COMING SOON: Read a live report Friday on the Allied Arts campaign kick-off in news. Keep up with progress of the campaign on the Sunday Arts page.
In an effort to emphasize its message that "The Arts are for All," Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga is kicking off its 2010 Annual Campaign at 12 locations today.
Allied Arts hopes to raise $2 million during the four-month campaign and the money raised will fund Allied Arts' initiatives and grants while providing a major contribution to the operating budgets of its 14 "cultural partners."
The celebration will include ballet dancers, visual artists, musicians and local authors who showcase their arts for school children, people with special needs, senior citizens and adult learners, according to a news release.
The day will conclude at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, where campaign chair Patti Frierson will officially kick off the fund-raising efforts. The public is invited to the CTC gathering, which will feature video and photographic highlights from the earlier events.
"The arts touch us all," said Ms. Frierson. "They connect us in ways that make our quality of life better, and they improve the academic success of our children," she said.
"Much of what we do at Allied Arts is behind the scenes -- providing grants and funding that help bring the arts into the community," said Dan Bowers, president of Allied Arts. "(Today), we want to give Chattanooga a peek at the magic that occurs as a result of the arts that happen here every day -- in our classrooms, senior centers and social service agencies."