THE EXCHANGE
A Half Century of Supporting the Arts BY SUE CULLEN
The arts are so much a part of the community fabric here on the Cultural Coast that many are unaware of the determined effort it took to help budding arts organizations get established. Playing a consistent role in that effort for more than 50 years is The Exchange, which was founded in 1962 as a selfgenerating source of funding for the arts and arts education. While quietly flying a little under the broader community’s radar regarding its arts-oriented mission, The Exchange—formerly the Woman’s Exchange—has long been a well-known destination store with an eclectic mix of upmarket consignment goods. Less widely known is that it has donated more than $8 million over 55 years to local arts organizations, and those dollars are not adjusted for inflation, meaning their actual impact is much larger. “A number of major arts organizations are celebrating huge anniversaries, and we have been
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supporting them almost from the very beginning. In 1966, we gave $10,000 to what was, at that time, the Symphony Orchestra, which was the largest award it had received to date. When you look at it from that standpoint, it says a lot,” said Karen Koblenz, Executive Director/CEO. The Exchange has been a consistent source of funds for the arts, and total donations add up to $775,000 for the Asolo Repertory Theatre, $540,000 for The Players Centre for Performing Arts, $520,000 to the Sarasota Orchestra, $443,000 for the Sarasota Opera and $365,000 for Florida Studio Theatre, among others. “We awarded a total of $250,000 in arts related grants and scholarships, and our goal is to increase that to $500,000 annually,” Koblenz said. “Our donations help with operating funds and one of the prerequisites is that it must benefit the public, which typically means a performance for which we often are the senior sponsor for the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Florida Studio Theatre Cabaret and many others.” The Exchange supports the next generation with scholarships that help send talented students to the best performing
