Jack Harlow Foundation boosts arts community with $50,000 donation to Louisville Ballet
As the Louisville Ballet continues to try to make headway on its $3 million fundraising campaign to stay afloat, the company is getting a small helping hand from the Jack Harlow Foundation to the tune of $50,000.
In a Monday Facebook status posted by the nonprofit, the organization caught wind that the ballet had "fallen on hard times since the pandemic" and wanted to share how the community can give back to the "impressive pillar" of the city's arts community. The foundation also encouraged the community to contribute to the ballet, which has operated since 1952.
"I desperately want for them to remain a staple in Louisville’s creative ecosystem for the rest of my life and beyond," Harlow wrote in the post.
The ballet has suffered a severe shortfall of revenue after it opted to pay dancers during the pandemic despite a lack of performances. Even after theaters reopened, a devastating winter storm canceled three sold-out performances of "The Brown-Forman Nutcracker," costing the company $250,000 alone, according to previous Courier Journal reporting.
The result was a lofty $3 million fundraising goal — more than the company has received in annual gifts over the last decade, per previous reporting. Officials said the company has also implemented several other cost-cutting measures for the 2023-24 ballet season, but added the cuts alone wouldn't be enough to maintain operations.
The Louisville Ballet's website said it brings programming to 20,000 people in the community annually. The group said it is "striving for bold collaborations, by nurturing the next generation of artists, by celebrating diversity, and by creating access for all" and has worked with figures such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp and Wendy Whelan.
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Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Ballet receives $50,000 from Jack Harlow Foundation
