At a gala dinner and party at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square in November 2003, the Work Center presented its fourth round of Distinguished Service in the Arts Awards. The recipients were artists Nancy Spero and Leon Golub, poet Robert Pinsky and patrons Alix Ritchie and Marty Davis. Art historian Katy Kline, poet Louise Glück and Provincetown Town Manager Keith Bergman made the award presentations. In past years, awards have been given to Stanley Kunitz and Louise Bourgeois (1997), Grace Paley and Robert Blackburn (1998), and Chuck Close, William Kennedy and Stephen D. and Susan Paine (2001).

The FAWC Distinguished Service in the Arts Medals, designed by sculptor and FAWC Board member Gilbert Franklin, are presented to individuals of national distinction who have provided exceptional guidance and inspiration to emerging visual artists and writers. The medal is a symbol of our commitment to developing artistic talent and an emblem of gratitude to those who remain supportive of the needs of succeeding generations.

The funds raised by the 2003 Boston Awards Dinner were used to match a challenge grant awarded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council to increase the Work Center’s permanent endowment. Those who purchased a table for the event were presented with a beautiful limited-edition print by renowned sculptor Dimitri Hadzi.