NEWS RELEASE
DATE: Feb. 8, 2010
CONTACT: Kassie Hilgert, 610-332-1348 or khilgert@fest.org
STEELSTACKS RECEIVES MAJOR GRANT FROM BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
BETHLEHEM, PA—As a catalyst for community revitalization in Bethlehem, the SteelStacks arts and cultural campus has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. The funds will assist in the development of the ArtsQuest Center and PBS39 Broadcast Center on the campus located on former Bethlehem Steel property on the city’s South Side.
“When you begin any enterprise, it’s extremely difficult to attract early investors. Bank of America was one of the initial nongovernmental investors in the SteelStacks campus. Their support demonstrates that a national organization understands the vision and the impact that this project will have,” said ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks. “We are very thankful that Bank of America has chosen us to be the recipient of this grant, which will help us to develop an important, new arts and cultural resource for the region.”
The ArtsQuest Center is scheduled to open in May 2011. The $26-million, 65,000-square-foot center will feature the Musikfest Café concert venue for year-round live music, a two-screen cinema for independent films, the “Pod Zone” media lounge, the Blast Furnace Room for receptions, exhibitions and intimate concerts, and the Creativity Commons, a contemporary gathering space for the community. The ArtsQuest Center and ArtsQuest’s related programs on the SteelStacks campus are expected to have an economic impact of $39 million annually and attract more than 750,000 visitors to Bethlehem each year to enjoy concerts, festivals, cinema and the arts. Approximately 100 new permanent jobs and 165 construction jobs will be created as a result of the performing arts center.
“At Bank of America, we believe the vitality of a community and the success of a business like ours are inextricably linked,” said Tom Woodward, Pennsylvania Market President for Bank of America. “The revitalization of a former steel plant will serve as a catalyst for economic development within Bethlehem’s South Side neighborhood and beyond. We are pleased to support ArtsQuest and PBS39 in establishing a cultural facility that will create a vibrant neighborhood center while enhancing the quality of life for residents throughout the Lehigh Valley.”
The 29,000-square-foot PBS39 Broadcast Center, set to break ground in June 2010, will include two television studios featuring state-of-the-art High Definition production and broadcast equipment, an HD master control broadcast booth and office space that will accommodate future staff expansion. The broadcast center’s completion is essential in the station’s commitment to expanding educational services, developing meaningful local productions and continuing to broadcast PBS favorites such as Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow and Masterpiece Theatre.
“PBS39 is truly honored by Bank of America’s generosity. We are grateful for this substantial gift; a gift that will help us to enrich the intellectual and cultural strength of the services that PBS39 provides to our region through educational and outreach programs. Bank of America has helped to make the dream of the new, state-of-the-art PBS39 Broadcast Center at SteelStacks a reality,” said PBS President and CEO Patricia Simon.
ABOUT BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY
Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, last year Bank of America embarked on a 10-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Funded by Bank of America, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2008, making the bank the most generous financial institution in the world and the second largest donor of all U.S. corporations in cash contributions. Bank of America approaches investing through a national strategy called “neighborhood excellence” under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Bank associate volunteers contributed more than 900,000 hours in 2008 to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.
ABOUT ARTSQUEST
ArtsQuest is a community-focused nonprofit arts organization located in Bethlehem. The organization, founded in 1984, presents the 10-day music festival Musikfest each August and the 15-day holiday marketplace Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem in November/December. It also owns and operates the Banana Factory cultural arts and education center and is developing the new, 65,000-square-foot ArtsQuest Center performing arts center in Bethlehem. For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org. For more information on SteelStacks, visit www.steelstacks.org.
ABOUT PBS39
PBS39 is a community-owned public television station licensed to Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, serving eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. PBS39 is owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation. For more information about PBS39, visit www.wlvt.org. For more information on PBS39 at SteelStacks, visit www.pbs39atsteelstacks.org.
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