AT&T
New York, New York
 
Bestowed 1992

AT&T has been supporting the arts for more than half a century with the belief that the arts are an indispensable form of expression and communication. The company designates approximately 15% of its annual philanthropic budget to the arts. This totaled nearly $5 million in 1991. AT&T's philanthropic support is enhanced by extensive advertising and marketing programs developed in conjunction with its sponsorships.

AT&T has benefited the arts, business and the community by:

• Undertaking many landmark partnerships that have brought the arts to millions of individuals. “The Telephone Hour,” which began airing on radio stations throughout the country in 1940, introduced Americans to a number of great artists during its 28 years of broadcast. “Young People's Concerts,” hosted by Leonard Bernstein and televised nationwide from 1964-1968, provided millions of children with the opportunity to learn about classical music. And, AT&T: American Orchestras on Tour funded performances by 30 major orchestras in 284 American cities. AT&T has sponsored additional radio and television programs, including “Carnegie Hall Tonight,” “With Horowitz in Moscow” and “The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour.”
• Providing performing arts organizations with considerable support to create, produce and present new works. AT&T OnStage, one of the first major theatrical initiatives undertaken by a business, provides support to professional not-for-profit theaters to develop and present new plays and musicals. The AT&T New Plays for the Nineties Project encourages the production of new American plays and musical theater works by women and minority playwrights and composers. AT&T Dance Tour has enabled dance companies to tour to more than 200 American cities. And, the AT&T American Encore Program encourages the rehearsal and performance of works by 20th century American composers that have been premiered, but not frequently performed.
• Sponsoring hundreds of major exhibitions and visual arts programs throughout the country, including “An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art,” “High and Low: Modern Art and Popular Culture,” “David Hockney: A Retrospective,” “Robert Longo,” “Robert Wilson's Visions,” and AT&T Portfolio Tours of The Met, a series of self-guided audio tours of some of the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1991, the AT&T New Art/New Visions Program was established to support contemporary art by providing grants for the exhibition and acquisition of recently created work by living American artists.
• Striving to make the arts a significant part of its corporate culture. The AT&T Corporate Art Collection contains more than 8,000 works of contemporary art. Nearly 200 AT&T executives are members of the boards of directors of cultural institutions throughout the country, and AT&T employees volunteer extensively with cultural organizations in their local communities. Employees in each of AT&T's operating areas recommend arts organizations in their local area for support. And, AT&T has a one-to-one employee matching gifts program for cultural institutions.