WSTB

Two Hanes family foundations donated a combined $2MM to UNCSA last month...

https://www.uncsa.edu/news/20190501-hanes-gifts.aspx

Hear, hear! The lack of any new skyscrapers downtown sometimes leads people to lose sight of just how dramatically our city has transformed itself over the last decade or so.

I’ve been reading articles about how easy it is to raise money from the business community in Charlotte. I know UNCSA had a very successful campaign to substantially increase their endowment which is awesome! I guess I’m a bit paranoid about Charlotte’s capacity to “steal” from WS. It would be very easy for them to triple UNCSA’s endowment in a couple of years as an enticement and the top specialized art schools/conservatories seem to have endowments that are much larger (up to $1 billion). I hope you’re correct. The school of the arts is an absolute jewel for this city, and we should do everything possible to make sure they love being here in WS.

It’s be one thing if UNCSA was private, but what you’re proposing here is pretty unlikely for a state school in a system such as ours. UNCSA’s donor base is heavily local from what I hear—it was broad-based local philanthropic support that landed WS the school back in the 60s—and while WS isn’t a marquee arts location, nationally, neither is Charlotte or Raleigh. And establishing a new campus is expensive. Where’s the benefit for the state system in doing something like that? UNCSA has had tremendous success where it is for going on 60 years. It thrives in part due to engaged local audiences, but other than the Stevens Center, it doesn’t have vast concert halls or theaters to fill and it’s not primarily focused on drawing crowds like, say, NC Dance Theatre was before it took off for Charlotte.

There are other outcomes—even bad ones— that I’d find more plausible than UNCSA decamping for another city. It is a small school and public arts conservatories are rare. The arts are also controversial at times, and a school that size could suffer if the legislature decides to take it on as a foe in the culture wars. Plus we have no idea what the future of higher education is for anyone. But I think in this case, you may just be borrowing trouble by fretting about an unlikely scenario. We have a jewel. Attend shows (when that’s possible), spread the word, donate money. But I see no need to worry about this outcome.

F&M, I completely forgot about Hugh McColl’s attempted raid to move the UNCSA to Charlotte. That was a perfect example of what I was talking about in my comment. I like your idea and to build on that, the city should consider donating the Forsyth County Hall of Justice to them for their visual arts program (or sell it for $1.00 if money needs to change hands)! That would also be a concrete (no pun intended) demonstration of support from the city, and it would also help strengthen their ties to WS. Robinhood, please read F&M’s comments about Hugh McColl. He almost succeeded in moving the entire UNCSA to Charlotte about 25+/- years ago. I try to donate every year to the school because it’s important for the school and Winston Salem. I just know the power of enormous sums of money on the table and how it can make obstacles of any kind quickly disappear. But you’re right, the more support we give (from the immediate area) in any form, helps the school and keeps the area more vibrant!

Certainly worth remembering that nothing is permanent, but the McColl thing was (a) 25 years ago, (b) involved the creation of a visual arts program that doesn't currently exist rather than the relocation of the entire school, and (c) didn't happen. If anything, UNCSA is stronger and better situated now.

I know it's tempting to think sometimes that nothing good can stay, but I know a lot of people at UNCSA and I've never gotten the impression that anyone is considering anything like a move. It's one campus in a 17-campus system. If anyone wanted to try to duplicate it's success, they could massively overfund and expand the fine arts programs at an existing university rather than trying to relocate an existing one. It's not even like a banking program or tech program where links to industry pipelines in Charlotte or RDU would be attractive. UNCSA students are hoping to land in New York and LA. Atlanta and Chicago, to a lesser extent. If anything, some of the alumni have been quoted as saying that the smaller-city location is an asset for training. It's less expensive and supportive, and the students are better able to focus on their work.

Juliard
Yale
NYU
UNCSA

School of the Arts ranked 4th best drama school in the world by Hollywood Reporter.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists ... ls-ranked/

That’s pretty good damn company! Bravo Winston-Salem....

That is truly outstanding - way to go Pickles!!! Only downside is Charlotte salivating.

Some budget details from UNCSA website: https://www.uncsa.edu/chancellor/commun ... udget.aspx I can't wait for the renovations to the Stevens Center to finally begin and a quote from the chancellor ".......and our No. 1 capital project, the Stevens Center"

I still feel UNCSA has such a muted presence in the City. It should be more prominent in the city’s identity

UNCSA has made the decision to cancel all end-or semester in-person events and performances "because of the exponential increase of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, Forsyth County and at UNCSA, and concern for the safety of our community."

The school currently has 39 active student cases - up 90% from 4 just five days ago. There are also 77 students in quarantine due to known exposures.

The UNC System lifted indoor mask mandates on March 7. Individual campuses were not permitted to enforce their own policies regarding this.

And here we are.

I agree with this 10,000 percent! This is one thing that makes me freaking crazy! Aren't we supposed to be "The City of Arts and Innovation". I’m convinced “We have met the enemy and he is us”.

Everyone has heard of the “Tiffany Diamond”, Well, guess what, we had a Tiffany diamond located here in the UNCSA and it’s almost like it doesn’t even exist. WTF??? From Wikipedia: “The idea of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts was initiated in 1962 by Vittorio Giannini, a leading American Composer and teacher of Composition at Juilliard, the Curtis Institute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, who approached then-governor Terry Sanford and enlisted the help of author John Ehle and William Sprott Greene, Jr.[3] and Martha Dulin Muilenburg of Charlotte, North Carolina, to support his dream of an arts conservatory. State funds were appropriated, and a North Carolina Conservatory Committee was established. The School of the Arts became a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina in 1972.”

So we have a distinguished professor from Juilliard who envisioned and started a true conservancy here. Now, guess what, we do indeed have “The Julliard of the South” right here in little ole Winston Salem and this amazing institution is treated like it’s nothing but another little college.

Charlotte is the only major banking hub in the US without a true conservancy and they already have the UNC CAA..what if they combine both schools under the UNCSA and let the students decide which campus they want to attend……just sayin!

UNCSA is not a conservancy, it is a conservatory - one which I predict it will evolve past the outmoded conservatory model over the next several years.

There is no discussion - at any level of the UNC System - of it being merged with any other school or relocated to any other city.

It is very well known and highly esteemed in the industries to which iot supplies talent.

Its perception problem in the city and state has nothing to do with the arts - and everything to do with its now well-publicized history of sexual abuse and otherwise toxic behavior towards students by its past faculty.

I'm posting this from memory... I've heard, in the past, the original plan was to bring a public arts conservatory to the South and Atlanta was the leading city for it? I want to say I saw that on UNCTV? I can't remember why it didn't go to Atlanta, though? After Atlanta was out, I want to say it was expected to go to Charlotte, but Winston-Salem was well connected with the Governor at that time and out-raised (in money for it) Charlotte, with a strong push for it (I think Winston-Salem even offered an old 1920s high school building as a temporary location, so it could open earlier?). Winston-Salem showed it wanted it more and did everything possible to win it. I think the money was raised through a telephone fundraiser to show city-wide public support, in the plan to win it? Instead of just a few wealthy city leaders giving the money, you had average everyday residents donating for it. If I'm remembering all of this correctly, it sounds very well planned. And yes, I do remember them saying it was multi-city contest, with Charlotte in the running for it. They finished second to Winston-Salem for the public arts conservatory. It would be interesting to see the full story on its history and maybe get a confirmation on the Atlanta part of the UNCSA story (is that part true or not)? I watched that many years ago and it seems like a blur to a middle-aged me.

I think the location is a big part of the problem. If it was downtown, with performing arts spaces in Industry Hill or around Trade Street, you would see more people taking advantage of what UNCSA has to offer and it would be a big part of the city's national identity, instead of being a hidden gem locals tell you about. Imagine the impact on tourism and conventions! The school would have visibility in the community beyond the Stevens Center and a sign on South Main Street. You may also see more students in the heart of the city and maybe more random performances across downtown, like dancers at Artivity or classical performances on the sidewalk. Since it's a good distance from downtown, in the Sunnyside / Washington Park area, it's sort of out-of-sight-out-of-mind. Many likely think it's just a college campus and don't know you can go there to watch student performances. I've been to performances on their campus. There aren't many people there. I'm guessing most are students / friends of performers? If those spaces were downtown, they would likely be packed and bring more money to the school. Sadly, in 1953 and 1963, every thing was suburbia / car-centered and Wake Forest and UNCSA located away from downtown. Just looking at the Stevens Center and Wake Downtown, you can see the potential impact if both universities located their entire campuses downtown or along the edge of downtown. I would like to see UNCSA acquire the Hall of Justice and maybe do something awesome with it, that brings students and art to downtown. Maybe a visual arts school and that could bring students to 8 W 3 and maybe an apartment proposal at 200 West Second (if that happens, which I'm guessing is its future)?