Now would be a good time to toast the arts with a cold bottle of Coca-Cola.
The Woodruff Arts Center, Georgia’s largest arts educator, has launched a $67 million capital campaign to expand its campus and arts programming, with an eye toward youth. The Midtown Atlanta institution recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for two projects: the Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families and PNC PlaySpace. These kid-friendly additions join the center’s Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and High Museum of Art.
“…This capital campaign will bring new life to our campus … and secure our place as Atlanta’s center for the arts,” Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, said in a statement.
Construction began in August, with the venues set to open in January 2026. The PNC PlaySpace will be a free hands-on learning center where children under 6 can move and create. Meanwhile, the Alliance Theatre has launched the Imagine Campaign to establish a $10 million endowment fund to help cover ticket and transportation costs for the new Goizueta Stage, which will include a sensory area for neurodiverse visitors.
“It will revolutionize the way children and young adults experience the arts,” says Christopher Moses, co-artistic director at the Alliance Theatre.
Why this big-hearted outreach? Think of it as a crisis response to both COVID-19 and Georgia’s lagging educational rankings. “Arts programming has proven to foster creativity and boost academic performance, [and offers] a therapeutic outlet for emotional expression,” Moses says.
The center, which opened in 1968, was named for benefactor Robert Woodruff who served as president of The Coca-Cola Company from 1923 until 1985. It welcomes an estimated 1 million patrons a year – a number expected to grow with these new developments.
