ARTS

In 2003, the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation made a $20 million grant to establish the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston. The mission of the center is to promote collaboration between the arts and, by exploring new connections between the arts, expand our understanding of them and their relevance to other human questions.

The Center creates a collaborative alliance of five of the University of Houston's premier academic and arts units within the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences:

• Department of Art
• Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston
• Creative Writing Program
• Moores School of Music
• School of Theatre

The Center brings established artists, performers, and scholars to the University of Houston to mentor a new generation of artists and performers, nurture emerging artists, develop collaborative projects and performances, expand arts offerings, broaden partnerships with artistic and cultural institutions, and help establish the University of Houston as an internationally acclaimed center for education in the fine and performing arts.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts website

Through a grant of land and cash from George and Cynthia Mitchell and Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., the Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands was established in 1986. As the Center's primary venue, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion opened its doors to the public in 1989. Surrounded by lush forests, the Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater that provides the Greater Houston region with an array of performing arts and contemporary entertainment in a setting of unparalleled beauty. Today the Pavilion seats 6,500 guests in covered seats and can accommodate an additional 10,000 on its hillside lawn. Over the decades, George and Cynthia Mitchell have donated over $12 million to fund construction, expansions, and operating funds for arts programs.

In recent years, the Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands has emerged as a catalyst in exposing large numbers of people to the performing and visual arts. With numerous educational outreach programs that reach approximately 40,000 students and members of their families from 17 area school districts, and several community outreach programs that enlighten and enrich the lives of thousands of people every year, the Center plays an essential role in making the arts accessible to the masses.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion website

Through a $5 million grant in 1992, George and Cynthia made the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion the summer home to the Houston Symphony. The terms of this grant are in line with Cynthia's enthusiastic belief that the arts should not be locked away in palaces for the elite, but rather should be made available and accessible to all. The Houston Symphony series at the Pavilion is open to the public and free to all on who sit on the lawn. Though the Mitchell family holds box seats, when she was able to attend the concerts, Cynthia preferred to spread her blanket in the grass as she enjoyed engaging the public as much as she did the music.