Otis Redding Foundation Announces Significant Investment in downtown Macon through New Center for the Arts & Amphitheater
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022
The Otis Redding Foundation is excited to announce the creation of a new facility in Downtown Macon, located at the intersection of Cotton Avenue and Cherry Street. The 9,000 square foot Otis Redding Center for the Arts is envisioned as a central destination for youth educational programs in music and the arts and will feature two stories of arts lab spaces, practice rooms, and studio space for students to explore songwriting, production, performance, and more. An outside amphitheater will open up onto downtown Macon’s main thoroughfare and serve as a venue for student performances, a music-filled community gathering space, and a public face on the Otis Redding Foundation’s commitment to preserving Macon’s musical legacy and investing in the city’s next generation of artists. The iconic statue of Otis Redding will be relocated from Gateway Park to the new Center location.
In 2020, the Knight Foundation provided the Otis Redding Foundation a grant to research a location and devise a plan for a new Center space. Once the location was identified, Mrs. Zelma Redding made a gift of $1 million to purchase the property. Her gift, along with a generous donation from the Griffith Foundation, led initial fundraising efforts.
“I truly believe that making sure all children have equal access to share and build their musical and artistic strengths will help them become well-rounded students, thus making the future of our community brighter,” stated Benjy Griffith, founder of the Griffith Foundation. “The Otis Redding Center for the Arts will most definitely assist with that crucial access to arts education.”
The Foundation’s new Center will host existing programs like group and private lessons, Beyond the Notes, Music Makers Workshop, Otis Music Camp, Camp DREAM, We Write the Songs and the DREAM Team performance group to expand to allow more young people to participate. No musical or artistic experience is required.
“We have been blessed to cultivate creativity, build confidence, and promote the art of self-expression within the 5,000+ students we have had the privilege to serve over the years,” said Vice President & Executive Director Karla Redding-Andrews.
Justin Andrews, Director of Special Projects and Outreach at the Otis Redding Foundation, hopes that the new Center for the Arts will be an anchor for community development and a catalyst for the expansion of Macon’s music scene.
“There’s a wonderful spirit of collaboration and kinship that runs through all the programs we offer,” said Andrews. “We’ve done this long enough to see students participate in Foundation programs for the entirety of their grade school education, then come back to participate as coaches and counselors in those same programs. Those long-term relationships and personal investments are essential to developing and sustaining a music and arts scene. We can’t wait to see what comes with the expansion to the new Center.”
During his life, Macon-based Soul singer Otis Redding led philanthropic efforts in the Middle Georgia community through scholarships and financial opportunities for disadvantaged youth. Though a tragic plane crash in 1967 cut Otis Redding’s life short, his legacy and dedication to education in his community would live on through his widow, Zelma Redding, who formally established the Otis Redding Foundation in 2007 in her late husband’s honor.
“Educating children through music was a dream of my husband’s,” said Redding. “He would have been proud of the Foundation’s programs that emphasize creativity and inspiration.”
To DONATE and/or LEARN more on how to join the Foundation’s mission to empower, enrich and motivate all young people through programs involving music, writing and instrumentation at the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, visit otisreddingfoundation.org/
