THE ISLAND TREASURE AWARDS CEREMONY 2010

The 2010 Island Treasure Awards will be celebrated March 7 at 4:30pm at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island.

Ticket prices are:

• $100 for Patron Tickets (Program Acknowledgment and Reserved Ceremony Seating)
• $50 for the Reception, Ceremony and Dinner through January 31; $65 after January 31
• $25 for the Reception and Ceremony only

Please call the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council at 206.842.7901 to purchase tickets.
Space is limited, so please reserve early.

Ask Islanders and they will tell you that Bainbridge Island is rich in cultural opportunities. So many individuals find countless ways to enrich and support our cultural lives. Beyond the many volunteer and philanthropic ways that Islanders support the arts and humanities, there are those who have made particularly outstanding contributions to our community. Ten years ago the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council created the Island Treasure Awards to recognize these individuals. In a public celebration including an awards ceremony and banquet, the Island Treasures are presented with a signature Island Treasure award and a cash prize.

This year BIAHC announces that Kathleen Alcalá and Frank Buxton have been chosen as the 2010 Island Treasures.

THE ISLAND TREASURE AWARD PROCESS

Created in 1999, this special award honors excellence in the arts and/or humanities, and is presented annually to two individuals judged Island Treasures by the Bainbridge Island community. Candidates for the award have lived on Bainbridge Island for at least three years and have displayed an ongoing commitment to their chosen field.

The Island Treasure selection process was modeled after the MacArthur Fellows Program. Ten nominators chosen from a pool recommended by the Arts and Humanities Council each identified one or two outstanding candidates. Candidates' names and descriptions of accomplishments were then submitted to a five member jury comprised of individuals drawn from every aspect of the Bainbridge Island community to ensure representation of a wide range of experience. The names of the two award recipients were then approved by the BIAHC Board. Complete anonymity of nominators, jurists and recipients was maintained throughout the process.

The Island Treasure Awards are designed to provide a cash prize of $3,000 and community recognition for the ongoing contributions of the recipients. The design for the Island Treasure award was created by Island artist Kent Van Slyke.

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PROFILES

Kathleen Alcalá is a storyteller and a teacher. Her work interweaves politics, spirituality and feminism and is firmly based in the Latin American tradition of fiction and magical realism. Kathleen, who has lived in the Northwest for more than 20 years, primarily writes about the Southwest, and describes herself as “desert haunted.” Her work is a translation between worlds and between cultures. The Seattle Times described Alcalá as a builder of bridges, not merely between Latino and American cultures, but across divides of gender, generation, religion and ethnicity.

In addition to her own writing, Kathleen brings an ongoing commitment to the local cultural and nonprofit scene. She was a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Marge Williams Center, a home to many Island nonprofits, and worked to raise money for the purchase and renovation of the office building. She was also instrumental in the creation of Field’s End, and is currently a member of the Field’s End core team. She has led many writing workshops and seminars for local writers, and her students return year after year to work with her.

Many Islanders know Frank Buxton as a performer with The Edge Improv group, where he delights the audience with his booming voice and good humor. Frank is also often the man behind the camera aiding and honoring other Islanders. He has spent countless hours interviewing and editing video for past Island Treasures and celebrating the talents of Islanders. His name is associated with community theatre, and as a volunteer and supporter of numerous Island social and cultural organizations.

Frank’s career has included being a Hollywood producer, writer and actor. He has performed on film, stage and radio. He has taught countless actors the art of voice acting, sound effects and how to recreate old-time radio shows, which he has done for numerous local nonprofit organizations, retirement homes and the Island Health and Rehabilitation Center. He is the voice of the 4^th of July parade, entertaining the crowds for the last decade. He shares his love for film at film festivals and he introduces audiences to the art of the silent film at special showings at The Historic Lynwood Theatre.

One friend described him by saying, “Frank is not a quiet man, he seems larger than life, but he allows everyone in his company to feel welcome and important. He is a teacher by example and his constant giving of his time and resources, and the sharing of his experiences inspires others to emulate his path and offer good deeds, large and small, to the Bainbridge Island community.”

Island Treasure Awards:

• 2000 Jerry Elfendahl and Joel Sackett
• 2001 Norma Edens and Bob McAllister
• 2002 Kim & Ela Esterberg and Frank Kitamoto
• 2003 Janice Shaw and Richard Stine
• 2004 Maggie Smith and Hidde Van Duym
• 2005 Jenny Anderson and David C. Korten
• 2006 Gayle Bard and Barbara Helen Berger
• 2007 David Guterson and George Little & David Lewis
• 2008 Alice Mendoza and Kristen Tollefson
• 2009 Kathleen Thorne and Alan Simcoe

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