March 20, 2011

A N.C. Arts Council’s $83-Million Drive Rolls On Despite Economy’s Plunge

A N.C. Arts Council Steers an $83-Million Drive Through the Bad Economy 1

Tom Johnson

An unusual public-private partnership helped spur a fund-raising campaign that benefited an array of Charlotte, N.C., cultural facilities, such as the North Carolina Dance Theater.

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close A N.C. Arts Council Steers an $83-Million Drive Through the Bad Economy 1

Tom Johnson

An unusual public-private partnership helped spur a fund-raising campaign that benefited an array of Charlotte, N.C., cultural facilities, such as the North Carolina Dance Theater.

By Eric Frazier

Charlotte, N.C.

A decade ago, an arts leader in this New South financial center crafted a 25-year cultural master plan to build new museums and a performing arts center along a sleepy slice of the central business district.

The Arts & Science Council, the nonprofit cultural organization that drafted the plan, knew it wouldn’t be easy to pull off. In a city that ranks as the nation’s No. 2 banking center (behind New York), the council’s leaders knew they would need heavy support