Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Annie Proulx To Receive The First Ucross Award For Distinguished Achievement In The Arts

NEW YORK, May 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ Ucross Foundation, the renowned artists' residency program and creative lab for the arts, will host the inaugural Ucross Gala & Awards Dinneron June 5th, 2018, at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Bestselling author Annie Proulx, an alumna of Ucross and former member of its Board of Trustees, will be presented with the Ucross Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, by David Remnick, Editor in Chief of The New Yorker.

The Ucross Gala & Awards Dinner celebrates Ucross's 35 years promoting the arts through its prestigious artists residency program, which provides artists with the time, space and inspiration to create new work. The event will include an art exhibition, performances and readings by several of Ucross's exceptional alumni: Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Ricky Ian Gordon (The Grapes of Wrath, opera), bestselling author Tayari Jones, author and Vanity Fair contributor Elissa Schappell, trumpeter Frank London, composer/pianist Dylan Mattingly, and singer-songwriter Kate Schutt. Special guests will include Broadway stars Laura Benanti and Victoria Clark. Oscar, Tony Award, and Grammy-winning Ucross alums Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen) are also expected to appear.

"We are thrilled to celebrate the impressive achievements of our Ucross alumni during our first New York Gala & Awards Dinner. We hope the event brings added recognition to the importance of the arts in our culture, and helps promote the artists and creative partnerships Ucross is known for," said Sharon Dynak, President of Ucross.

The Ucross Gala & Awards Dinner coincides with the American premiere of the opera adaptation of Brokeback Mountain at New York City Opera, composed by Pulitzer Prize winner and MacArthur Fellow, Charles Wuorinen, with libretto written by Annie Proulx, which opens in New York on May 31.

Ucross fosters the creative spirit of deeply Committed Artists and groups by providing uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations, and the experience of the majestic High Plains of Wyoming, while serving as responsible stewards of its historic 20,000-acre ranch. In addition, Ucross is a multi-disciplinary lab for creative thinking hosting educational programs, conferences, and special events. To date, Ucross has been an artistic home to 10 Pulitzer Prize winners, eight MacArthur Genius fellows, eight Tony Award winners, six National Book Award winners, and two Academy Award winners, among dozens of additional honors. Ucross also participates in partnerships with other leading organizations, including: the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Awards, The Sundance Institute Theater Program, the Whiting Foundation, Yale University, and the Warhol Foundation. A full list may be found here.

Contact: Jocelyn Cordova, 212-918-2029, jocelyn@high10media.com