INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Administration Building, Suite 136 355 N. Lansing Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-2896 317-274-7711 Fax: 317-274-5457

HERRON SCHOOL OF ART RECEIVES TWO GIFTS TOTALING $600,000

Two gifts totaling $600,000 have moved the Herron School of Art closer to its goal of raising $10 million needed to relocate to a state-of-the-art facility on the IUPUI campus.

Among recent gifts received by the school are $500,000 from The Clowes Fund and $100,000 from The West Foundation.

"The Clowes Fund has a long history of supporting the arts and education in Indianapolis. Moving the Herron School of Art to the IUPUI campus offered a triple bang for our buck. This project is significant for the city, the university and the arts community," said Elizabeth A. Casselman, executive director.

The Clowes Fund, a family foundation established in 1952 in Indianapolis, makes grants in the states of Indiana, Massachusetts, and Washington to support the arts, education, and human services.

The West Foundation, a private, family foundation was established by Harold B. West in 1958 for the purpose of assisting developing nations in becoming self-sufficient. In recent years, its mission has grown to include a variety of community development programs in central Indiana.

Emily A. West, executive director of The West Foundation stated, "The Herron Art School relocation project appealed to us as one of the cornerstones in creating a more prominent image for IUPUI. The presence of a major university campus as an integral part of our downtown area will enhance the dimensions of Indianapolis as it grows into a new millennium."

Herron took its fundraising campaign to the public in 2000, the first time it has done so in the school's 99-year history. In the last 18 months, Herron has raised more than $7 million.

Other foundation gifts have been received from Rock Island Refining Foundation and the Cornelius Family Foundation. Businesses who made generous leadership gifts to the Herron building campaign include Bank One, Barnes and Thornburg, Celadon Trucking Services, Inc., and Marsh Supermarkets.

Individual donors include Professor Emeritus Robert Berkshire, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi, Ruth Lilly, Robert and Ina Mohlman, Dorit and Gerald Paul, Dr. and Mrs. George Rapp, George and Diane Seybert, Frank Springer, Sidney and Kathy Taurel, and Drs. August and Margaret Watanabe.

"Herron has shaped art and education in Indiana for nearly a century. Our commitment to preserving excellence in academic programs and elevating the visual literacy of the broader community will continue for the next hundred years in a remarkable new facility. I am extremely grateful to our donors for helping to make this dream a reality," said Herron Dean Valerie Eickmeier.

Herron's new building will serve as a bridge linking downtown to the campus of IUPUI. This new location places Herron in the heart of Indy's cultural arts corridor with the Eiteljorg Museum, the Indiana State Museum, the White River State Park, the Indianapolis Zoo, and the Indiana Historical Society as its neighbors.

The Herron building project will reduce classroom locations from six separate buildings to two, and eliminate the school's need to lease additional space. The new building will better serve Herron degree seeking students, and provide facilities to expand course offerings to youth and adults.

Herron's new home will house a comprehensive art library and reading room, 3 galleries, a 250-seat auditorium, a grand hall, updated equipment and technologies, sculpture gardens and student exhibition spaces. The anticipated move date is fall 2003.

In the 1995 and 1997 Legislative sessions, Herron was awarded $12 million in state funding for the Herron building project. In November 2000, Herron launched a capital campaign to raise an additional $10 million in private funding.

###

Return to IUPUI Home