More than $275,000 for student scholarships and other initiatives was raised during the annual “ARTS by George!” celebration, sponsored by the George Mason University College of Visual and Performing Arts.
The benefit was headlined by Grammy and Tony award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, also supported the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts.
With donations still coming in, “ARTS by George!” has raised more than $4.1 million for the arts at the university since its inception in 2006.
“ARTS by George! 2023 is in the books, and one for the books,” said Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. “Thanks to a considerable village, this edition was quite possibly the most uplifting, free-flowing, artistically engaging version of this storied tradition.”
The event included 16 different performances by a cumulative 200 Mason students and faculty members throughout the university’s Fairfax campus, with beverage and cuisine stations offered throughout. At 8 p.m., guests transitioned to the Center for the Arts for a live Fund-A-Student Auction, which brought in more than $36,400 towards the total raised, all for scholarship support, prior to the performance by Goldsberry. During this portion, Dewberry School of Music piano student Kai Shi joined School of Music alumni flutist Eduardo Fajardo in a performance paired with personal anecdotes about the importance of student scholarships.
For her final number of the evening, Goldsberry invited Mason School of Theater students Kamy Satterfield, Sarah Stewart, Emma Harris, Lexi Carter, Aiden Breneman-Pennas, and Brett Womack to join her on stage in a song from the musical “Rent.”
The event was co-chaired by Anne Bolger and Steven Golsch.
