1. Ensuring Performing Arts Opportunity for All
Imagine a community where everyone has the opportunity to experience the performing arts. A
society that is richer in understanding and broader in its appeal. Arts for All is a Ferguson Center
for the Arts program that works to that end.
“Ferguson Center for the Arts, through their Arts for All initiative, has opened up a world of
experiences for our children that would not normally be within their world view,” said Rey
Ramirez, Co-Founder and Program Director of Soundscapes (a music program at Carver
Elementary School). “Students and families have been able to have cultural experiences that
affect how they manipulate life. This is the true power of the arts and why this opportunity is
greatly appreciated.”
Arts for All, a community outreach program launched in November of 2006, provides discounted
and complimentary tickets to schools and not-for-profit organizations serving families, children
and at-risk communities throughout Hampton Roads. Over the past several performance seasons,
the Arts for All program has distributed more than 30,000 tickets to qualifying recipients and
worked with 100-plus schools and organizations.
“Arts for All has proved to be an extremely rewarding program for the entire Hampton Roads
community,” says William R. “Bill” Biddle, Executive Director of the Ferguson Center. “People
who otherwise may not have the opportunity to attend can now experience world-class
performances at little or no cost. In addition, those who fund the program have found that their
support has made Coastal Virginia a better place to live.”
Join us in our efforts to enrich the lives of the future leaders of tomorrow within the Hampton
Roads community. To learn more about how to support the Arts for All program, contact
University Advancement at (757)594-7179. With your support, Arts for All can have a positive
impact in the children of our community for many generations to come.