Arts & Business Council postpones awards banquet
5:00 PM Wed, May 06, 2009 | Permalink
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There will be no Encore Awards this year, the Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island announced today. Instead, the awards gala, which was scheduled for May 14 at the American Locomotive Works in Providence, has been reset for next Feb. 25, at a site to be determined. The reason for the postponment, according to Peter Bramante, the council's executive director, is lagging finances. "It was really a lack of sponsorship. Ticket sales were a little slower than normal for what we'd see at this time. But it really it came down to sponsorship." The event, which has run for 18 years and recently has typically drawn upwards of 700 people, takes $35,000 to produce, Bramante said. "This is a primary fundraiser to support our programs and services, which we provide to over 70 arts and culture groups across the state. It has to cover the cost of the event and make money to fund the programs."
"It wasn't going to make sense for us to hold the event, and we chose not to scale it back," said Bramante. "We think the best decision is what we did: to hold it next year when there will be a new budget and when the economy should have picked up." The award winners, who will now be honored next February, are: the Lifespan hospital network and its arts coordinator, Paul Most, for corporate support of the arts; Lisa Carnevale of RI Citizens for the Arts, for advocacy of the arts; Jonathan Bonner, a sculptor, for individual achievement in visual arts; Larry Rachleff, music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, for individual achievement in the performing arts; Community Music Works and its founder Sebastian Ruth will receive the Jabez Gorham Award; Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels Architects will receive the award for small-business contribution to the arts; and Catherine Bert of Bert Gallery will receive a special recognition award. 
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