Mayor Stephen Terrell along with Allen City Council hosted a special reception Tuesday evening to make check presentations totaling more than $729,000 to seven Allen arts organizations. The money represented Allen’s share of $2.3 million in private donations to the Arts Center of North Texas that officially dissolved in December.
The Allen Civic Ballet, Allen’s Community Theatre, Friends of the Allen Public Library, Allen Heritage Guild, Allen Philharmonic Orchestra & Symphony Chorus, Allen Public Arts Committee and Allen Arts Alliance all received a check for just over $68,500. An additional $250,000 check – part of a large donation from AT&T – was presented to Allen Arts Alliance to fund a multi-year initiative that will engage students, local art organizations and the library in programs that connect the arts and sciences.
The Art Center of North Texas, formerly the Arts of Collin County, was a non-profit organization formed through the joint partnership between the cities of Allen, Frisco and Plano for the purpose of funding a regional performing arts hall. After a decade of planning and fundraising, Frisco pulled out of the project in 2010 which was followed by Allen and Plano taking steps to dissolve the center and negotiate the use of donations. In December a district judge ordered the money to be distributed evenly between the three cities to benefit community arts initiatives.
“Unfortunately it’s a sad thing that happened to the Arts Center of North Texas,” Allen Mayor Stephen Terrell told the crowd Tuesday evening. “But I hope that this money extends our arts of Collin County and shows that this city council is behind the arts of Allen, Texas one-hundred and fifty percent.”