• The new Blanton Museum of Art – so close to opening you can almost taste it – has received a million-dollar gift that’ll help it get wired and stay that way. Pledged by the MFI Foundation, the family foundation of longtime local philanthropists Lynn and Tom Meredith, the donation will support what the institution is dubbing its eLounge, a spot where visitors can access the Blanton’s collection online; play DVDs, videos, and CD-ROMs; and even gather information the old-fashioned way: leafing through catalogs, books, and magazines. Located on the museum’s second floor in a rotunda with abundant natural light, the eLounge will feature materials for families and students in grade school as well as on the university level. This donation gives the museum more than $80 million of its $83.5 million building campaign goal. The new Blanton opens to the public on April 29-30. For more information, call 471-7324 or visit www.blantonmuseum.org.
• Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company has received a $15,000 grant from the A Glimmer of Hope Foundation for its New Art Kinnections outreach program, which allows students to participate in creativity classes and workshops, attend performances, and produce their own exhibits and performances. With the funds, KDHDC plans to provide adult guidance, peer mentoring, and in-depth enrichment opportunities for 150 children and teens who live in East and South Austin. For more information, call 891-7703.
• Zachary Scott Theatre Center has received a $25,000 grant from AT&T to enhance its educational programs: PlaySpace, offering interactive plays for preschoolers; Project InterAct, touring professional productions of children’s theatre to area schools; Project Discovery, providing middle school and high school students with deeply discounted tickets to Zach productions; and the Zach Performing Arts School, offering training. The programs aim to serve nearly 60,000 youth in Central Texas this year. For more information, visit www.zachscott.com.
This article appears in February 24 • 2006.