucket All The Time

Event co- chairs Bonnye & Michael Young and Mary Wright with honoree Liza Minnelli. Photo: Michael Guy 

The 2010 Pell Awards Gala was held on June 19, 2010 at the historic Sharpe building in the Foundry Complex in Providence. Honorees included Liza Minnelli (2010 Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts), Umberto “Bert” Crenca (2010 Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts), and George Wein (2010 Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts). The event was co-chaired by Mary and Ellicott Wright and Michael and Bonnye Young. The evening was host to 440 attendees and netted $100,000 to benefit Trinity Repertory Company.

Nuala Pell and honoree Liza Minnelli Photo: Mark Turek 

Now in their second decade, the Pell Awards were established to honor Senator Claiborne Pell and recognize artistic excellence in Rhode Island and on the national level. Pell, who passed away last year, worked throughout his career 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. He also served a four-year term on the board of Trinity Repertory Company.