Culture
Athens Artists Memorial Project launches matching gift campaign to amplify local arts support through the summer
By: WOUB Culture Team
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The Athens Artists Memorial Project (AAMP) has launched a summer 2025 fundraising campaign that will triple all donations made through August 31.
With support from matching donors Lucian and Lori Spataro and Roy Whitmore, each dollar contributed will be matched twofold, up to $2,500. AAMP funds the arts in a personal way—supporting everything from music lessons for children to providing supplies for arts educators —in honor of artists who have passed, such as Athens’ legendary songwriter J.D. Hutchinson, who died in 2010.
While AAMP became an officially recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2021, its origins date back nearly 30 years, the group began informally in 1994, after the Athens arts community organized a benefit concert in memory of musician John Bartlett. Proceeds from that event helped fund music lessons at Blue Eagle Music in Athens for underprivileged children.
While it initially focused on providing music education to low-income youth, the organization now funds a wide range of artistic opportunities or people across the region who would otherwise lack access. This mission has guided recent efforts such as awarding scholarships to three high school students pursuing careers in the arts, donating $500 in supplies to the Athens High School art club, and supporting local teachers with essential classroom art materials.
All contributions are tax-deductible and help the organization carry forward its mission of honoring the artists we’ve lost by nurturing the creative voices of the future. Find more information at this link.