Starting in fall 2023, Spelman College will open a learning hub focused on technology and art titled the new Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., Center for Innovation & the Art. The Center was made possible by a $10 million gift from Rosemary K. and John W. Brown and will serve as a learning hub for entrepreneurs and innovators and house Spelman’s arts programs and Innovation Lab, further pushing the commitment to excellence in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).
The center will be an 84,000-square-foot development that will become home to cutting-edge collaborative programs, including The Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab, co-curricular activities for the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, and a satellite gallery for the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art.
The center is the first new academic facility at Spelman in nearly 25 years.
“We deeply appreciate Rosemary and John Brown, and our Board member Janine Brown, for their support of Spelman College and this gift, which takes us a step closer to making the Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., Center for Innovation & the Arts a reality for our campus and surrounding community,” said Helene Gayle, M.D., MPH, president of Spelman College. “This investment is a testament to their continued commitment to supporting the education of women, as well revitalization in the West End community.”
The Browns’ gift will support the architectural, construction, and equipment costs for the facility while allowing the Center to serve as an entrepreneurship incubator for high-performing students and forge high-level partnerships between innovation partners in academia and industry. The facility will also allow numerous art departments across the campus to gather collectively under one roof and form an energetic community of innovators, collaborators, artists, musicians, and scientists.
“We are pleased to support Spelman College and the transformational educational experiences afforded to Spelman students, especially in the STEAM areas. We have long admired the work of Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell and she in particular has inspired us to make this gift to the Center for Innovation & the Arts,” said Rosemary and John Brown.