October 29, 2015
Arts enthusiast earns Pell Award
Music promoter John Chan ’74, a pillar of the Rhode Island arts community and the owner of Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining in Woonsocket, R.I., received the Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts. Named for the late champion of the arts, U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-R.I., the Pell Awards recognize artistic excellence and are sponsored by Trinity Repertory Company in Providence. Chan, an Impressionistic watercolor painter and a photographer himself, has hosted some of the finest international and local jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues performers at his restaurant for nearly 40 years. The lineup includes Duke Robillard, Leon Redbone, Greg Abate, James Montgomery, and the late Dave McKenna and Dizzy Gillespie. Chan, who has served on the College’s Providence President’s Council, credits retired PC photography professor Richard Elkington for influencing his passion in the arts.
