Franke Center Grant

Marshall Rotary Club awarded the Franke Center for the Arts a grant in the amount of $9,600 for purchasing a new retractable movie screen and digital projector. Each year many Franke Center events require the use of a high-quality screen and projector, including the annual Wolf Tree Film Festival, classic film screenings, and the upcoming first-ever Michigan Music Video Awards. The screen and projector will also be used by organizations that rent the auditorium for special events, which in the past have included Oaklawn Hospital, Starr Commonwealth, and Marshall Rotary, among others. The projector will also provide digital set backdrops for The Franke Center’s Youth Theater and moving backgrounds for concerts.

According to The Franke Center’s executive director Jacob Gates, the existing screen had reached the end of its useful life and the projector was also due for an upgrade due to changing technology. “In order to provide the level of programming our patrons expect, especially with some of the exciting events we have coming up, this was an important upgrade. We’re very grateful for The Marshall Rotary Club’s ongoing support and generosity over the years.”

Anyone hoping to see the new screen and projector in action can do so at the Wolf Tree Film Festival on January 22nd or at the Michigan Music Video Awards on May 14th. For tickets and information, visit TheFranke.org. The Franke Center for the Arts’ programming is supported in part by funding from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.