Major Grant Honors the Memory of Vartan and Clare Gregorian

A crowd of people sit on couches and listen to a small orchestra

View of the Lobby Stage (Rendering by Rockwell Group)

A major new grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC) will honor the late Vartan Gregorian and his wife Clare.

The Vartan & Clare Gregorian Lobby Stage, designed to welcome the public into the new performing arts center, will offer a variety of free, open performances.

Gregorian, who passed away in April, was a scholar, a philanthropist, and a tireless visionary who led by example. A Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, he captained a turnaround at the New York Public Library through the 1980s, guiding it from a fiscal and operational nadir to its current position as a robust, beloved civic institution that serves all New Yorkers. This inspiring dedication to inclusive civic spaces and resources made the venue at the PAC a natural fit for his legacy.

The fully accessible Vartan & Clare Gregorian Lobby Stage is intended to feel like an informal, welcoming community space. Planned programming includes pre- and post-performance events, series for families on weekend mornings, and lunchtime series for people who work nearby.

The new grant was announced at last night’s 9/11 Memorial & Museum Annual Benefit Dinner. Currently under construction at the World Trade Center as one piece of the overall redevelopment of the site, the PAC will create space for dance, theater, music, opera, film, and more in Lower Manhattan. SNF has provided past support to the capital campaign for the creation of the PAC.

Also announced at the event was a parallel grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to support programming on the Vartan & Clare Gregorian Lobby Stage.