Creative Arts Center | Photo by Arden Reimer | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University ArtsGala is expected to support students in the School of Fine and Performing Arts through high attendance, as well as practical and financial opportunities.
About the ArtsGala
On April 1, 2023, WSU will be hosting the annual ArtsGala to raise funds for scholarships supporting students in the School of Fine and Performing Arts.
The Wright State ArtsGala 2023 is one of the premier art events of the Dayton area, in the words of Becca Webb, the director of enrollment management at the College of Liberal Arts.
“For the last few years, we have described it as a ‘cruise ship on land.’ You can attend a number of different performances by art, music, theater, motion picture and dance students,” Webb said.
The gala will take over the Creative Arts Center, with students performing a range of shows across the building, according to Webb.
Preparations
Being one of the biggest art events in the Dayton area, preparations for the gala are occurring the entire academic year.
“Preparations start right away for the following year, trying to put together ideas as well as a new host committee,” Webb explained.
Preparing the gala involves coordination between an internal and external host committee, according to Gary Schmidt, the dean of COLA. The internal host committee consists of faculty and staff of the School of Fine and Performing Arts as well as event planning with the university to coordinate the locations of performances and catering on the night.
The external host committee consists of donors and high-profile arts members in the community.
“They help organize getting the word out to people in the community about the event, getting people to purchase tickets as well as making connections for sponsors. Furthermore, they obtain items for the silent auction on the night,” Schmidt said.
The gala
Additionally, Schmidt voiced the gala as a networking opportunity due to the high-status individuals in attendance.
“The patrons that come to this come because they love the arts, some of them provide scholarships to students as well as donating and contributing,” Schmidt said.
In previous years, the gala has reached an attendance of up to 800 individuals. The 2022 gala reached an attendance of 675 due to it being the first year out of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Webb.
The committees have also been successful in raising funds for past years as well as for the upcoming gala.
“Last year, we raised $286,000. This year, we are already very close to matching that, and with the new arts gala coordinator, I think we are going to hit it out of the park this year,” Webb exclaimed.
The funds go towards scholarships for students in the School of Fine and Performing Arts. Students qualify for these scholarships after completing an audition, and students most frequently receive a scholarship through a staff or faculty recommendation, according to Webb.
“We always give students in the creative schools $2,000 with our fundraising efforts to disperse among the students, sometimes more depending on how much is raised,” Rebecca Foley, the art gallery and events coordinator at COLA, said.
For more information about the 2023 ArtsGala, visit the official gala website.
