George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson have said that they will donate $25 million dollars to a school in Chicago.
Their grant will pay for a new arts hall at the University of Chicago’s satellite schools. Mellody Hobson is the president of the Chicago-based Ariel Investments. According to the Chicago Tribune, Hobson said in a statement, "It was important to us that the University of Chicago campus have a building named for an African American, given the diverse community in which it sits, and the outstanding contributions to our society by people of color."
The new building will open in 2015 and be named after Gordon Parks. Parks was the first African-American staff photographer for Life magazine. The fundraising campaign equals $80 million dollars. The arts building is estimated to cost $43.7 million. It will have a lobby, 700 seat auditorium, a theater, and drama and art studios.
According to the Associated Press, Lucas said in a statement that art can “transform lives and communities" and says he hopes Parks' legacy will inspire future generations.
The satellite school has about 1,800 students in primary and secondary grades.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
