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The general public contributed in excess of $150,000 to the "Save the Inside/Out Stage" public fundraising campaign during the 2010 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, far exceeding the organization's original $100,000 goal. More than one thousand people donated during the Festival and gifts ranged from one dollar bills donated by children too short to see over the top of the donation baskets, to multi-thousand-dollar pledges from private donors. The Inside/Out stage hosts more than 40 free public dance performances each season in the Pillow's outdoor Marcia and Seymour Simon Performance Space. Described by The New Yorker as "a breathtaking outdoor stage overlooking the lush Berkshire hills," Inside/Out has become a tradition for audiences from Berkshire County and around the world.
"The outpouring of public support we received during this initiative is inspiring, and very moving. We've shot past our goal and the donations are still coming in," comments Ella Baff, Executive Director of Jacob's Pillow. "We had members of the community who gave every time they attended a performance, children donated their allowances, tourists and newcomers to dance were inspired to give, alumni of The School at Jacob's Pillow and our Intern Program contributed online from across the country and around the world, entire families pooled donations together to honor the memory of loved ones with named benches and picnic tables, and countless others."Baff continues, "Thanks to the amount of public support we have received we will be able to begin construction of the new stage in the spring. Any funds not needed for construction will be reserved for the stage and site's ongoing maintenance, equipment, and free dance programming. This will ensure that free performances will continue at Inside/Out for generations to come."
Originally built in 1981 to provide additional rehearsal space for The School at Jacob's Pillow, the Inside/Out stage does not meet today's construction standards and must be completely rebuilt in order to be in operation next season. A new foundation, steel framing, and complete reconstruction of the stage and dance surface are required. The rebuild also enables improvements in stage size, entrances, a dressing area for the artists, and a musician's platform. In addition, the seating area will be re-graded and the existing benches re-set for better sightlines. Care is being taken in planning these changes to ensure that the site's beloved simplicity and natural charm is maintained. Construction is slated to start in the spring and be completed by June 2011. Inside/Out is a public stage which features free performances by emerging and established dance companies from all over the world and showings by dancers of The School every Wednesday through Saturday during the Festival. This season, the Inside/Out series included performances by hip-hop group Rennie Harris RHAW, contemporary company Yesid Lopez Contemporary Dance, Czech choreographer Dušan Týnek, and many others. The 2010 Inside/Out series attracted more than 17,500 audience members, marking the highest audience numbers in Inside/Out history and exceeding last season's audiences by 3,000 people.
The Save the Inside/Out Stage initiative to raise $100,000 launched in June and ran throughout the 2010 Festival to the end of August. After each of the 40 free public dance performances offered on the Inside/Out stage, various members of the community, including past performers, faculty of The School at Jacob's Pillow, local politicians, Pillow Board members, and other community leaders spoke passionately about what the stage and its free performances meant to them, and the urgent need to rebuild it. Audience members responded generously with donations on the spot and via mail, by phone, and online.The funds raised during the Save the Inside/Out Stage initiative complete a $1.1 million fundraising effort to improve selected amenities and facilities at the Pillow. The reconstruction of the Inside/Out stage is part of a $400,000 Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund matching grant.Jacob's Pillow celebrated its 78th anniversary in 2010 and is home to a renowned international dance Festival, presenting and commissioning works of artists and companies from throughout the world. The School at Jacob's Pillow encompasses a professional training program in the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary Traditions, Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, and a Choreographers Lab, as well as an Intern Program in arts administration and production. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public free of charge, chronicle more than a century of the often ephemeral art form of dance in photos, print, video, and more. Jacob's Pillow's year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults including Jacob's Pillow Curriculum-in-Motion® a nationally-recognized program for educational settings, and the Creative Development Residency and commissioning programs support artists as they create work. In 2003, Jacob's Pillow was declared a National Historic Landmark and is the first and only dance entity in the U.S. to achieve this honor.
As of August 2010, major support for Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival has been provided by: Asian Cultural Council; The Cricket Foundation; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Frances Alexander Family Fund; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; The Geoffrey C. Hughes Foundation, Inc.; The Leir Charitable Foundations, In Memory of Henry J. Leir; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; Leading for the Future Initiative, a program of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation; Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation, Inc.; The Prospect Hill Foundation; The Roxe Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Spingold Foundation, Inc.; The Walbridge Fund, Ltd.; Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; MassDevelopment; National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Save America's Treasures; CEC ArtsLink and the Open World Leadership Center; ALEX®; Capezio/Ballet Makers Dance Foundation; Greylock Federal Credit Union; The Legacy Banks Foundation; Quality Inn; Rodeway Inn; The Pillow Business Alliance; and Jacob's Pillow Members. Major endowment support is provided by The Barrington Foundation, Inc.; The William Randolph Hearst Foundation; The Leir Charitable Foundations, In Memory of Henry J. Leir; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Onota Foundation; The Prospect Hill Foundation; Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Surdna Foundation; and Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
