Nasaria Suckoo Chollette (r) receiving her Artistic Achievement Award (Art & Visual Education).  Photos by Christopher Tobutt

The Harquail Theatre was packed with happy award winners on the evening of 26 June, which began with a formal recognition of all the many volunteers who have worked so faithfully behind the scenes to make this year’s Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) awards night so successful.

There were many notable performances, including two dancers from Dance Unlimited, Sherie Branch and Michael Edwards whose performance, ‘The Power of Goodbye,’ was choreographed by Lorna Reid.

There was also a reading of James M Bodden III’s poem, ‘The Great and Glorious,’ by the recipient of one of the two awards for Artistic Achievement, Rita Estevanovich.

Interviewed earlier, Ms Estevanovich told the Cayman Net News: “I was nominated by Charles Glidden. He felt that I had done very well in Rundown, and that I had done well enough to actually be nominated for an award. That nomination went to the committee, and they decided that I had in fact performed well, and along with my track record at having done so many performances at CNCF and other parts of the community. I was a little shocked, to be honest. But I’m overjoyed and can’t wait to do more work…to get back on the stage.”

Also receiving an Artistic Achievement award, this time in the Arts and Art Education category, was Nasaria Suckoo Chollette, who explained that she felt she had received the award because of the full range of her work over a number of years, including her storytelling, painting, teaching and poetry.

“I’m excited about it. I’m a teacher at heart so for me the art is about the process, not necessarily the end. I enjoy taking young people along that journey, that’s why I do it,” she said.

Winning an award for Artistic Excellence, Gary Ebanks, well known as a jazz-oriented saxophist in such bands as Intransit, The Gary Ebanks Quartet, Trio, and the new band, Triggerfish, speculated on the reasons he had the award: “They’ve seen me develop in terms of my own playing and in terms of the style of music I’m working in here in the Cayman Islands. Over the years they’ve seen me develop a genre that wasn’t here before,” he said.

Charles Anderson and Vinnette Glidden both received awards for visual arts.

Heritage Awards were presented to Debra Barnes-Tabora; the traditional music band, Swanky; and Patricia Whittington.

Ms Whittington, who passed away early this year, was born in England. But when her husband Richard retired they moved to Grand Cayman, where Ms Whittington had been involved in many activities, including penning her popular book, ‘Back Then,’ which detailed the vivid life stories of many of the North Side residents.

Swanky’s music pays tribute to Caymanian musicians such as Mr. Radley and the Happy Boys, and Julia Hydes, and the band has begun to take their show on the road, performing at Caribbean Tourism Organization Week, in New York City, and also in Trinidad at Carifesta 2006.

The Cultural Heritage Lifetime Achievement (Radley Gourzong Award) was presented to Linton Tibbetts for his outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of Caymanian Cultural Heritage.

Volunteer of the Year award went to Linda Appelquist who has been teaching in the Cayman Islands since her arrival in 1998. A veteran volunteer with the CNCF, she has also served as a volunteer Spanish teacher at Eagle House.

Sponsor of the Year Award was presented to Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd.

Alan Ebanks and Leroy Holness each received the Chairman’s Award for outstanding support of the work of the Cultural Foundation.