Support for the Arts... From a Stradivarius
In June, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) broke ground on its new University Arts Building. This three-story, approximately 42,500-squarefoot facility will enhance the quality of UNR’s music and arts programs with new creative spaces that will inspire creativity and artistic excellence.
Continued growth in student enrollment and the addition and expansion of arts programs has led to the need for the new facility. A new 287-seat recital hall, art museum, fabrication lab, electroacoustic lab, soundproof rehearsal spaces, music practice rooms, faculty office spaces and a state-of-the-art recording suite will support students and staff in producing their best work.
The cost for the University Arts Building is about $35.5 million and, according to the university’s website, funding for the new building will result from a combination of private philanthropy and university funds.
According to an article in the Reno Gazette-Journal published in early September, one facet of the private philanthropy involved in the funding will be the result of the sale of a Stradivarius violin, worth millions of dollars.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that the violin was an unrestricted gift to UNR’s music department in 1974. Over the years it has been played by graduate students studying the violin.
UNR has indicated that it has hired a consultant to market the high-priced item.