Donor Spotlight

It was May 1, 1971 and the Midland Symphony Orchestra and Choirs of the Center were joined together for the dedication concert of Midland Center for the Arts featuring “Prelude to Die Meistersinger” by Richard Wagner, “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber, and “The Promise of Living” by Aaron Copland. And 50 years later, to commemorate this dedication performance, Midland Center for the Arts will reflect on its history just as it began.

It has been 19 months since the devastating floods in Midland County, and organizations like Midland Center for the Arts are continuing to recover from the immense damages it caused to their facilities. While the Center has continued to offer the community enriching exhibitions of science, art and history in a temporary space, they have been working to secure resources necessary to repair and upgrade its many facilities including the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art.

As the doors to the Auditorium at Midland Center for the Arts continue to remain closed as a result of the International pandemic, the community and local foundations have stepped forward to support Midland’s cultural destination while opportunities to draw in normal revenue are extremely limited. Thanks to the leadership of the Midland Area Community Foundation, Midland Center is the latest recipient of a COVID Relief grant in the amount of $30,000 for their focus area, Enriching our Community.

The history of Midland County is important, for its residents, historians and future generations. Although we often think of history as only what remains from the past, whether that be stories, journals, photos, documents or artifacts, history is actually living in each moment of every day. The Midland County Historical Society preserves the county’s history by maintaining a collection of historical objects and documents, but they are also working to ensure the stories of our current experience are documented and preserved for future generations and historians.