The Woodruff Arts Center Launches $100 Million Transformation Campaign
$62 Million Pledged to Fund Renovations to Alliance Theatre and Memorial Arts Building, Endowment Needs for All Divisions and Family Programming
Anne Cox Chambers Named Honorary Campaign Chair
Atlanta, April 1, 2015 – The Woodruff Arts Center today announced that it has launched the public phase of its $100 million Transformation Campaign, a fundraising initiative designed to dramatically increase endowments, renovate the Center’s Alliance Theatre and Memorial Arts Building and to provide greater access to the arts for families.
The campaign already has received funding commitments of more than $62 million, including previously announced gifts from the Woodruff Foundation ($38 million), the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation ($6.6 million) and from Carl and Sally Gable ($1.25 million).
The Arts Center today also announced new gifts to the campaign of $4.1 million collectively from the Board of the Alliance Theatre for the renovation of the theater and $1.25 million from the Katz Foundation for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s musicians’ endowment fund.
“Throughout its 47-year history, the Woodruff Arts Center has benefited from and relied upon the boundless generosity of the Atlanta community,” said Doug Hertz, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arts Center. “Our new campaign will quite literally transform the Arts Center, in both physical and financial terms, as well as allow us to provide heightened access to the arts in the community.”
Virginia Hepner, president and chief executive officer of the Woodruff Arts Center, said the Transformation Campaign will position the Center to build upon its mission of providing great art and education to the community for decades to come.
“This campaign will allow us to modernize our theater and rehearsal spaces, increase the size of our orchestra and expand our community outreach and education programming at the same time it puts us on stronger financial footing,” she said. “The support we have received thus far demonstrates both the importance of the arts to our community and the quality of the artistic and educational work we do at the Woodruff Arts Center. We are grateful for all the generous support.”
Ms. Hepner also thanked the leadership of the Transformation Campaign. Anne Cox Chambers will serve as Honorary Chair of the Campaign, Mr. Hertz as Campaign chairman and Tommy Holder as chair of the Facilities Committee of the Campaign.
The Transformation Campaign focuses on three areas: endowment funding, which will benefit all of the arts partners, accounts for $56 million of the $100 million goal; $35 million will be allocated for capital improvements, primarily for the Alliance Theatre renovation and critical improvements to the Memorial Arts Building; and $9 million in funding for expanded family-oriented programming and greater activation of the Arts Center’s campus.
“We are thrilled to have over 60% of our funding pledged during the ‘quiet’ phase of our Campaign,” said Janine Musholt, vice president of Advancement for the Arts Center. “In addition to the leadership gifts, the remaining commitments are from individuals, ranging in size from $1,000 to $1 million. It really speaks to the broad generosity of this community and the passion our supporters have for the arts and arts education.”
Ms. Musholt said the campaign is targeted for completion by the end of 2016. The Alliance renovation is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2017.
“While we are thrilled with this success to date, we still have work to do if we are to move ahead on schedule,” Ms. Musholt said. “We look forward to continued conversations about how Atlanta can support its Arts Center.”
CONTACT: Kathleen Covington, kathleen.covington@woodruffcenter.org
