"This is a public “thank you” to Trinity Rep for presenting me with the Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts last night. To follow in the footsteps of past recipients like Senator Claiborne Pell, the force behind the founding of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and George Wein, the trailblazing impresario of the Newport Jazz and Folk Festival, is truly uplifting. Trinity Repertory Company’s 24th Pell Awards Gala Monday evening also honored some impressive movers and shakers in Rhode Island’s arts world, including Barnaby Evans, the creator of WaterFire; Marta V. Martínez, founder of Rhode Island Latino Arts; and Suzanne Magaziner, former Trinity Rep board chair. Adding to the event’s star power were actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, who received Pell Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. Former President Bill Clinton Zoomed in to lavish Danson and Steenburgen with praise for their work. The arts are in the D...