Faces of America - July 2010

July 16, 2010

Gale Cellucci

Gale Cellucci has a long history of charitable work and advocacy.  Her husband Tom has known about this since they met and married in the NYU Chapel which Gale helped raise funds to build.  She had plans of travelling the world, and happily came along when Tom accepted a position developing the power business in Panama 38 years ago…they never left. 

Shortly after settling in Panama, Gale began volunteering with the Inter-American Women’s Club and spent her free time painting every day.  These interests drew her into the artists’ community and when her children began participating in the Pacific Arts Theater Center, Gale offered to help paint their sets.  Folks noticed her talent and she quickly got pulled into helping out with Productions at the Ancon Theater Guild.  Gale found that she loved the behind the scenes details of the theater, and producing shows can run much like a business.  To date she has been involved with more than 41 productions, and regularly works with volunteers to spruce up the Theater Guild just in time for their 60^th anniversary this year!

In 1997 Gale was asked to serve as board member to Casita de Mausi, a non-profit organization designed to provide temporary lodging to patients coming to Panama from the interior for cancer treatments.  After visiting an exhibit in New York City entitled “Art for American Tile Mural” initiated to help the healing process for New Yorkers affected by September 11, Gale felt that perhaps experiences in art could be therapeutic to patients at Casita de Mausi.  As a result she began Art Therapy in 2004 and states, “Sessions which begin with hesitation on the part of the patients, end in great camaraderie on their part and very happy faces.”