$10 million new gift from W. Jerome Frautschi follows his earlier $205 million donation to center for the arts
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Overture Center for the Arts has announced the launch of its Overture Forever Campaign, bolstered by a transformative $10 million gift from the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation. This $30 million campaign aims to address current capital needs and grow Overture’s endowment, ensuring the center stays a vibrant and welcoming space. As a result of this effort, Overture will remain a place where everyone can experience and enjoy the arts for future generations.
Overture Center for the Arts was established thanks to Jerry Frautschi’s monumental gift of $205 million, which continues to stand as the largest singular gift to the arts in US history. His gift to the Overture Forever Campaign will support the Gajic Capital Fund to ensure Overture continues to be Madison’s shining star.
“When I made my gift for the development of Overture Center, my vision was to create a world-class arts destination that would become the cultural hub of Madison,” said Frautschi.
“As we celebrate Overture’s 20-year anniversary, its success has exceeded even my most ambitious hopes and expectations. With my $10 million pledge to support the Overture Forever Campaign, and the additional support of other donors, we can ensure that Overture remains an exceptional building that brings exceptional arts experiences to the Madison area.”
Every day, beauty, precision and innovation are on display at Overture, but 75 percent of it goes unseen. That’s because most of what makes Overture Wisconsin’s premiere arts destination is choreographed backstage, below stage and, in some cases, several stories above stage.
“Exceptional buildings like Overture Center must be consciously cared for in order to withstand the passage of time,” said Chief Development Officer Emily Gruenewald. “The artistry guests enjoy on our stages and in our galleries is made possible by the mostly hidden operational marvels of our 400,000-square-foot building.”
Each year, Overture Center hosts an average of 700 events, providing over 500,000 arts experiences, including performances by its nine resident arts companies. At least 30 percent of these arts experiences are through free or low-cost programs, which are central to the organization’s mission. Overture’s business model relies on both ticket sales and fundraising to meet operational needs. Additional funds are required for capital investment in the building and equipment.
“Our building is central to our mission and vital to all who perform and participate here,” said Gruenewald. “Preserving this cultural icon will sustain a vibrant local arts community and ensure that future generations will enjoy its diverse programs and performances.”
Thanks to the generous $10 million pledge from the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation and contributions from over 80 individuals, businesses, foundations and grant agencies, Overture has already raised $21.8 million toward its $30 million goal.
“We are deeply grateful to our leading supporters for making this investment in Overture’s future,” said Gruenewald.
Overture invites the public to join in on the Overture Forever Capital Campaign. To learn more or donate to the campaign, visitoverture.org/give/overture-forever.
Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wis., is a nonprofit arts organization that features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and four galleries where national and international touring artists, nine resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in more than 500,000 educational and artistic experiences each year.
Overture’s mission is to support and elevate our community’s creative culture, economy and quality of life through the arts. overture.org.
In the late 1990s, Jerome Frautschi gave what was recognized then as one of the largest gifts to the arts from a single donor in the U.S.
Having watched the decline of Madison’s downtown in preceding decades and building on the momentum from the city’s then-new convention center, Frautschi gave $205 million to build the Overture Center in Madison, replacing the outdated Civic Center. T
he Overture, which opened in 2004 and takes up a whole city block, includes a 2,100-seat concert hall, 1,000-seat refurbished historic theater, 350-seat theater in the round and 80,000-square-foot Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Frautschi ran Webcrafters, a family-owned book manufacturing company, with his brother, John, for 42 years. The company was acquired by Minnesota-based CJK Group in 2017.
Another significant donation to the community, Frautschi and his family gifted the Second Point on Lake Mendota, called Frautschi Point, to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the late 1980s, providing a link to the western and eastern ends of the university’s shoreline.
Frautschi has made several donations, through his W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, in recent years to education initiatives, including to One City Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and Madison College Foundation.
The Jerry Awards, the main high school musical awards program in the state, is named after Frautschi in recognition of his support for the arts.
He previously served as president and campaign chair for the United Way and on the board of the Madison Community Foundation, MMOCA, the Vilas Trust, Ten Chimneys, the Evjue Foundation, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, the Waisman Center Board of Visitors and the Letters and Science Board of Visitors of the University of Wisconsin.