$10 million latest philanthropic gift from Dr. Pamela Wall follows an earlier mega-gift of $100 million from Lindsay and Paula Fox for arts programming

Philanthropist and arts supporter Dr Pamela Wall has pledged a $10 million gift to the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation.

Wall’s gift becomes the most significant donation made nationally by an individual to an Australian performing arts center.

Wall’s gift is directed explicitly towards the AFC’s programming, which is also believed to be unique.

“I am a big believer in the power of the arts in bringing joy to the community and gathering people together,” Wall said in a media statement when her landmark gift was announced.

Together with her late husband, Dr Ian Wall AM (the co-founder of global communications manufacturer and supplier Codan Ltd; Pamela Wall sat on Codan’s Board for 20 years.

Wall is a long-standing supporter of the AFC.

The pair previously donated $1 million to the Her Majesty’s Theatre redevelopment (which went towards creating the Ian and Pamela Wall Gallery on the reopened theatre’s rooftop). The $35 million upgrade of Her Majesty’s (first announced by the then South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis in June 2016) resulted in the redeveloped theatre reopening in June 2020. The Ian and Pamela Wall Gallery, the designated home of Adelaide Festival Centre’s Performing Arts Collection, opened in July 2021.

Pamela and Ian Wall also created a fund in perpetuity to support arts experiences for children and students through the AFC’s youth and family programs.

“Ian and I loved spending time at the theatre, and I have so many fond memories of seeing shows at Adelaide Festival Centre and Her Majesty’s Theatre, both hold a special place in my heart. My hope is that future generations of artists and all audiences can continue to come together at this vibrant cultural hub to create, experience and enjoy the magic of live performance,” Wall said in Sunday’s media statement.

AFC CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM said: “We are extremely grateful for this extraordinarily generous contribution from Pamela Wall to the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation, one of the most significant philanthropic contributions to the arts in SA.

This gift demonstrates Pamela has belief in the arts shaping the future of South Australia’s cultural landscape and providing more opportunities for artists and audiences of all backgrounds to experience our programs at Adelaide Festival Centre – the heart of the arts.”

Wall’s donation will support arts and events programming at the AFC for generations to come, including its in-house festivals: DreamBIG Children’s Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Guitar Festival and OzAsia Festival.

The donation will also be directed towards First Nations programming.

Describing the impact of the gift, Maree Sidey, CEO of Philanthropy Australia, the national peak body for philanthropy, stated: “Philanthropy Australia congratulates Dr Pamela Wall for her transformative pledge to the Adelaide Festival Centre. The Centre is a valued member of Philanthropy Australia and this generous gift will help ensure a thriving performing arts sector in South Australia for many years to come. The programming impact will help artists, and the SA public will benefit greatly from the events and programs.”

In addition to Wall’s support of the AFC, her recent philanthropic acts in Adelaide have included the purchase and permanent installation of glass artist Dale Chihuly’s Glacier Ice and Lapis Chandelier for Adelaide Botanic Gardens in late 2024; the piece was initially installed as part of the Chihuly in the Botanic Gardens exhibition, which ArtsHub’s Visual Arts Editor Gina Fairley praised as “stratospheric” in her five-star review last year.

Earlier in 2024, Wall donated $1 million to the co-educational St Peter’s Woodlands (at which she boarded for six years in the 1940s, when it was known as Woodlands Church of England Girls Grammar School) to enable the construction of a new multipurpose sport and performing arts center.

The center, to be known as the Dr. Pamela Wall Centre, will seat 500 people and the theatre will be equipped with the latest sound, lighting and staging technology.

AFC Foundation Executive Director Abbie Taylor said in Sunday’s media statement, “This extraordinary gift will provide lasting financial support for the Centre’s programs, ensuring the arts remain a vital part of our community and are enjoyed by all South Australians for generations to come. We are deeply grateful for their belief in the power of the arts to connect, uplift and inspire.”

The Foundation was established in 1999 as a charitable organization to support the AFC’s mission to make the arts accessible to all South Australians.

South Australia’s Minister for Arts, Andrea Michaels, thanked Wall for her “incredible generosity to Adelaide Festival Centre” and added, “Pamela has been an extraordinarily generous supporter of the arts in South Australia, and this new gift is a national first.

Adelaide Festival Centre is the heart of the performing arts in South Australia, and we very much appreciate her contribution.”

As previously mentioned, Wall’s $10 million gift is exclusively earmarked for arts and events programming, a welcome exception from most major arts philanthropic gifts in Australia to date.

A $100 million donation from Lindsay and Paula Fox for the NGV Contemporary project earlier and similar, sizeable philanthropic donations are often – though not always – channeled towards major capital works programs, new arts infrastructure, and significant renovations at arts centers, high-profile galleries, and major theatres.

Conversely, the $38 million gift from long-time philanthropists James and Diana Ramsay to the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) was dedicated to acquiring significant works of art for AGSA.