The future of the 3Arts Club

Epilogue

In 2006 the decision was made to sell The Three Arts Club and use the money to set up a Foundation to help women artists .

These are some video stills from a fund-raising event in 2000 , one of many such occasions,to try and save the Club


CHICAGO – The Board of Directors of The Three Arts Club of Chicago (3Arts) announced today that on June 8 the board voted unanimously to sell the 3Arts building at 1300 N. Dearborn and establish a grantmaking foundation with the proceeds from the sale.


“We believe this will ensure a strong, mission-driven future for 3Arts,” said Cynthia West, president of the 3Arts Board of Directors. “This new direction will allow us to achieve our primary goal, which has always been to preserve the organization while updating our mission in such a way that we can have the most impact on and benefit to the arts in Chicago.”


3Arts has worked closely with the city and state to explore every possible funding option to restore its deteriorating building to house an affordable artist community and public art center. This difficult decision was made after the organization learned that approximately $5.5 million of the anticipated public funds, which it had counted on to initiate the planned renovation and restoration, would not be forthcoming.



“The gap in public financing was simply too great for 3Arts to bear,” said West. “As a mission-driven organization, 3Arts always has been committed to remaining open to all options. And, as board members, we had to be open to making whatever decisions, however difficult, to ensure the long-term viability of our organization.”


“As a long-time funder of 3Arts and a member of the capital campaign committee, I understand what a tough decision this was and I think that nearly doubling an already challenging capital goal for an organization the size of 3Arts would not be feasible or responsible,” said Irene Phelps, president of The Siragusa Foundation.


As a grantmaking foundation, 3Arts’s goal will be to support young women studying the arts, as well as programs in music, theater and visual arts. The foundation will have a broader reach within the arts community extending far past its current Gold Coast location and have an impact on diverse communities.



In 1912, thirty-five women from Chicago’s cultural and educational scene, as well as social reformer and educational activist Jane Addams—formed the first 3Arts Board of Directors and established its charter to support young women engaged in the study of music, theater, and visual arts. 3Arts first opened its doors in September of 1912 at 1614 North LaSalle and in 1915 moved into its current facility.