Darlington Arts Center - Fundraising Events

Darlington Arts Center is a nonprofit organization. Tuition makes up less than 65% of our expenses, and we depend on our parent, alumni, individual, corporate and foundation donors for their annual support. It is through the commitment and generosity of these supporters, as well as our faculty and staff, that the Center's programs and beautiful new facility are possible. All donations are tax deductible.

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Arts Salute to Spring 2008
30th Anniversary Gala
Celebrating Darlington Arts Center's Past, Present and Future
Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 6:30pm

You are cordially invited to Darlington's 30th Anniversary Gala: Arts Salute to Spring 2008. Friday, May 2nd at 6:30pm at The Springhaven Club for dinner, an open bar, dancing and the World Premiere of "Darlington Stories" by alumnus Jordan Nelson.

For her vision and 30 years of service to Darlington, we will be honoring our Founder and Executive Director, Diana Sophocles Hemmenway, who plans to retire from her position at years end. Special recognition is also planned for long-time Board volunteers, Peter and Susan Mardinly and Susan F. Paikin, and our artist teacher of 29 years, Karl J. Kuerner.

Diana Sophocles Hemmenway, 2008 Arts Service Award Recipient. Thirty years ago Diana Sophocles Hemmenway founded the Darlington Arts Center. It was her vision to create a school for arts education in Delaware County that would include all four arts - music, visual arts, dance and drama - and as Executive Director she has continued to be the driving force in artistic programming and development since Darlington's inception. Diana was born in Chester, PA and moved to Wallingford at age 10 where she completed her secondary education at Nether Providence High School. Her love of the arts was instilled in her by her mother, Athena Sophocles, through lessons in piano, violin, and dance, and by her first piano teacher, Blanche Hunter Nelson, with whom she also painted and wrote poetry for ten years. After high school, Diana attended The Oberlin College Conservatory of Music where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree. She then moved to Massachusetts where she completed a Master of Music in Piano Performance at Boston University and taught for two years at Mount Holyoke College. Upon her return to the Philadelphia area, she became a member of the "Philadelphia Virtuosi" a piano quartet with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Before founding the Darlington Arts Center in 1978, Diana taught piano at West Chester University and the Wilmington Music School.

Composer Jordan Nelson, an alumnus of Darlington Arts Center, is a current graduate student at the University of Southern California School of Music majoring in Music Composition under the tutelage of Donald Crockett. He is a graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in Music Composition and participates in some of the most prestigious summer music festivals in the country. The world premiere of his chamber work entitled “Darlington Stories” for strings, winds and piano will be performed at this year’s Arts Salute to Spring by Darlington students and alumni. Jordan, a gifted and prolific composer and highly skilled musician, has pending commissions for chorus and orchestra for Orchestra 2001; Lincoln College Choir, University of Oxford; Strath Haven Silvertones and Yale University's Schola Cantorum.

Turner Construction Company is our premiere partner for this event.

Tickets are $85 per person and $160 per couple.

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Annual Performathon!
Saturday, March 8, 9am - 7pm

Darlington's annual Performathon is a fun-filled day of fundraising and continuous entertainment.

In 2008, Darlington's 30th anniversary year, we are moving forward with a capital campaign with the goal of raising enough funds to build the performance space that our talented students need and deserve. We are kicking off our fundraising with a bang by participating in the 25th Annual PERFORMATHON on Saturday, March 8, from 9am - 7pm.

We invite all our students (no matter what their level) to perform at this event, not only to benefit Darlington and their education here, but to celebrate their creativity and participation in the arts. This is a great opportunity for students to perform their own original works in addition to the material covered in lessons and classes.

Performance is an important part of a student's education, whether one ends up being a dancer, concert pianist, actor, teacher, salesperson or athlete. Our Performathon provides not only an opportunity for creative expression and performance, but also an opportunity for our students to learn two very important aspects of society – advocacy and philanthropy.

We are therefore asking our students (with help from their parents) to find sponsors for their performances. We are setting the minimum sponsorship at $5 per minute of performance time, but with everyone's help, we can raise much more. Through our fundraising, we will spread the word about our student's achievements and the vibrancy and importance of the arts in this community.

In addition to performing, we invite students and their families and friends to participate in this event by painting a mural in the Art Studio with Darlington teaching artist and muralist Maria Merritt. We ask these individuals to raise a suggested minimum of $10 per person.

In order to show our appreciation for all your support, every dollar your family raises will bring you closer to winning an exciting prize! Past prizes have included iPods, a Wii, and DVD Players.

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An Artful Night on the Town
3rd Annual Art Exhibition, Sale and Auction
Featuring 19 of the Areas Most Prominent Artists
Auction and Artists' Reception: October 6th, 5:30-7:30pm
Original Art Work Displayed: until October 27th

Save the date of October 6th  for the 3rd Annual Art Exhibition, Sale and Auction. Nineteen prominent regional artists and painters will show original work the entire month.  They will also generously donate originals and prints to be auctioned during the opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30pm on Saturday, October 6th.  In addition, mix and mingle with the artists who plan to attend that evening.  Listen to live music provided by Darlington's faculty, enjoy delectable refreshments and help raise funds to support Darlington.

The exhibition, curated by Brandywine artist Karl Kuerner, is sure to be an even bigger success than last year's show.  Karl has been imparting his artistic vision, technique and experience as a professional painter to Darlington students for 28 of this organization's 29 years.

Participating Artists:
Annette Alessi	Terry Newitt
Robert Bohne	Samantha Norwood
Cheryl Decker-Sauder	Steve Oliver
Teresa Haman	Dennis Park
Anne Hanna	Nicholas P. Santoleri
Karl J. Kuerner, III	Paul Scarbourough
Charles Logan	Matthew R. Smith
Matiko Mamaladze	Parna Surabischwili
Jane Bertram Miluski	Ben Watson
John Murray

Darlington would like to thank all the participating artists' for their generosity in donating their prints and originals to our fundraiser!

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.Annual Wine Tasting, Jazz and Auction
"A Taste of South America "
November 17th, 2007, 7:00 - 9:30pm

This year's affair, “A Taste of South America,” will take you on a tour of the South American vineyards.  The event returns to the fall on Saturday, November 17th, and begins at 7 pm.

The accompanying auction will entice you with a wide range of desirable items, from event and concert tickets to trips, artwork and dining certificates.  Kreston Wine and Spirits in Wilmington will once again generously provide the wines for the evening.

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Proudly sponsored by: Kreston Wine & Spirits.

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977 Shavertown Road
Garnet Valley, PA 19061
info@darlingtonarts.org
610-358-3632

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