JOHNSON CITY, TN - East Tennessee State University has announced that a $1 million gift is being made to the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts by Mary's husband, James C. "Jim" Martin.
The school was established in 2009 with a naming endowment created by Mr. Martin, a Johnson City resident, who donated funds to the ETSU Foundation to endow the school in memory of his wife, who earned her B.A. degree in chemistry from ETSU while working at Eastman Chemical Company.
The Martins were recently awarded the Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor's Award of Excellence in Philanthropy and they were recognized during the 2010 ETSU Distinguished President's Trust Dinner.
Anita DeAngelis, director of the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said, "Mr. Martin's dedication to supporting arts activities both on the ETSU campus and in the broader community is remarkable. His additional support is a vote of confidence in our programming and an indicator that the school of the arts is beginning to make a difference in the community. Without his support, we wouldn't have the funding to host events featuring such high-caliber artists and performers."
According to DeAngelis, funding from the endowment allowed the school to sponsor eight events during its first season, including last fall's Spyro Gyra concert. Other upcoming events include performances by singer Freyda Thomas and the Juilliard String Quartet and two art exhibitions, the Society of Illustrators 51st Annual Exhibition and Mountain Visions 2010 Regional Juried Exhibition.
"With the additional gift, our second season will be greatly expanded. I'm currently working with artists and agents and we will be having more events of interest to broader audiences, including several musical events, theater performances by Anthony Zerbe, Heather Woodbury, and the Aquila Theatre, a residency with dancer Daniel Charon, several guest speakers, and art and cultural exhibitions."
"The Mary B. Martin School of the Arts has allowed ETSU to move forward more ambitiously than ever before in enriching our campus and community with cultural and artistic programs," said ETSU President Dr. Paul E. Stanton Jr. "Through this school, we are hosting and sponsoring activities and events that otherwise would not be possible.
"We are very grateful to Mr. Martin for his generosity and for being such a devoted friend to ETSU and our community."
For more information about the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, call (423) 439-5673 or 439-5671, or visit www.etsu.edu/cas/arts/.
