The Butler Arts & Events Center (BAEC) is home to Butler University’s event facilities including performance venues, conference and meeting rooms, outdoor spaces and housing. Its performance venues welcome more than 300,000 visitors annually, with 35,000 from the student matinee series. The BAEC is comprised of five venues including its flagship venues Clowes Memorial Hall, Schrott Center for the Arts, Shelton Auditorium, Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall, and Lilly Hall Studio Theatre. Programming includes the Butler Arts Presents series, BAEC’s Education Matinee Series, Jordan College of the Arts performances, Broadway In Indianapolis shows, various Butler lecture series, performances from local performing arts organizations and a variety of national touring shows.
About Student Education Matinees
Since 1991, the BAEC has presented curriculum-based, culturally diverse, fully accessible, and age appropriate performances and programs to all-aged audiences. Live performances and programs enrich audiences with a variety of learning styles and approaches, exposing and introducing students to specific art forms (dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and media). At the BAEC, our commitment is to providing a positive artistic experience through live performance, ultimately educating while entertaining.
Since the 2021-2022 school year, the BAEC has held the Education Matinee Series for FREE, at no cost to school groups. This has let us take away the largest barrier for schools to attendings the arts: the cost of a ticket.
Teachers share how their students continue to talk about attending a matinee performance, months or even years after visiting. More than ONE MILLION students, teachers and guests have attended matinee performances at the BAEC since the series began in 1991. Providing these performances for free helps reduce barriers to access performing arts for the students of central Indiana.
"This, was the best day of my life" -Memory, Grade 3
"I want to come here all the time" -Kamonnie, Grade 3
"I thought it was really good. My favorite part was the dancing." -Amiyah, Grade 3
How can you help?
Butler Arts and Events Center Education Challenge
Support the Education Matinee Series by making a gift! Donations to the Butler Arts Center Education Gift Fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $2,500. Support for this fund helps provide access to the arts to children in the Indianapolis area.
Providing student education matinees for free comes at a direct cost to the BAEC. Your gift will have an immediate impact by subsidizing the cost of students of seeing a theatrical performance. One student education matinee production will cost, on average, $20,000. Without ticket revenue to offset these costs, additional gifts to help sustain this program are more needed than ever.
Make your gift today and help us to continue giving more kids the chance to see a performance and building a culture of art appreciation throughout Central Indiana. Give the magic you experienced and start changing lives...one child at a time!
