Great Valley arts and culture fundraising campaign exceeds goal

MALVERN, Pa. — With a generous matching gift from Joe and Marilyn Henry for the first $2,000, donors gave well above that initial fundraising goal to support Penn State Great Valley’s arts and culture programming, with $5,185 in total gifts.  

Joe Henry, advisory board member emeritus for Penn State Great Valley, invited other donors to join him in supporting the campus’ rich array of lectures, films, performances and exhibits, and building a stronger community united around the arts. “Marilyn and I recognize the importance of showcasing local talent and providing thought-provoking and entertaining programs to the community served by our campus,” he said.  

As Pennsylvania’s land-grant institution, Penn State provides access to the arts for all, and in keeping with that mission, the Great Valley campus offered six free cultural experiences to the public this fall, such as a presentation about the Oneida tribe’s connection to Valley Forge, a food historian’s study of dining out during the Gilded Age, a documentary screening about a Holocaust survivor, a Bollywood movie night and a watercolor painting exhibit.

The donations from the campaign will help fund a variety of engaging community events this year, such as a documentary short film festival, a conversation with ecologists and arboretum directors about the power of trees, an improvised dance and storytelling performance, a film about the wonders of backyard wildlife and a talk on the Underground Railroad at Valley Forge.

Gifts contributed to this fundraising campaign will also support art exhibits in the Henry Gallery, showcasing regional artists, both professionals and amateurs. Rashmi Sudarshan, a Penn State Great Valley software engineering student, participated in the Henry Gallery’s recent “Kaleidoscope” exhibit, featuring works by students and employees at Great Valley. Sudarshan chose some watercolor paintings of flowers that she created when she visited Longwood Gardens. She said this was her first time displaying her art in a public exhibit, and she enjoyed viewing the other pieces in the show, from intricate drawings to woven fiber art.

“I was quite pleasantly surprised by the talent that was hiding in the people all around me,” Sudarshan said. “We are all in technical fields at this campus at Penn State, but then it gives me great joy to know that people who are in technical fields put aside time to learn and master some form of art.”

The Philadelphia Watercolor Society presented the Henry Gallery’s next exhibit, and the group offered a scholarship for one of their watercolor workshops to a Penn State student. Becky Stanko, Great Valley’s sustainability and community impact specialist, who coordinates the gallery’s art exhibits, invited Sudarshan to attend the workshop.

“The positive feedback from the workshop was very encouraging,” Sudarshan said. “I really enjoyed going out and exploring both my neighborhood and city, looking for inspiration for what to paint for the exhibit and the workshop.”  

After tallying the totals from the arts and culture fundraising campaign, Director of Campus Development Kathryn DiPuppo Tucker wrote to donors, “Your generosity will help us grow our programs and continue to offer high-quality cultural experiences to our local community.”  

Support for arts and culture programming advances the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.