Hassan Salem, head of Commercial Banking for U.S. Bank, serves as trustee, development committee co-chair and chair of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ capital campaign. He has long been a champion of arts organizations across the nation.
Donor Spotlights
Drawn from across the country, these philanthropists share a common vision. They believe that the arts are critically important, every American should have the opportunity to experience the art, and investment in the arts and arts education must be nurtured for the next generation.
Vans Custom Culture envisions a country where every child has access to - and takes part in - high quality learning experiences in the arts, both in school and in the community. In 2012, Vans Custom Culture began a unique partnership with Americans for the Arts to realize this vision through a variety of programs and events.
Ruth Lilly, one of the most generous arts patrons of her time, cared deeply about the arts in her community, and the future of the arts in America. She gave enthusiastically and frequently to the arts and artists in her home state of Indiana, as well as to many national arts programs.
“In this ever-advancing age of technology, the arts will serve as the connective tissue to society—as the link from the past, to the present, into the future.” For Nora Orphanides, the arts connect us all.
Recognizing the powerful role that the arts can play in helping people develop critical life skills, Nora joined the National Patrons Council of Americans for the Arts in 2008. Since then, she has become an ambassador for arts education, championing the cause that is so near and dear to her heart.
“The organization is prominent in its role to educate the public on the importance of the arts. The arts are essential for the enrichment and well-being of our lives. One can count on Americans for the Arts as spokesperson for the highest levels of creativity.”
Through the Americans for the Arts Annual Fund, Dorothy supports our work in advocacy, research, and leadership, to be a voice for the arts.
I know you’ll agree that the arts help communities heal, learn, and grow. All year long, I work to advance and lead the organizations that are important to me, like YoungArts, American Ballet Theatre, Museum of Modern Art, MoMA PS1, New World Symphony and so many others. And that’s why I support Americans for the Arts: because they help make it possible for arts organizations and artists in communities all over the country to do what they do better.
