The Gail Rich Awards ceremony and
reception annually honors local artists and arts supporters with an
evening of tribute at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center. This year's event took
place on January 28 to honor the 2009 recipients,
which included Pisces Moon's own artistic director Susan Myer Silton, as well as philanthropists
Rowland and Pat Rebele, Santa Cruz Film Festival director Jane
Sullivan, sculptor and painter Dag Weiser, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre
directors Robert Kelley and Diane Cypher, interior designer and chef
Mimi Snowden, curator and artist Kirby Scudder and the Ukulele Club of
Santa Cruz. Pisces Moon opened the ceremony with excerpts from our recent play, The Laramie Project, performed by Akwia Diane Knipe, Marc A. Nicholson, LeAnne Ravinale, Jasmine Schlafke and Linda Turner.
The awards ceremony celebrated its 13th
year. It was originated by the Santa Cruz Sentinel and named for the late Gail Rich, a
tireless advocate for the arts in Santa Cruz. The evening was hosted by Sentinel arts editor Wallace Baine, and
presented by the Cultural Council Associates and the Cultural Council
of Santa Cruz County.
