ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Homecoming at Spelman College was a star-studded affair as the College celebrated the official opening of the newly-renovated LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson Performing Arts Center on Thursday, October 24. LaTanya, C’71, and Sam, Morehouse ’72, were joined by family, Hollywood A-listers and the Spelman community to dedicate the center and unveil a mural highlighting their lifetime of achievements in the arts.
“Sam and I are continually invested in the success of Spelman College because Spelman first invested so much in us,” said Richardson Jackson. “Everything I know, all of my beginnings were in this building. It is an honor for us to help support the school’s vital mission, and to ensure that it continues to serve as a space of inspiration and training for the next generation of leaders. May the unveiling of this glorious mural be an inspiration to the beautiful artists past, present and future who walk these halls.”
LaTanya and Sam, who met while students at Spelman and Morehouse College, respectively, donated $5 million towards the renovation of the Rockefeller Fine Arts Building. The contribution marked the largest alumnae donation in Spelman’s history. They also worked tirelessly to secure additional support for the renovation, bringing the total funds raised to $17.3 million. In recognition of the couple’s remarkable careers and support for the renovation of the building, the theater, lobby, and surrounding areas were named in their honor.
“Tonight’s celebration heralds a vibrant new era for the arts at Spelman, where performances and presentations will now flourish in a cutting-edge facility designed to inspire creativity and excellence,” said Spelman College Interim President Rosalind ‘Roz’ Brewer, C’84, who is also Chair Emerita of Spelman Board of Trustees. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to alumna LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson for their unwavering commitment and passionate support of the arts at Spelman. LaTanya and Samuel’s love story began on stage at Spelman, and their remarkable careers serve as a beacon of inspiration. It is only fitting that their journey is honored with a lasting tribute in the very place where it all began.”
The black and white mural, created by Atlanta artist Quintin Jackson, is a pictorial history in recognition and representation of the talents and contributions of LaTanya and Sam, including their time in the Morehouse Spelman Players theatrical group. The year-long project, which includes 135 images, came to life through archivist consultations, research and discovery of images, playbills, interviews with photographers of the times represented, and assistance from former Spelman Professor Dr. Carlton Molette, and other Spelman team members.
The star-studded evening was attended by family and friends of LaTanya and Sam, cast members from the soon-to-be released Piano Lesson movie, including Spelman alumna Danielle Deadwyler, C’2004. Other guests included director Spike Lee, Morehouse ’79; film producer Will Packer; author and Spelman alumna Pearl Cleage, C’71; former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; United Negro College Fund President Michael Lomax; members of the Spelman College Board of Trustees, leadership team, faculty and staff; and former Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell. The night concluded with a special arts performance by the Spelman College Arts division, showcasing the artistic mastery of our performing arts programs.
Spelman’s Continued Investments in the Arts and Innovation
Spelman has made substantial investments to enhance the integration of the arts and technology within the liberal arts and sciences. In addition to the investment to renovate the Rockefeller Arts Building, the College will open the new $86 million Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts (CI&A) in early 2025. The center will be a home to Spelman’s thriving arts programs in dance, documentary filmmaking, photography, theater and performance, music, the Atlanta University Center Art History and Curatorial Studies Collective, and provide expanded space for the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, and the Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab. Titled the “front porch”, the CI&A will open the campus to the Atlanta University Center’s Westside community.
Since 2015, the College has announced five new artistic major and minor courses of study, including documentary filmmaking, art history and curatorial studies, and hired new faculty to lead arts programs. Spelman is also excited to welcome Barbara Chirinos, the new artistic director of the LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson Performing Arts Center and the Center for Innovation & the Arts.
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About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,300 students. Spelman is the country’s leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.Ds. in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Recent initiatives include a designation by the Department of Defense as a Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, a Gender and Sexuality Studies Institute, the first endowed queer studies chair at an HBCU and a program to increase the number of Black women Ph.Ds. in economics. New majors and minors have been added, including documentary filmmaking and photography, data science, refugee studies and gaming. Collaborations have been also established with MIT’s Media Lab, the Broad Institute and the Army Research Lab for artificial intelligence and machine learning, among others.
Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer, political leader Stacey Abrams, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna president Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University professor and former Dean Evelynn Hammonds, actress and producer LaTanya Richardson Jackson, global bioinformatics geneticist Janina Jeff and authors Pearl Cleage and Tayari Jones.
To learn more, please visit spelman.edu and @spelmancollege on social media.
- Unveiled Mural
- Family and Friends Gather for Celebration