Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
The mission of the Athenaeum is to provide the La Jolla and San
Diego communities with library resources in music and the arts,
and an ongoing schedule of cultural programs, classes, concerts,
and exhibitions.
Located in a historic building in La Jolla, the Athenaeum Music
& Arts Library is one of San Diego's great artistic treasures, enriching
the lives of many people who live and work in the San Diego area.
Founded in 1894 and incorporated in 1899, the Athenaeum is one of
only seventeen remaining membership libraries in the United States,
and one of only two in the western United States÷libraries based
on the model of community-supported centers of learning and fine
arts originated by Benjamin Franklin. Over the past three decades, the Athenaeum has grown from a library
into a cultural center for art and music. It has become renowned
locally and nationally for its series of innovative concerts in
both classical music and jazz, its many superb free exhibitions
of visual art (featuring important local, national, and international
artists), its varied offerings of studio art classes for both children
and adults, outreach programs into area schools and its eclectic
lecture series in music and art. All of this is in addition to the
extensive library collections of material in music and art, including
books, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, videocassettes, sheet music, and
its significant collection of artists' books exploring the idea
of the book as a work of art itself. Membership libraires were created in the 18th and 19th centuries
as community supported centers of learning and fine arts and originated
by Benjamin Franklin. Today, the remaining seventeen libraries are
housed in historic buildings, are self-supporting, and still have
circulation libraries.
Now into its second century, the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
has proudly taken its place as one of the most important cultural
institutions in San Diego County. This prominence is the result
of an astonishing growth in membership, art and music programs,
library collections, and the community we serve. The major physical
expansion of the building took place in 1990; with the Athenaeum
currently using 6,400 square feet of space in the Athenaeum building,
School of the Arts studio, and part of the 1921 library building.
To continue our success in meeting the growing needs of the community,
the Athenaeum embarked, in 2002, on the most ambitious fund-raising
campaign in its more than century-long history, dubbed the Campaign
to Reclaim. The goal is to raise $5,000,000.
The Athenaeum is currently putting the finishing touches on its
renovation, thanks in large part to the donors who have contributed
to the Campaign to Reclaim. The library has reclaimed all of the
space in its three historic buildings, adding 3,800 square feet.
The new space includes a larger gallery, a new North Reading Room
with space to display the library's prestigious Artists' Books Collection,
a climate-controlled vault for special collections, an improved,
handicapped accessible School of the Arts, remodelled offices, and
more space to prepare for receptions and dinners. The existing spaces
received a facelift as well, with reupholstered furniture and refinished
floors.
We still need your help to make it to our $5,000,000 goal. There
are many opportunities for you to make a lasting impact on your
community by naming an event, an area of the building, or a staff
position, or a brick in the courtyard (scroll down the page for
a complete list). To learn about purchasing a brick, or other support
opportunities, please contact Erika Torri at (858) 454-5872.
We wish to share this exciting time in our development with our
donors, members, and the entire community. A series of special events
is planned for January 12-14. Details will be available here soon.
Architectural Expansion Plans
Several years ago, the Athenaeum established an Endowment Fund,
selected a special Endowment Trust Committee and created an Endowment
Trust Document. This was all done to ensure the proper handling
of endowment funds, and in anticipation of possible donations especially
earmarked for endowment purposes.
Over the years, various donations were received which made these
funds grow slightly. However, the real growth happened in 2001,
when Board member Sharon Labowitz became Chair of the Endowment
Committee, pledged the first $100,000 gift, and set the tone for
things to come. Executive Director Erika Torri, with help from other
members of the Endowment Committee, was able to secure many other
sizeable donations and pledges.
We thought this would be a good time to enumerate the various ways
in which you might contribute. Besides outright gifts of cash or
appreciated stock, there are many other ways to contribute: the
Pooled Income Fund is a favorite vehicle, as are Charitable
Remainder Trusts, Bequests by Will, or Real Estate-to
name just a few. Scholarship funds could be established or designated
funds created to support acquisitions, programs, or staff positions.
And, don’t overlook our most recent opportunity: to name a
brick in the courtyard.
We hope that, if any of these means of giving to the Athenaeum
is of interest to you, you will want to pursue it further. I will
be more than happy to meet with you and answer any questions.
Sincerely yours,
Erika Torri
Joan & Irwin Jacobs Executive Director
The Athenaeum's goal is to raise a total of $4,000,000 with the
"Campaign to Reclaim." The following special naming or memorial
opportunities are available to donors:
$500,000 Name the Athenaeum Courtyard
$500,000 Name the Music Room (reserved)
$500,000 Name the Art Gallery Room
$500,000 Name the North Reading Room or Reference Room
$300,000 Name the East Reading Room
$ 250,000 Name the Position of the Executive Director (reserved)
$ 250,000 Name the Annual Classical Concert Series (reserved)
$ 250,000 Name the Rotunda
$ 250,000 Name the San Diego Mini-Concerts (reserved)
$ 200,000 Name one Jazz Concert Series (one series reserved)
$ 200,000 Name the Athenaeum Mini-Concert Series
$150,000 Name the Artists' Book Collection (reserved)
$ 100,000 Name the Position of the School Director
$ 100,000 Name the Position of the Program Director
$ 100,000 Endow the Art & Architecture Series (reserved)
$ 100,000 Name the Position of the Librarian
$ 100,000 Name The Children's Collection/ Space (reserved)
$ 100,000 Name the Annual Exhibition
$ 100,000 Name the Portico (reserved)
$ 100,000 Name the Entry Way (reserved)
$ 100,000 Name the Artists' Books Vault (reserved)
$ 75,000 Name the Upstairs Stairwell
$ 75,000 Name an Annual Classical Concert
$ 75,000 Name an Annual Jazz Concert
$ 50,000 Name an Annual Lecture
$ 50,000 Name the Downstairs Stairwell
$ 50,000 Name the Ramp (taken)
$ 25,000 Name the Video Collection (reserved)
$ 25,000 Name the CD Collection Space(reserved)
$ 25,000 Name the Current Periodicals Space (reserved)
$ 25,000 Name the DVD Collection Space
$ 10,000 Endow an Art Appreciation Lecture Series
$ 10,000 Endow a Music Appreciation Lecture Series
$ 10,000 Name a Bookstack
$ 10,000 Endow a Scholarship Fund in Music or Art (three reserved)
$ 10,000 Endow an Artists' Book Fund
$ 5,000 Endow a Library Acquisition Funds
Art Books
Music Books
Children's Books
Video Collection
Audio Collection
New Media
$ 1,500 Name a brick in the courtyard (144 reserved) $ 1,000 Name a new stacking chair for the Music Room (28 reserved) Back to top
Board of Trustees, 2007-08
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
Max Elliott, M.D., President
Sharon Labovitz, Vice President
Brian Owen, Treasurer
Leanne Hull MacDougall, Assistant Treasurer
James E. Lasry, Secretary
Suzanne Applebaum
Helen Cheng
Ann Craig
Carmen Cuenca
Carol Fink
Angel Kleinbub
Sharon Labovitz
Garna Muller
Nolan Penn, Ph.D.
Betty Jo Petersen
Carol Randolph, Ph.D.
Nora Sargent
Carolyn Yorston
Barbara Walbridge, Board Member Emeritus Back
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