sweet auburn | 2022 volume ii
Adventures in the Arts
A longtime love of both visual and performing arts has been a constant in Pamela and Don ’ s relationship from the very beginning . They met at the theater while living in Minnesota , and the arts have defined their careers and volunteer work ever since . Originally , Don managed a dance company and Pamela worked in theater , followed by public radio . “ Then we picked up and just left with a three-year-old daughter and moved to New Mexico ,” Pamela reminisced . “ We ’ d never been there before . We wanted an adventure . We had no idea what we were doing . But anyway , we ended up publishing an annual guide to the visual arts of northern New Mexico . And it was truly satisfying .”
In 2007 , after over two decades of running “ The Collector ’ s Guide ,” Pamela and Don sold their business and became deeply involved in music . Partnering with violinist David Felberg , they helped strengthen and expand Chatter , a chamber music organization devoted to adventurous programming in unconventional spaces in Albuquerque (“ chamber music with a twist ,” in Don ’ s words ). Pamela served as volunteer executive director , fundraiser , and production manager , while Don volunteered on the finances , bookkeeping , and marketing until they moved to Cambridge in 2016 .
“ Early on , it became solidified in my mind — and I think Pamela ’ s as well — that our role was to be enablers of various kinds of artists ,” Don reflected . “ So that ’ s been our career . We don ’ t create the programs so much as ask the guys who have the ideas , what do you want to do ? Well , let ’ s see if we can figure out together how to do it .”
Enabling the Arts at Mount Auburn
Through their work with Chatter , they gained a deep understanding of the work and planning required to stage engaging , sold-out concerts everywhere from a rodent-infested warehouse to a vacant railyard to the roof-level of a downtown parking ramp . They also learned firsthand that unexpected venues can have a unique power as performance spaces , drawing audiences for both the art and the experience in unusual surroundings .
Several years later , after seeing The Nature Plays and other programs at the Cemetery , they started to sense Mount Auburn ’ s potential as a space for powerful arts experiences as well . In Pamela ’ s words , “ We were beginning to trust that what Mount Auburn wanted to do was of a serious , professional nature .” They were also inspired by a conversation with Patrick Gabridge , advising them that while he did not have his own nonprofit , the best way to support him was to support the places where he wanted to write and perform . Eventually , this led to their gift to Mount Auburn ’ s cultural programming , which they hope will inspire further investment to ensure that the arts can thrive here for years to come .
As frequent walkers in our landscape , Pamela and Don are mindful of Mount Auburn ’ s need to balance every aspect of its mission and remain a space of comfort . Their goal is for us to be able to continue sponsoring high-level , professional work and to pay creatives an appropriate amount for it — something they believe in strongly .
“ We really want the cultural projects to develop and take steam without taking over the meditative , serene quality of Mount Auburn ,” Pamela explained . “ But I do want you to be able to hire artists like Patrick , and fabulous musicians , and actually pay them well . We know that musicians often aren ’ t paid well . Our goal when we were building Chatter was to match the union rate for the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra . And it wasn ’ t easy going from zero to that . But we did it . Supporting creatives is really , really important .”
Likewise , as they keep learning more about the history commemorated throughout Mount Auburn , they hope that it will inspire creativity in ways that have not even been imagined yet . “ There ’ s such enormous potential ,” Don said . “ There are all these artists , musicians , business people , politicians , writers , you name it — with so many stories to tell in so many ways , whether it ’ s in music or dance or poetry or theater . I ’ m curious about what all lies there .”
Keep an eye out for Artist-in-Residence announcements and programming made possible by Pamela and Don ’ s generosity ! If you would like to join them in supporting dynamic , high-quality arts at Mount Auburn , please contact Beth A . Brown , Vice President of Institutional Advancement , at bbrown @ mountauburn . org , or visit https :// mountauburn . org / give / special-projects /.
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