Fidelity Investments is one of the world's largest providers of financial services. Since developing a regional office in Rhode Island in 1998, the firm has actively contributed to the RI arts community. Fidelity General Manager John Muggeridge has spearheaded this involvement through working with the firm's curator office to showcase an impressive and local contemporary arts collection onsite and by supporting a variety of arts organizations, including the Providence Art Club, the RI Philharmonic, Youth Art Education Association, the Rhode Island School of Design Outdoor Sculpture Loan Program and WaterFire Providence, among others.

Jabez Gorham Award - Opera Providence

Loriana De Crescenzo is the Executive Director of Opera Providence. Opera Providence has furthered collaboration and created access to the arts in Rhode Island, from performances at WaterFire Providence and McCoy Stadium, to the OPERAtunity education and outreach program. De Crescenzo’s development and direction of the OPERAtunity education and outreach programs over the last six years have brought national and local recognition to Opera Providence.

 A & BC/RI Small Business Award - Bowen's Wharf

Bartlett S. Dunbar is the President and Founder of Bowen’s Wharf Co in Newport, R.I., the first urban waterfront rehabilitation project in New England. Under Mr. Dunbar’s care, Bowen’s Wharf has become a haven for art lovers and business owners alike. Dunbar is active in Newport preservation groups, including the Newport Redevelopment Agency and the Preservation Society of Newport County. He is also a Board member of the Island Moving Company, Newport’s highly acclaimed dance troupe. Currently, Dunbar is working to bring Tall Ships 2007 to Newport.

A & BC/RI Arts Advocate Award - Erik Bright & Kathleen Pletcher

Erik Bright is dedicated to providing space for artists and small businesses to grow in Rhode Island. Through non-profit organizations such as the Urban Mill Initiative and the Partnership for Creative Industrial Space, Bright and PCIS co-director Lisa Carnevale have created affordable and sustainable commercial space in historic buildings in Providence. Most recently, Bright is continuing his efforts renovating space on Providence’s waterfront for artistic/small-business use. Kathleen Pletcher’s career as an artist, educator, and advocate for the arts is extensive. She served for ten years as the artistic director of First Night Providence before launching FirstWorks in 2004. FirstWorks is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing “firsts” in the arts to Providence through the FirstWorksProv and FirstWorksKids festivals. Last year alone, more than 40,000 people attended FirstWorks performances and workshops, and that reach is expected to continue to grow in future years.

 A&BC/RI BVA of the Year Award - Brenda Nagle

Brenda Nagle’s work as a Financial Consultant at SmithBarney has made her an instrumental part of the Rhode Island arts community. Through her affiliation with A&BC’s Business Volunteer for the Arts program, Nagle has worked with WaterFire Providence, The Steel Yard, and the Newport International Film Festival, providing fund development and organizational support. Her hard work and dedication to non-profit organizations have made innumerable cultural events in RI possible.

 A&BC/RI Individual Achievement Award for the Performing Arts - Mihailo Djuric, Festival Ballet Providence 

Mihailo Djuric is the Artist Director and Resident Choreographer of Festival Ballet Providence, as well as the Faculty Chairman of the Festival Ballet Providence Center for Dance Education. Under Djuric’s expertise, Festival Ballet has grown in size and artistic depth, performing classical full-length ballets as well as contemporary works.

A&BC/RI Individual Achievement Award for the Visual Arts -
Howie Sneider, Steel Yard

Howie Sneider is the Public Art and Urban Furniture Coordinator at the Steel Yard in Providence and teaches Sculptural Metalworking classes.  His work, rooted in the collaborative process, seeks to integrate large-scale sculpture into the public sphere. Through his drawings, photographs and sculptures runs the common thread of history, entropy, and how to maintain an identity within the landscape of ideas. You can see much of Howie’s work dotting the landscape of downtown Providence.

A&BC/RI Special Recognition Award -
Mayor David N. Cicilline & the Office of Arts, Culture and Tourism

Since its foundation in 2003, The Office of Arts, Culture, and Tourism has become a central link between the RI arts community and the public. Mayor Cicilline and Director Lynne McCormack have been a driving force in the launch of some of the most memorable Providence arts festivals of recent years, including FirstWorksProv, Providence Sound Session and the Neighborhood Summer Arts Initiatives. The Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism continues to collaborate with local arts and businesses to bring RI the finest possible events programming.

Click here for general information about this year's Encore Awards.

Click here  to see a list of all past honorees.  

Click here  view our archives, which contain more detailed information about past honorees and banquets.

For further information on the Encore Arts & Business Awards: 

Peter Bramante
Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of RI
(401) 621-6127
peter@artsandbusinessri.org