Author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston stared intently into the lens as she was photographed for her Gail Rich Award by Shmuel Thaler in her home near Twin Lakes State Beach in 2007. Houston, a tireless human and civil rights activist, authored her autobiographical novel "Farewell to Manzanar," which narrated her experiences in WWII incarceration camps. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
I photographed educator, journalist and writer Julia Chiapella at the Chamber of Heart and Mystery at Santa Cruz’s Museum of Art and History for her 2017 Gail Rich Award portrait. Chiapella, who has worked tirelessly with local schools to inspire and mentor would-be writers through the Young Writers Program, had designed the Chamber of Heart so it seemed an appropriate environment for the photo. The portrait was one of more than 150 I made during the 22 years of the Gail Rich Awards. I've had the honor of recording the visual history of Santa Cruz County since 1987 as a staff photojournalist at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. During those nearly four decades one of my greatest joys was this project - the Gail Rich Awards - with my former colleague Wallace Baine who served for many years as the arts writer at this paper. From 1997 to 2018 Wallace and I made it our business to annually honor some of the incredibly talented and committed people who create the spectacularly rich cultural and artistic tapestry that makes Santa Cruz County such a special place. And more than that, I had the pleasure and honor to meet and photograph these amazing people, who opened their hearts to me so that together we made collaborative portraits that I hope revealed something of the magic they create. The only regret I have about these awards is that there were dozens of people who deserved them, but that we hadn't gotten around to honoring when the endeavor came to an end. The entire collection of the Gail Rich Award portraits is now on display at the Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) Porter Building through May 31. PVA President Judy Stabile (a Gail Rich winner herself) has done an amazing job curating the exhibition. Please join me at a reception for the show on Saturday from 4-6 p.m. Likely, many of the Gail Rich Award winners will also be in attendance. Thanks, Shmuel (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
A background of dancers in motion created a fitting backdrop for Shmuel Thaler’s 2014 portrait of Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center founder Cat Willis.(Shmuel Thaler -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Philanthropist Carolyn Hyatt was photographed at the Tannery Arts Center for her 2015 Gail Rich Award portrait. (Shmuel Thaler -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Dancer Sara Wilbourne was photographed by Thaler for the 1997 inaugural Gail Rich Awards. Wilbourne, who died in 2020 was a gifted dancer and choreographer and had been an iconic staff member of both Shakespeare Santa Cruz and Tandy Beal & Company. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Nationally acclaimed mountain dulcimer virtuoso Neal Hellman photographed in 2015 for his Gail Rich Award. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Poet Morton Marcus was photographed in his Santa Cruz home by Shmuel Thaler in 2006 for his Gail Rich Award. Marcus died in 2009. Thaler’s more than 150 photographs of the Gail Rich Award winners, taken between 1997 and 2018, are on display at Pajaro Valley Arts’ Porter Building in Watsonville through May 31. An opening reception, open to the public, takes place Saturday at 4 p.m. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
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Author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston stared intently into the lens as she was photographed for her Gail Rich Award by Shmuel Thaler in her home near Twin Lakes State Beach in 2007. Houston, a tireless human and civil rights activist, authored her autobiographical novel "Farewell to Manzanar," which narrated her experiences in WWII incarceration camps. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
I photographed educator, journalist and writer Julia Chiapella at the Chamber of Heart and Mystery at Santa Cruz’s Museum of Art and History for her 2017 Gail Rich Award portrait. Chiapella, who has worked tirelessly with local schools to inspire and mentor would-be writers through the Young Writers Program, had designed the Chamber of Heart so it seemed an appropriate environment for the photo.
The portrait was one of more than 150 I made during the 22 years of the Gail Rich Awards. I’ve had the honor of recording the visual history of Santa Cruz County since 1987 as a staff photojournalist at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. During those nearly four decades one of my greatest joys was this project – the Gail Rich Awards – with my former colleague Wallace Baine who served for many years as the arts writer at this paper.
From 1997 to 2018 Wallace and I made it our business to annually honor some of the incredibly talented and committed people who create the spectacularly rich cultural and artistic tapestry that makes Santa Cruz County such a special place. And more than that, I had the pleasure and honor to meet and photograph these amazing people, who opened their hearts to me so that together we made collaborative portraits that I hope revealed something of the magic they create.
The only regret I have about these awards is that there were dozens of people who deserved them, but that we hadn’t gotten around to honoring when the endeavor came to an end. The entire collection of the Gail Rich Award portraits is now on display at the Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) Porter Building through May 31. PVA President Judy Stabile (a Gail Rich winner herself) has done an amazing job curating the exhibition. Please join me at a reception for the show on Saturday from 4-6 p.m. Likely, many of the Gail Rich Award winners will also be in attendance. Thanks, Shmuel.
