AWC-SB Celebrates Five Women for ‘Creative Communication: Building Community Through the Arts’

Adriana Arriaga, Teresa Kuskey, Frances Moore, Melinda Palacio, and Joanne Wasserman to Be Recognized at 17th Annual Luncheon

The Association for Women in Communications, Santa Barbara (AWC-SB), will recognize five women for their creativity and contributions in Santa Barbara at the 2025 Women of Achievement Awards luncheon on Wednesday, May 21, at the Cabrillo Pavilion. This year’s honorees are Adriana Arriaga, Teresa Kuskey, Frances Moore, Melinda Palacio, and Joanne Wasserman. Their creative work exemplifies the 2025 theme, ““Creative Communication: Building Community Through the Arts.”

The luncheon goes from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will be emceed by award-winning KCLU journalist Caroline Feraday. It will also feature performances, an art exhibition, and poetry readings that showcase the honorees work. The 17th annual luncheon is sponsored by Women Connect4Good.

Since its foundation in 2006 by communications consultant Lois Phillips, publisher Mindy Bingham, and producer Deborah Hutchison, AWC has continued to recognize the contributions of women across all disciplines. This year’s honorees have done work including visual art, dance, choral music, traditional ring shout song and movement and poetry.

Brooke Holland, an AWC-SB Board Member and the Women of Achievement Co-Chair, describes this year’s honorees as “[beacons] of creativity and strength, who use their art to weave threads of connection that unite us all.”

This year’s honorees are as follows.

Contemporary visual artist Adriana Arriaga, who is also recognized as “adriana la artista,” has been creating art since she was 16 years old. She received her BA in Art/Design Studies with a minor in Chicano Studies from San Jose State University. Later, she received her MFA in Design from UC Davis where she studied contemporary Chicana poster designs. This has translated to much of her work today, which includes illustrations that explore different facets of her life through overlapping themes of culture, community and life experience.

Arriaga’s work has been featured in various exhibitions, workshops, and pop-up events. Many of her pieces are accessible and circulated online. She remains heavily involved with her community by serving on the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara.

La Boheme Dance founder and artistic director Teresa Kuskey was born and raised in Santa Barbara. Her extensive dance career has included performances on local stages and nationally with San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and New York City Ballet. Since founding La Boheme Dance in 2014, Kuskey has worked to create an open and uplifting dance space for community members of all ages and abilities. She has since led and choreographed a number of performances, including leading the 50th Solstice Festival Parade and putting together online performances to be shared with the community during COVID.

She has been recognized as a Santa Barbara Local Hero in 2017 and named Saint Barbara for Old Spanish Days Fiesta in 2020 for her work in the dance community. Kuskey continues to lead La Boheme Dance today and is beginning preparations for the Solstice Parade.

Frances Moore served as the cofounder and Artistic Director of the Santa Barbara Ring Shout project. From Alabama to California, Moore worked in data entry positions before working as a mentor to at-risk youth. She received her BA in psychology from Antioch University Santa Barbara and went on to study nonviolent communication and obtained a certification in alcohol and drug counseling.

Her work with Mark Ravitz and the Santa Barbara Ring Shout project has preserved the ring shout tradition of enslaved African people’s style of workshop known as “call and response.” Since starting, the project has gone on to perform at a number of events including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Juneteenth celebrations and, notably, performing for Lorenzo Dow Turner’s exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution.

The City of Santa Barbara’s 10th Poet Laureate Melinda Palacio (who writes the Poetry Connection column for the Santa Barbara Independent) will be recognized for her literary work and deep involvement in the community. She received two degrees in Comparative Literature, a BA from UC Berkeley and an MA from UC Santa Cruz. She was also a PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellow in 2007 and a 2009 alum of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

A poet, journalist, and musician, she has won multiple literary awards and been previously recognized for her published chapbooks and novels. As Poet Laureate, Palacio has worked to encourage poetry outreach and accessibility to the community. Since learning how to play the ukulele during COVID, Palacio has since woven music into her poetry presentations.

Lastly, Joanne Wasserman has continued to lead as the Music Director and Conductor of The Santa Barbara Choral Society since 1993. She earned her master’s in Choral Conducting from CSU Northridge and completing doctoral work at USC then received mentorship under renowned conductors. Her work with The Choral Society has included a number of major choral works and new programming to engage new audiences.

Wassterman has continued her work outside of The Choral Society as a faculty member of various universities and the chorus master for Opera Santa Barbara. She continues to serve as conductor to reach international audiences.

This year’s five honorees reflect a range of community driven work in Santa Barbara.

“Through the power of creative communication, they build communities that celebrate diversity, inspire collaboration, and transform the world around them,” stated Holland.

Tickets for the AWC-SB 2025 Women of Achievement Awards luncheon on Wednesday, May 21 are available for purchase here. For more information about AWC and previous honorees, visit awcsb.org.