WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.,
July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Arts Council of Winston-Salem and
Forsyth County will be the
beneficiary of about 3,000 pieces of artwork from the corporate
collection of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The artwork is
valued at approximately $700,000.
To view photos and video of the artwork, please click:
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/51116-rj-reynolds-tobacco-company-arts-council-winston-salem-forsyth-county
"After more than 100 years of purchasing art to enhance the work
environment of our employees, we have far more art than we can
display," said Mark Peters, chief
financial officer of R.J. Reynolds. "We were faced with the
decision of whether to continue to store pieces indefinitely, or
get them back into the community where they can be enjoyed by
others. The arts transform our community, and we're delighted to
play a role in that transformation."
The Reynolds American Foundation, Reynolds American Inc., its
operating companies and employees have a long history of support
for the arts in Winston-Salem and
Forsyth County. Year after year,
the corporation and its employees have made substantial
contributions to annual Arts Council campaigns, donating millions
of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours. The Milton Rhodes
Center for the Arts, which opened last September in downtown
Winston-Salem, has a large
community events space named "Reynolds Place" in recognition of
that support.
Many of the works being provided to the council by R.J. Reynolds
are by local and North Carolina
artists. They include oils, watercolors, sculpture, pottery,
ceramics and textiles.
The Arts Council plans to sell most of the pieces of art to
community members, individual collectors, museums or other
organizations. The proceeds of the sales will be used to fund
Arts Council programs and funded groups.
"This is significant and very meaningful for several reasons,"
said Milton Rhodes, president and
CEO of the Arts Council. "Fundraising is extremely difficult in
this economic environment, so the generosity of R.J. Reynolds will
benefit ultimately a host of local arts organizations and
individual artists who receive grants from The Arts Council.
"Also, many of the works are by local artists who are of
interest to people in the community," Rhodes said. "Rather
than being in storage, they will be in hands of those who
appreciate and enjoy them."
The Arts Council is looking toward an event at the Rhodes Center
in February 2012, when art will be
displayed and sold. "Because of the large number of pieces, the
logistics of all this are daunting," said Rhodes. "We want to
be as fair and transparent as possible, and we'd like to offer
pieces at affordable prices for the community, while maximizing the
value of this opportunity and its benefit to the arts community we
serve."
The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County was established in 1949 and was
the first locally established arts council in the United States. The Arts Council enriches
the quality of life for people in Winston-Salem and neighboring communities by
raising funds for the arts, advocating for the arts, sponsoring
events in conjunction with other arts organizations, providing
educational opportunities, strengthening cultural resources,
developing social capital, and aiding economic development.
In 2010, The Arts Council awarded more than $1.825 million in grants to 42 arts and cultural
organizations and 19 individual artists.
Web Disclosure
RAI's website, www.reynoldsamerican.com, is the primary source
of publicly disclosed news about RAI and its operating companies.
We use the website as our primary means of distributing
quarterly earnings and other company news. We encourage
investors and others to register at
http://www.reynoldsamerican.com/events.cfm/ to receive alerts when
news about the company has been posted.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, an indirect subsidiary of
Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI), is the second-largest tobacco
company in the United States,
manufacturing about one of every three cigarettes sold in the
country. The company's brands include many of the
best-selling U.S. cigarette brands: Camel, Pall Mall,
Winston, Kool, Doral and Salem. For more information, visit
www.rjrt.com.
SOURCE R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company