SECURING THE FOUNDATION AND FUTURE OF NAC

Jerry and the late Karla Huse paved the way for the NAC as we know it.

Jerry and Karla Huse have been essential to the Norfolk Arts Center’s success from the very first days of our organization. Karla served on the Norfolk Arts Center’s first Board of Directors; in fact she was a signatory of NAC’s initial articles of incorporation from 1978. She and Jerry continued to be stalwart supporters of NAC’s mission to “bring people and the arts together.” Karla’s commitment to enhance our community through the successful presentation of arts was most profoundly demonstrated in 2002 when the “Karla Huse Visual Arts Endowment” was established by the Huse family.

Jerry and Karla Huse and Marilyn Mae

This endowment fund has been utilized to bring significant visual arts exhibitions from across the nation into NAC’s gallery every year. However, in the last year, Karla’s attention was turned onto the thriving creative culture brewing within NAC: First Fridays. You can read more about First Fridays in our spotlight article on the back of this newsletter. Karla’s daughter, Mary Beth Olsen, warmly recounts her mother’s memory, “I remember the idea of Norfolk having an arts center was near and dear to my mothers heart. As the vision became a reality her passion grew for wanting to continue to bring the arts to Norfolk. Now that she is no longer with us a part of her legacy is the establishment of an endowment in her name. I am so happy her love for the arts and her city will live on.”

Karla was an active member up until her recent passing. She served our community through her work at NAC as an active member of NAC’s visual arts committee and she was always a vocal advocate for the arts in community life. NAC will always hold Karla’s memory dearly and will continue her passionate work through her Endowment.