Columbus-born artist Ann Strub, who now resides in New Orleans, has made history with a recent multi-million-dollar estate gift to support art, music and archival programs at Columbus State University. It represents the largest single gift from an individual to Columbus State and its largest planned gift to date. “Ann Strub’s extraordinary generosity is more than just a gift; it’s the enduring brushstroke of a visionary—painting a vibrant future for the arts and humanities at Columbus State University for generations to come,” said President Stuart Rayfield. “Her legacy will resonate in the achievements of our students, the richness of our programs and the preservation of our shared history.” Strub’s newest commitment is part of her ongoing support of Columbus State celebrating her affinity for the arts and her Columbus roots. Those roots include her grandfather, Dr. Roland Bird Daniel, in whose memory she created Daniel Scholarships in the Department of Art and for whom she named the reading room in the CSU Archives & Special Collections. Daniel served as the Columbus Public School System’s superintendent from 1909 to 1937 and chaired the community’s Committee on Education that proposed what is now Columbus State University. Along with her performing and visual art endeavors, Strub has been fond of literature and reading since an early age. While growing up in Columbus, she and her family were acquainted with Columbus native and American writer Carson McCullers. Decades later, Strub’s name graces the Ann Cox Strub Parlors in McCullers’ childhood home on Stark Avenue, which now houses the Carson McCullers Center for Writers & Musicians and was renovated through donations from Strub and others. Strub credits her ability to give philanthropically to opportunities her grandfather had as an early investor in Coca-Cola before her family moved to New Orleans. Having retained that stock into her adult life, and considering Coca-Cola’s Columbus origins, she views her planned gift as “a way of reinvesting that money into the Columbus community and the university’s renowned arts programs and Archives & Special Collections.” She also credits her interests in philanthropy and volunteerism to involvement in and board leadership with the Junior League of New Orleans. She also served as a trustee on the New Orleans Museum of Art and in roles with the Preservation Resource Center, New Orleans City Park and the Beauregard-Keyes House & Garden. Planned, or estate, gifts are powerful ways donors like Strub can leave a legacy at Columbus State. They represent charitable contributions arranged during a donor’s lifetime but realized by the institution in the future. These gifts often come from assets like bequests in a will or trust, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts or life insurance policies, and even real estate, allowing alumni and friends to support the university’s future in a meaningful way. Strub recently received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from Columbus State, which it bestowed at its spring commencement exercises last May. Columbus native Ann Strub developed an early appreciation for her hometown before her family relocated to New Orleans at age 12. Her artistic inclinations—spanning drama, visual arts, sculpting and gardening—are attributed to her mother, Evelyn Allison Daniel Cox, whose influence she chronicled in her book, “Ann Strub Paints Her Muse.” Following her mother, Strub graduated from Newcomb College for Women in 1963 with a theatre degree and earned a master’s in drama and communications from Tulane University in 1965. A French government scholarship enabled her to train in physical theatre and mime under Jacques Lecoq at La Sorbonne. Choosing to live in New Orleans’ French Quarter over teaching opportunities in Chicago and New York, she briefly taught seventh-grade English. During her initial year there, a blind date led her to marry Richard Strub (picutred with Ann) three months later. After a brief period in Washington, D.C., learning Portuguese, the couple spent two years in Brazil with the Peace Corps, returning to New Orleans in 1968. Back in New Orleans, Ann held various teaching positions, including as one of the city’s first Head Start teachers. Following the birth of her son, Tyner, she transitioned to acting in local theatre, commercials and films—including a role in Oliver Stone’s “JFK” and starring in Edward Albee’s play “Fragments.” Later, while at the Contemporary Art Center, her adult theatre program led to a faculty position at the University of New Orleans, teaching drama and communications. At 50, Strub pursued her passion for visual arts, studying painting for eight years at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts and achieving gallery success. Her figurative work, characterized by bold colors and outlines, became distinctive through her technique of painting on a black canvas, followed by a chalk drawing that leaves a strong black outline after washing. She and her husband split their time between New Orleans and Cashiers, North Carolina, where Ann engaged with The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, leading workshops and selling her art.
Comments
Post a Comment