Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts

The Mitchell Center was formed in late 2003 with a gift from George Mitchell in honor of his wife, Cynthia Woods Mitchell, whose long-standing love of the arts was so evident throughout her life. The Mitchell family’s desire was to make a donation that would impact each of the University of Houston’s strong arts programs. Working closely with UH leadership, the family proposed a programmatic alliance among the schools of Art, Music, and Theatre & Dance, as well as the Creative Writing Program and Blaffer Art Museum. $16 million was designated to form an endowment for the Centers programs, and $4 million covered the renovation of the School of Theatre & Dance facility, making room for new studios, a lobby for the Wortham Theatre, and offices for the Mitchell Center staff. The building was renamed the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.