ARTS UMBRELLA honored a $2 million donation by naming the new Lindsay Mearns School of Dance.

Mearns is a Vancouver-based artist and philanthropist whose gift will benefit the Arts Umbrella Foundation in perpetuity.

In 1994, Mearns and her family founded the Dale Mearns Fund, which has awarded scholarships to aspiring young artists annually for 30 years. The new donation will further expand access to arts education, regardless of students’ financial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

With the naming, all three art schools at Arts Umbrella have been given their titles through philanthropic donations; there are also the Audain School of Art & Design, named after Michael Audain, and the Robert M. Ledingham School of Theatre, Music & Film.

The Arts Umbrella School of Dance is particularly known for its training in contemporary ballet. Its artistic faculty teaches a variety of styles. Under the direction of artistic director Artemis Gordon, the demanding program is designed for dancers aged six to 22.

With locations in Vancouver and Surrey, Arts Umbrella runs donor-funded programs in schools, community centres, homes and health facilities throughout Greater Vancouver and beyond. The non-profit centre provides accessible arts education to underserved communities and works with 110 partner sites including the Vancouver School Board, Surrey School District, BC Children’s Hospital and Covenant House.