Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Sometimes it pays to think big. Less than two years ago, a group of UW arts faculty developed an ambitious proposal to increase the prominence of our Schools of Art and Music. Part of the proposal was a summer arts festival—a week-long event that would celebrate and increase visibility of the arts at the UW and encourage collaboration across arts disciplines. The event would require substantial resources and, above all, the leadership of our faculty—a faculty eager to tackle the project.

This summer, the faculty’s vision will become a reality. The first UW Summer Arts Festival will be held July 18 through 22, with an impressive slate of performers and artists participating. This arts festival will draw from our strength, especially from the history of collaborations among the arts units and our identity as a place of learning and discovery. The result will be an experience rich in variety, with an educational component to nearly every performance and exhibit.

The launching of such an exciting and ambitious event is very satisfying for those of us who have been part of the process from the beginning. But the news gets even better. As a result of the faculty’s inspired proposal and President McCormick’s deep support, the College has launched the Campaign for the Arts, a major fund-raising campaign seeking to add $12 million to arts endowments on campus. Already $3.5 million has been received.

The potential impact of this endowment is enormous. Part of the endowment will fund the Summer Arts Festival; a larger portion will be used to create professorships, support artists-in-residence, develop an arts technology program, increase connections with K-12 students, and fund additional performances and exhibits. The University’s increased commitment to the arts on campus already has invigorated faculty and staff. More artists are crossing disciplinary boundaries and new courses are being developed, some in conjunction with the festival.

This is a particularly significant development for the College of Arts and Sciences, since all of the University’s arts units are part of the College. Our faculty and students have enormous talent; with additional resources, they will have more opportunities to showcase their talent and to expand their leadership in the regional arts community. I truly believe that the arts endowment will lead to even greater excellence in the arts on campus in the coming years. The UW Summer Arts Festival is just the beginning.

I encourage you to attend this very special summer event. It will be a wonderful celebration! And I invite you to help build our arts endowment. With your help, we will continue to make exciting things happen in the arts on campus.

Sincerely,

David Hodge
Acting Dean
(206) 543-5340
hodge@u.washington.edu

[Winter 2000 - Table of Contents]