CULTURE WORKS!
IT REALLY DOES!

by Kristin Kopp

It's the thrill of seeing The Nutcracker for the first time. It's the Irish charm of CITYFOLK's Celtic series. It's the breathtaking arias of the Dayton Opera. And, it's the canvas of imagination found in the University Art Galleries. It's Culture Works, and it's everyday for everyone.

On Monday, Feb. 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wright State will launch its first campus-wide Culture Works workplace giving campaign with a "Put Your Heart in the Arts" celebration in the atrium of the Student Union. Entertainment will be provided by the University Men's Chorale directed by James Tipps, coordinator of music education. Information, pledge cards and giveaways will be available at the Culture Works table. The campaign will run from Feb. 17 through Feb. 28.

Culture Works, the umbrella organization for arts and cultural funding, plays a critical role in maintaining quality local arts and cultural programs in the Miami Valley. Donations to Culture Works provide up to 20 percent of the annual operating budgets for Dayton's seven major performing arts organizations: CITYFOLK, Dayton Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dayton Opera, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, The Muse Machine and The Human Race Theatre Company.

Culture Works also touches the Wright State community through grants supporting the Wright State

University Art Galleries as well as providing scholarships for three WSU students.

According to Craig Martin, coordinator of the University Galleries, Culture Works has made it possible for the galleries to create multimedia CD ROM programs that expand the scope of exhibitions.

"With this new technology, made possible through a grant from Culture Works, we are able to put more images on a CD ROM than we can show in the gallery," said Martin. "It's given us the opportunity to bring a more diverse audience to the gallery and made us a leader in gallery technology."

One of Culture Works' best bargains is the PASSPORT to arts and culture. This ticket discount card is given to those who contribute $52 or more annually and allows the PASSPORT holder to purchase tickets to most performances by the seven member groups at a two-for-one or discounted price. A $52 donation to Culture Works will pay for a pair of pointe shoes for a ballerina, or an acting workshop for middle school students, or subsidizing part of the ticket cost for the 15,000 children who attend the young people's concerts given by the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra every year.

"The arts are the heart and soul of any community," said Perry Moore, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "Thus, it is essential that we support Culture Works as it sustains all of the arts in the Miami Valley."

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