Cabral, Carpenzano added to Pell Award honorees

LEN CABRAL AND CHARLENE CARPENZANO have been selected as the local honorees of the Rhode Island Pell Award program. They will be recognized in December along with national winners Laurie and Oskar Eustis and Elizabeth Chace. / COURTESY TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY
LEN CABRAL AND CHARLENE CARPENZANO have been selected as the local honorees of the Rhode Island Pell Award program. They will be recognized in December along with national winners Laurie and Oskar Eustis and Elizabeth Chace. / COURTESY TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY

PROVIDENCE – Artists Len Cabral and Charlene Carpenzano have been named local Rhode Island Pell Award winners for excellence in the arts.

Trinity Repertory Company will honor Cabral and Carpenzano alongside Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis, Laurie Eustis and Elizabeth Chace, who were named award winners for the 20th annual Pell Awards in December.

Sen. Claiborne Pell’s commitment to the arts and humanities has been honored by recognizing “remarkable” arts leaders across the nation and in Rhode Island in a tradition started by Oskar Eustis during his tenure at Trinity Rep, said Curt Columbus, artistic director of Trinity Rep.

“Len and Charlene both epitomize what it means to be a resident artist enhancing their community,” Columbus said. “It is thrilling to celebrate the work of these Rhode Island artists in tandem with the local and national impact Oskar, Laurie and Liz have made in our field.”

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A great-grandson of a Cape Verdean whaler whose grandparents immigrated to America, Cabral’s ancestry is reflected in his exuberant retelling of Cape Verdean, African and Caribbean folk tales as well as original stories from around the world.

Carpenzano, a member of the Newport Art Museum’s faculty since 2004, creates pottery as sculpture and functional art forms derived in part from the ancient art of Raku, a Japanese technique that incorporates fire and smoke in the firing process. Her work has been widely exhibited in museum and gallery exhibitions across Rhode Island.

The event will be held at Ochre Court on the Salve Regina University Campus in Newport on May 23. Proceeds benefit Trinity Rep’s artistic and educational programs. Tickets and sponsorships are available at trinityrep.com, or by calling (401) 453-9237.

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