At a ceremony held today (March 27) to celebrate placement of the last steel beam on its Center for the Arts, UC Davis announced that it has received a $5 million commitment to the new performing arts center. Larry Vanderhoef, chancellor at UC Davis, said the pledge from Davis resident Barbara K. Jackson is thought to be the largest single gift ever from an individual for the arts in the Sacramento Valley and that it benefits audiences, students and arts organizations throughout Northern California. In appreciation, the campus will name the 1,800-seat main hall in the center in honor of Jackson and her late husband. "We are all deeply indebted to Barbara Jackson," Vanderhoef said. "This gift stands as her extraordinary commitment to help build interest and enthusiasm for music, theater and dance in the region. It reflects her deep devotion to the performing arts in our communities and to this campus." Jackson, one of the volunteers leading a capital campaign to raise $30 million for the center, said that she was more than happy to contribute. "The arts have always given me great joy and inspiration," Jackson said. "This new center will give many others that same joy for years to come. I can think of no better investment to make than in the future of the arts." UC Davis is financing the $60.9 million project through a combination of campus discretionary funds, a UC regents' loan and a $30 million capital fund-raising campaign. Jackson's pledge raises the amount campaign donors have committed to $17.3 million and brings funding for the project to within 79 percent of the total cost, the chancellor said. The performing arts center will feature the main hall, a 250-seat studio theater, state-of-the-art stage production technology, and acoustical design by one of the country's foremost sound experts. It is being constructed on the south edge of campus next to the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center and will be clearly visible to travelers on Interstate 80. Offering convenient parking in a recently completed garage, the performing arts center will open in October 2002. Jackson is a familiar figure at performances in the capital region and San Francisco. An award-winning costume designer and wardrobe mistress, she has volunteered for the Sacramento Opera and local theater groups for 40 years. She is a founding member of the Friends of UC Davis Presents, a volunteer organization that supports the campus's arts presenting program, and she serves as a trustee of the UC Davis Foundation. She is the widow of W. Turrentine "Turpie" Jackson, a UC Davis history professor noted for his expertise in the American West. He served as consulting historian for Wells Fargo Bank and such agencies as the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Prior to his death in May 2000, the couple had made numerous gifts to campus, including a scholarship and endowed chair in western U.S. history and previous contributions to the Center for the Arts Campaign. Barbara Jackson also recently endowed a UC Davis faculty chair in orchestral conducting and a graduate fellowship in western U.S. history. For her part, Jackson was quick to call attention to opportunities that still remain for someone interested in supporting the campaign for the new center. "I appreciate very much the naming honor, but I am also looking forward to the announcement of a gift that names the entire building and to the one naming the studio theater, as well," she said. Brian McCurdy, UC Davis director of university cultural programs, said that a donor could name the entire performing arts building for a gift of $10 million. The studio theater, which can be named with a gift of $2.5 million, is designed for dance, theater and small musical ensemble performances, he said. "Barbara Jackson is a wonderful friend to the arts. It is so characteristic of her that her first concern is that we push ahead on the campaign and bring it to a successful conclusion," McCurdy said. Besides superb acoustics and state-of-the-art technical support, Barbara K. and W. Turrentine Jackson Hall will feature a stage that can be customized to suit various types of performances and unobstructed sightlines from every seat in the house. The new center also provides ample space backstage for artists and production crews, as well as attractive public lobbies, a courtyard and landscaped grounds. "Many spaces in the building and its surroundings may still be named through campaign gifts," McCurdy said. "Beginning this fall, we will also offer supporters the opportunity to name individual seats in Jackson Hall." University officials refer to the center as the campus's new "front door" because of its accessibility to visitors and because it anchors a site that will ultimately include a visual arts center and a hotel/conference center.