WILLOUGHBY, OHIO – October 17, 2023 – The Fine Arts Association has received a grant from the Jerome T. and Georgeanne S. Osborne Charitable Trust in support of its Center Stage Theatre Transformation.
A true entrepreneur, Jerome T. Osborne was a man of vision, foresight and action. He was passionate about his work, his family and his community. With respect and loyalty, the legacy of Jerome and his wife Georgeanne continues through impactful support of The Fine Arts Association and other qualified charities in greater Cleveland.
For 50 years, The Fine Arts Association been delivering high-quality productions and has championed theatre arts in Willoughby and the surrounding region, inviting the community to engage as a patron, participant, or student.
FAA’s theatre program and stage have provided a place where all are welcome and included, a safe place to express and emote freely, a place that fosters creativity through education, a place where important conversations transpire, and most importantly, a place where ‘family’ gather and feel a sense of belonging.
The Corning Auditorium at The Fine Arts Association has welcomed throngs of theatre-goers but after 50 years of wear and tear is due for some much-needed renovation and upgrades to continue the long tradition of providing the transformational power of theatre for the next 50 years.
A comprehensive renovation of the Corning Auditorium at FAA will not only enable continuation of FAA’s theatre education programs and camps and deliver high-quality performances to the greater community, but will also enable this community arts organization to be more efficient and higher functioning in its theatre department which will lead to a greater variety of performances, including music, dance, and creative art therapies performances. “The Fine Arts Association is in peril of losing this rich legacy without looking ahead at what a state-of-the-art theatre can and should be to move us confidently into the future”, says Paul Holm, CEO of The Fine Arts Association.
The grant was presented to FAA at a recent luncheon by Sunny Masters, Administrator of the Jerome T. Osborne and Georgeanne S. Osborne Charitable Trust. “We look for organizations who share our values – enterprising, limitless initiative, good work resulting in societal rewards – those organizations who are kind, humble and generous, and The Fine Arts Association embodies all these attributes.”
This generous gift from the Jerome T. Osborne and Georgeanne S. Osborne Charitable Trust will position FAA to hire an architect with the necessary experience and know-how to work toward and deliver an end product that will position FAA to provide high-quality performances and education well into the future.
For more information on The Fine Arts Association’s or its Center Stage Transformation initiative, please contact Pam Palermo, Development Director at 440.951.7500, ext. 111 or ppalermo@fineartsassocation.org.
The Fine Arts Association is a non-profit community arts education and performance center offering classes in the disciplines of music, visual art, theatre, dance and art and music therapies. Fine Arts also produces a full theatre and concert season. The organization serves over 40,000 people annually. Program funding is received in part by the Ohio Arts Council, an Arts and Culture Grant of the Lake County Visitors Bureau and the United Way of Lake County.
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Media Contact: Marcia Kish, Marketing Manager at (440) 951-7500 x109, mkish@fineartsassociation.org