By Laura Fitzgerald

This year, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County celebrates 30 years of philanthropic support for the arts, honoring the legacy of local music lovers Charles and Margaret Anderson.

Charles Anderson was a respected bass-baritone soloist, and Margaret Anderson was an accomplished pianist who taught music lessons and was involved in Port Huron Musicale. Together, the couple enjoyed attending concerts, participating in choirs and musicales and sharing their gifts with others.

The couple designated their estate to create a charitable fund that would support the local arts community for future generations. The Charles & Margaret Anderson Foundation Endowment was established in 1994.

Today their fund is managed by a group of community representatives who make up the roster of the Blue Water Arts Committee (BWAC). They also oversee grantmaking from the Mickey and Agnes Knowlton Fund, which also supports arts and culture.

Since the fund was first created it has granted out $1.17 million to support the arts in the Thumb Coast Region, including $58,000 so far this year. Built into these grant funds are automatic annual grants in support of two of the Anderson’s favorite organizations; the cross-border International Symphony Orchestra (ISO) and Port Huron Musicale.

How the Blue Water Arts Committee Fills in the Gaps

BWAC Chair Tom Walker said the committee is vital in filling funding gaps for the local arts sector. Some of the programs the committee funds might not exist if it weren’t for the BWAC, he said.

“The arts, in general, serve a great purpose in strengthening the community’s commitment to itself because there are a lot of good programs that exist in St. Clair County, but sometimes those programs can’t reach their potential due to a lack of funding,” Walker said. “The Community Foundation can give them the money they need to continue to exist or to expand their reach and effectiveness.”

BWAC Vice Chair Jody Parmann said that in the few years she has been with the committee, it has grown and evolved by including a greater diversity of musicians and artists from all facets of the arts, including actors, singers, musicians and visual artists. This brings a richness of perspectives and expertise to the committee.

“We need to make sure our community is rooted in our history, which is classical, but also evolving with the times,” Parmann said. “You have rock and roll, you have musical theater, you have art, and you have all these other kinds of musical disciplines. Art, like anything else, evolves.”

An Enduring Gift to the ISO and Port Huron Musicale

The International Symphony Orchestra performs a regular concert series with musicians from St. Clair County, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario. Concerts are held in both countries as a form of cross-border collaboration. The ISO provides other programming, such as music lessons for at-risk youth with a focus on First Nation communities in Lambton County, Ontario, streaming concerts for seniors and the ISObar gallery and event space.

Anthony Wing is the Director of the ISO.  He noted the ISO’s music is especially important in uniting people because it fosters cooperation between two different countries.

“The spirit of cooperation is still very much why we operate,” Wing said. “The reason why we’re here is to reach communities through culture and music.”

Port Huron Musicale supports music and music education in the Blue Water Area through various concert series, a women’s choir, music festivals, funding for music and youth programs and scholarships for local students to take music lessons.

“Music is especially important for youth because it develops young people’s social and academic skills, as well as teaches students the importance of commitment and dedication,” said Port Huron Musicale President Diane Tomiuk.

More on Other BWAC-Supported Projects

Music can also be a way to reach people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. The BWAC has donated more than $30,000 to the NAACP’s annual Southside Music Festival over the past four years.

The free event provides games and activities for a day of fun before the start of school for families who might not be able to afford to travel out of town or participate in other activities, said NAACP Port Huron Chapter President Kevin Watkins.

“On an equality level, we don’t want residents to feel like they can’t have these things because they don’t have the resources to do that, so we fill the gap,” Watkins said. “We bring joy, we bring happiness. And especially right before school starts, we get the families geared up, get the kids geared up, get the whole community geared up to learn. We are starting the month with a lot of fun.”

Other projects that the BWAC has supported include:

• River Walk Mural Project: a collaboration between the Port Huron Recreation Department and local artist Jody Parmen for mural projects around the county
• Enter Stage Right: capital improvements, the community partner theater festival, and general support
• Port Huron Civic Theatre: almost $9,000 for sensory and accessibility accommodations and junior workshop shows
• McMorran Theater: $3,000 for a new curtain and $5,000 for a Kids Zone at Blue Water Fest
• Riverbank Youth Theatre: $5,000 for their youth academy
• Port Huron Museums: $10,000 for upkeep of Kammer Cabin
• NAACP Port Huron: $2,000 for mobile bus museum
• Lexington Arts Council: $5,000 for the Bach Festival
• Citizens for a Vibrant Community: $2,500 for a feature artist at Art on the River

Visit the Arts and Culture page on the St. Clair County Community Foundation’s website to donate to the Charles and Margaret Anderson Foundation Endowment.