UC Gives Record Amount To Fine Arts Fund

The results are in for the university’s 2004 Fine Arts Fund campaign!  Once again the UC community is supporting the arts in the region in a big way with contributions and pledges of $57,309 to date – a whopping increase of 22 percent over last year’s total of $47,074. UC has exceeded its 2004 campaign goal of $50,000 by 15 percent. Other highlights of the campaign include:

• 478  contributors gave to the Fine Arts Fund in 2004 compared to 371 in 2003.
• More than 50 percent of contributors used the e-pledge option, which debuted this year.
• 38 area coordinators throughout UC’s colleges and units solicited contributions from their colleagues, held raffles, organized a cheesecake sampling, sent e-mail reminders, and in one case, used a staff ventriloquist to heighten interest in the campaign.
• UC’s campaign was recognized by the Fine Arts Funds for having the “Best In-House Communications” for the full-color postcard featuring a message from President Zimpher encouraging participation.
• Three UC groups led the way with the most contributors to the Fine Arts Fund – University Libraries (first for the second straight year), the College of Medicine and the UC Foundation staff.

“It’s great to see the increased participation that our University Fine Arts Fund campaign generated this year," says Nancy L. Zimpher, UC President. "I would like to thank all the members of the UC community who contributed. These donations will help to ensure the continued vitality of arts in our region. I would also like to thank the three co-chairs of our UC campaign: Roger Guard, assistant senior vice president of the Medical Center Academic Information Technology & Libraries; Victoria Montavon, dean and university librarian, and James Tucker, vice president for Administrative & Business Services.”

The co-chairs attribute the success of this year’s effort to a strong sense of community at UC and a keen recognition of the importance and value of the arts to our area. They especially wish to thank the 38 area contributors and Judy Wernicke, Ruth Klekamp, and Peg Allensworth, whose efforts helped to make the campaign a success.

The Fine Arts Fund is the nation’s oldest regional arts association. This year, the Fine Arts Fund became the largest united arts fund-raiser in the country, raising $10.4 million in its annual pledge campaign, 4 percent more than in 2003. Founded in 1949, its mission is to provide financial and technical support for the arts in order to enhance the region's quality of life and to advance the ways in which the region values the arts. Its primary beneficiaries include the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Contemporary Arts Center, May Festival, Taft Museum of Art, Arts Consortium of Cincinnati, The Children’s Theatre, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Madcap Productions Puppet Theatre and Theatre IV.