Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts

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Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Mission of Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is to serve as the center for scientific, artistic, cultural and educational activities to enhance the region’s quality of life and economic vitality.

One of the City’s most intriguing architectural structures, Whitaker Center portrays science through the arts in three primary operating units: Sunoco Performance Theater, Select Medical IMAX® Theater, Harsco Science Center, including the Gloria M. Olewine Gallery for traveling exhibits.

Whitaker Center is the mid-state’s premier center for the arts, education, entertainment and cultural enrichment. Its community service goals are to stay on the cutting edge of exciting new public experiences, offer intriguing world-class exhibitions, present the latest in giant-screen films, host the finest in live performances and spectacular events, and make Central Pennsylvania a better place to live, work and play.

Since opening 9/9/99, Central Pennsylvanians have come to embrace Whitaker Center as the region’s leading location for all things art and science.

• More than 3,700,000 visits have been made to Whitaker Center (as of 12/31/08). • More than 450,000 students have visited Harsco Science Center. • The Center has generated more than $270,000,000 in regional economic impact. • 86% of residents recognize our name and associate quality with our brand. • Select Medical Corporation named the region’s only IMAX® Theater in 2002. • The Benjamin Olewine III Family named Gloria M. Olewine Gallery as a permanent home for limited-engagement exhibits in Harsco Science Center. • Sunoco Performance Theater has offered thousands of shows and provided more than $2,500,000 in underwriting to its resident companies, which, in turn, provides a variety of classical programs and community theater. • Starbucks opened in September 2004, providing refreshments to guests and passersby.

Whitaker Center is widely regarded as a regional treasure, but cultural centers are rarely self-sustaining. Given facility capacity (number of seats, etc.) and area population, the Center earns $2 out of every $3 (about 2/3rds) from admissions, tickets and on-site sales. Donors, sponsors, underwriters and members provide the remaining one-third—more than $2,000,000 annually. Our mission includes a commitment that everything the Center offers remain affordable and accessible to all, so gifts are vital to closing the gap between the fees charged and the actual cost of operations and programs.

[edit] Whitaker Center Components

Select Medical IMAX® Theater Named for a generous gift by Select Medical Corporation, Select Medical IMAX® Theater is the region’s only giant screen, large-format movie theater. It features:

• Giant flat screen 65’ high x 80’ wide. • 2D and 3D capabilities. • State-of-the-art projection technology to show full-length feature films in large-format. • A powerful 6-channel 16,000 watt Sonics Proportional Point Source Sound System.

The 200-seat Select Medical IMAX® Theater debuts four to five large-format films annually.

Harsco Corporation stepped forward in October 2001 with a major gift to name Harsco Science Center. With three floors of imaginative, engaging exhibits, visitors of all ages can explore the sciences, perform experiments, and discover more about the world around them. Several new exhibit galleries have opened thanks to funds raised by the Excellence & Innovation Campaign. KidsPlace, is a kid-sized cityscape just for children ages 5 and under. Forces of Nature examines how weather and geology affect planet earth. A giant Science On A Sphere exhibit features live global weather and allows guests to see what the earth would look like from space. Other galleries offer fun programs and fascinating exhibits about physical, biological and life sciences, physics, and other timely topics. Sunoco Performance Theater - Mid-state theater patrons enjoy cultural events and live performances in Sunoco Performance Theater, recently honored for the seventh year in a row as “Simply the Best Performance Venue” by Harrisburg Magazine’s annual readers’ poll. This fully-equipped professional theater features:

• Comfortable seating for up to 700 guests. • A Diva Shell for special acoustic needs . • Stage—45’ deep x 80’ wide. • Proscenium—40’ wide x 28’ high. • 500 lighting instruments. • Hydraulic orchestra pit.

[edit] History

The Whitakers - Uncas A. Whitaker founded AMP Incorporated, which was a Fortune 500 Company and regional corporate powerhouse for decades. The Whitaker Foundation was established upon his death in 1975 to support biomedical engineering research and education. His wife, Helen, created The Helen F. Whitaker Fund, which supported training for classical musicians.

Both foundations provided major support to build the facility, and The Whitaker Foundation made the naming gift. Whitaker Center is an enduring legacy to their generous philanthropy and regional stewardship. After years of making grants to the region and the nation, both foundations closed in 2006, making local support even more important.

[edit] External links

• Whitaker Center website