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73-782: The center was commissioned by Jerome "Jerry" Frautschi and Pleasant Rowland (founder of American Girl ) and designed by César Pelli . Pelli's most famous work is likely the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur , the world's tallest twin skyscrapers . Pelli also designed the Brookfield Place , formerly named the World Financial Center complex, in downtown Manhattan. The entire building costs were covered by multiple gifts totaling $ 205 million from Fraustchi and Rowland. The Overture Center for

146-609: A schoolteacher in several states. She was an on-air reporter and anchor for KGO-TV , the San Francisco ABC affiliate, from 1968 to 1971. While on assignment, Rowland met a representative of Boston Educational Research, an educational publishing company. She left the news industry to work as director of product development at the publishing company. She was involved in writing and publishing children's textbooks in Boston, Massachusetts from 1971 to 1978. Rowland also published

219-693: A 1770s girl living during the American Revolution in Williamsburg, Virginia . They continued to produce more books, clothing (for dolls and children), dollhouses, children's furniture, and more. Rowland described the American Girl novels as "[celebrating] family, hard work, honesty, courage, reliability and responsibility." The company began producing the American Girl magazine in 1992. In 2002, Rowland described her belief in

292-708: A Mattel board member and as president of American Girl. In 2001, Rowland purchased retailer MacKenzie-Childs , based in Aurora, NY, from Victoria MacKenzie-Childs and Richard MacKenzie-Childs. After Rowland restructured the company's management team in 2006, MacKenzie-Childs became profitable. In 2008, Rowland sold MacKenzie-Childs to the part owners of Twin Lakes Capital Lee Feldman and Howard Cohen. To support research into early reading instruction, and update and distribute The Superkids Reading Program she developed at Addison-Wesley, Rowland founded

365-644: A brother. Her sister, Barbara Whitney Carr, was the former president and CEO of the Chicago Botanic Gardens from 1995 to 2007. Her father was Edward M. Thiele, a Chicago advertising executive who was president of the Leo Burnett ad agency from 1961 to 1971. After graduating from Wells College in 1962, Rowland began teaching second-grade students at Mattapan Elementary in Massachusetts. From 1962 to 1968, she continued to work as

438-557: A critical essay written by Dr. Timothy Yu — composed at the Overture Center's request — would no longer be included as a program insert. Shortly after, the Overture Center informed the panelists that the questions prepared by scholar and moderator Leslie Bow would no longer be included. Instead, the Overture Center would "ask their own questions." Bow's original set of questions included: "How do plays like this impact American impressions about Vietnamese people?"; "Do you think that

511-612: A press statement, Rowland wrote: “The disparity in access to entrepreneurial opportunity in Dane County is extreme, and unfortunately has been exacerbated by the pandemic,” Rowland wrote in a press statement. “I am inspired by the Urban League’s vision and pleased that our investment can help bring that vision to life.” List of recessions in the United States There have been as many as 48 recessions in

584-469: A privately funded project, these gifts enabled the Overture Center to be built with high-quality materials like travertine floors, custom-dyed carpeting, and historically accurate light fixtures. "The arts are for everybody," Rowland said. "It's one way of bridging all the gaps, and all the voids, and all the tensions in a community, and I think it's important that we make sure that it's available and accessible to everyone in this community." Rowland supported

657-413: A recession as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy , lasting more than two quarters which is 6 months, normally visible in real gross domestic product (GDP), real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales". In the 19th century, recessions frequently coincided with a financial crisis . Determining the occurrence of pre-20th-century recessions

730-580: A six-book series from the perspective of a girl living in that period. The company would go on to produce dolls, books, and historically accurate accessories (now known as the Historical Characters .) Rowland described the American Girl dolls as "chocolate cake with vitamins": incorporating imagination, play, and history. According to several interviews, Rowland was inspired to create the American Girls Collection during

803-597: A thank you party for Rowland in recognition and appreciation of her contributions to the town of Aurora. "In my heart I knew you were all there," Rowland said. “I just didn't know you were so many.” As of 2018, Rowland and the Aurora Foundation have restored 15 buildings in the village of Aurora. Frautschi and Rowland started the Overture Foundation in 1996. With the sale of Pleasant Company to Mattel, Frautschi's retirement from Webcrafters, and

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876-483: A vacation in Colonial Williamsburg in 1984. “I remember sitting on a bench in the shade, reflecting on what a poor job schools do of teaching history, and how sad it was that more kids couldn't visit this fabulous classroom of living history," Rowland said. "Was there some way I could bring history alive for them, the way Williamsburg had for me?” Rowland would also recall being struck by the project as

949-503: A variety of indices to measure the severity of these recessions. From 1834 to 1929, one measure of recessions is the Cleveland Trust Company index, which measured business activity and, beginning in 1882, an index of trade and industrial activity was available, which can be used to compare recessions. Following the end of World War II and the large adjustment as the economy adjusted from wartime to peacetime in 1945,

1022-638: Is an American educator, reporter, writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Rowland is best known for creating the American Girl brand. Rowland is known for her philanthropic work in the arts in Madison, Wisconsin and her efforts to redevelop historic properties in Aurora, New York . Rowland was born in Chicago and grew up in Bannockburn , a suburb north of Chicago. She is the oldest of three sisters and

1095-516: Is more difficult due to the dearth of economic statistics , so scholars rely on historical accounts of economic activity, such as contemporary newspapers or business ledgers. Although the NBER does not date recessions before 1857, economists customarily extrapolate dates of U.S. recessions back to 1790 from business annals based on various contemporary descriptions. Their work is aided by historical patterns, in that recessions often follow external shocks to

1168-529: Is part-time or seasonal. ...Our local government failed to require Environmental Impact Studies or Section 106 Reviews for her projects, and many negative results arose from her segmented development: destruction of historic architecture, devastation of archeological sites, loss of public recreational space, elimination of local businesses, loss of parking space, development of dangerous traffic patterns, obliteration of local gathering places, corrosion of community identity, etc. In January 2006, local supporters threw

1241-522: The American Civil War . The development of the Addy doll was deliberate and, at times, contentious. To balance the fine lines between marketability, historical accuracy, and cultural sensitivity, Rowland and the board had extensive discussions about the appearance of the doll and her accompanying story with the author, Connie Porter , and the advisory panel. Melodye Rosales, the illustrator for

1314-680: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (after 1948). The unemployment rate often reaches a peak associated with a recession after the recession has officially ended. Until the start of the COVID-19 recession in 2020, no post-World War II era came anywhere near the depth of the Great Depression. In the Great Depression, GDP fell by 27% (the deepest after demobilization is the recession beginning in December 2007, during which GDP had fallen 5.1% by

1387-630: The Chicago Botanic Gardens with a $ 5 million gift to establish Evening Island in 1999, the second largest of the Botanic Garden islands. She dedicated the gift and the project to her father, Edward Thiele. At the time, this donation was the largest private gift the Chicago Botanic Gardens had received. In 2019, Rowland pledged $ 20 million to build the Madison Youth Arts Center (MYArts) Opened in 2021,

1460-518: The Children's Magazine Guide . Rowland created a comprehensive language-arts program called Beginning to Read, Write, and Listen . The program was informally known as the "letterbooks" and designed for kindergarten and first-grade students. "Based on [ Beginning to Read, Write, and Listen's ] success, Addison-Wesley , another school publisher, approached me about writing a basal reading and language arts program,” Rowland explained. Rowland developed

1533-631: The Preservation League of New York state joined the suit because of concerns that local government was not paying enough attention to state laws requiring thorough review of projects in historic districts. The New York State Supreme Court ruled against the Aurora Coalition and allowed the renovation of the Aurora Inn to proceed. The Appeals Court allowed the lower court's decision to stand. The Aurora Foundation redeveloped

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1606-461: The economic system such as wars and variations in the weather affecting agriculture, as well as banking crises. Major modern economic statistics, such as unemployment and GDP, were not compiled on a regular and standardized basis until after World War II. The average duration of the 11 recessions between 1945 and 2001 is 10 months, compared to 18 months for recessions between 1919 and 1945, and 22 months for recessions from 1854 to 1919. Because of

1679-577: The economy slowed . During the Great Recession , the potential was raised for the City of Madison to step in to maintain funding levels. Some citizens worried that a private project would grow to become an unnecessary burden to taxpayers. These fears were exacerbated by the liquidation of the trust fund that was set up to pay the construction debt for the building as well as provide some operating income. The liquidation left some construction debt that

1752-617: The 1850s Minnesota Territory ; Samantha Parkington from the Progressive Era ; and Molly McIntire, a character living during World War II . Initially, the dolls and their accessories were only available via mail-order catalog. The first manufacturing and distribution center was in a warehouse in Madison, Wisconsin, later moving their corporate offices to Middleton, Wisconsin . In the first two years of Pleasant Company, sales grew from $ 1.7 million to $ 7.6 million worth of product. In

1825-571: The 1860s. In 2001, Rowland partnered with her alma mater, Wells College, and founded the Aurora Foundation to manage and renovate various college-owned buildings and businesses in Aurora such as the Aurora Inn and E.B. Morgan House . The Aurora Inn, built in 1833 by the co-founder of The New York Times, is part of the Aurora Village–Wells College Historic District and was deeded to Wells College in 1943. There

1898-475: The 1920s. To construct the dates, researchers studied business annals during the period and constructed time series of the data. The earliest recessions for which there is the most certainty are those that coincide with major financial crises. Beginning in 1835, an index of business activity by the Cleveland Trust Company provides data for comparison between recessions. Beginning in 1854,

1971-550: The Addison-Wesley Reading Program until the project was shelved in 1981. Rowland met her future husband, W. Jerome "Jerry" Frautschi, in Madison in November 1976. Rowland was in town for a press check on the first printing of her language-arts program at Webcrafters, a family-owned printing firm. Jerry's brother, John Frautschi, succeeded their father as president of Webcrafter in 1970. (Webcrafters

2044-603: The Arts building replaced the Madison Civic Center, which was located on the same block on State Street . Since opening in 2004, the Overture Center has had five Presidents and CEOs. Bob D'Angelo, the first President and CEO, resigned in 2005 following an Overture Center employee's allegations of sexual harassment. Following his resignation, D'Angelo served 10 months of a one-year prison term for tax evasion and misusing his city office. More recent Presidents and CEOs of

2117-728: The Asian American community voiced their concerns about the controversial show. In his 2019 essay on the Overture Center's production of Miss Saigon , Dr. Timothy Yu wrote, "It continues a tradition that views the Asian woman as a sexual object to be conquered by the white hero–a stereotype highlighted by the fact that the Vietnamese women in Miss Saigon are all prostitutes. They are, as scholar Karen Shimakawa puts it, “either hypersexualized Dragon Ladies in string bikinis or Kim,

2190-440: The City of Madison's priorities were skewed. Some critics argued the project would hurt the image of nearby State Street. Still, others believed that the cultural center would only be accessible for the wealthy while limiting access to local and smaller acts and artists. After the initial construction of the center, concerns were raised over additional funding. Citizens became concerned that Overture's reserve funds would decrease as

2263-541: The Civil War, Congress passed the National Banking Act , creating nationally chartered banks . Since there was neither a central bank nor deposit insurance during this era, banking panics were common. The dating of recessions during this period is controversial. Modern economic statistics, such as gross domestic product and unemployment, were not gathered during this period: Victor Zarnowitz evaluated

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2336-567: The James Watrous Gallery, which is operated by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. The Watrous Gallery displays larger exhibits and installations from regional artists. Both galleries are free and open to the public. After Frautschi and Rowland's initial gift of $ 100 million, the philanthropists donated another $ 100 million to ensure it would be a "state-of-the-art" venue. Some citizens complained that

2409-456: The MYArts building is intended to provide space for performing and visual youth arts groups. In a statement to Madison365, Rowland shared: “[I hope] that Madison Youth Arts Center will give all children in our community the opportunity to engage in creative expression in a place that affirms their value, honors their voices, and reflects their dreams.” In 2021, Rowland donated $ 10 million toward

2482-594: The National Bureau of Economic Research dates recession peaks and troughs to the month. However, a standardized index does not exist for the earliest recessions. In 1791, Congress chartered the First Bank of the United States to handle the country's financial needs. The bank had some functions of a modern central bank, although it was responsible for only 20% of the young country's currency. In 1811

2555-536: The Overture Center had offered Yu "the opportunity to write two pages in the program book … and he did submit the pages." Poppens clarified that the production company, Broadway Across America , did not approve of the program insert. In response, Gajic published a second apology in The Cap Times newspaper on April 1, 2019. She wrote, "Moving forward, I am focusing on what we can do differently and better, and how we can look more critically at our programming and

2628-473: The Overture Center include Michael Goldberg, Tom Carto, Ted DeDee and Sandra Gajic. The 2,251-seat Overture Hall is the cultural center's largest theater. Consisting of four levels of seats, it has a striking architectural style and was designed for acoustics (no center aisle). The balconies have "continental-style" seating arrangements, where aisles other than those on the sides of seat rows are omitted in order to provide greater seat size and acoustics. It houses

2701-614: The Overture Center started the Racial Equity Initiative in 2014. The Race to Equity Report indicated significant racial disparities in Dane County . To help fulfill the "Race to Equity" initiatives, the Overture Center hired Ed Holmes as the center's first director of diversity and inclusion in August 2016. When the Overture Center scheduled a touring production of Miss Saigon in April 2019, local scholars and members of

2774-949: The Pleasant Rowland Concert Organ, a large, custom-built organ, by the German organ builder Orgelbau Klais . This theater hosts the Madison Symphony Orchestra , Madison Opera , and Madison Ballet . During Overture construction, the Oscar Mayer Theater (originally the 1928 Capitol Theater and movie palace ) was restored, downsized, and re-christened the Capitol Theater. The theater's inaugural performance, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, upon reopening took place in November 2005. The theater seats up to 1089 people on

2847-592: The United States dating back to the Articles of Confederation , and although economists and historians dispute certain 19th-century recessions, the consensus view among economists and historians is that "the [cyclical] volatility of GNP and unemployment was greater before the Great Depression than it has been since the end of World War II ." Cycles in the country's agricultural production , industrial production, consumption, business investment, and

2920-643: The Vietnam War and perpetuates common stereotypes about Asian women. We in OSII will not support anything that shows any person of gender, color, nationality, creed, sexual orientation, in a negative portrayal." Edgewood College's cancellation notice also directed to the commissioned essay written by Dr. Yu. Following is a partial list of notable performers that have staged concerts at the Capitol Theater and Overture Center: Pleasant Rowland Pleasant T. Rowland (born Pleasant Williams Thiele ; March 8, 1941)

2993-556: The amount subsidized to the Madison Civic Center, a facility owned by the city. With an estimated operating budget of $ 18.4 million, the Overture Center seemed to have emerged from its financial difficulty in fiscal year July to June 2012–13. Staffing levels now exceed the level before the forced endowment liquidation. After a presentation of the Race to Equity Report, published by the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families,

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3066-699: The bank's charter lapsed, but it was replaced by the Second Bank of the United States , which lasted from 1816 to 1836. In the 1830s, U.S. President Andrew Jackson fought to end the Second Bank of the United States . Following the Bank War , the Second Bank lost its charter in 1836. From 1837 to 1862, there was no national presence in banking , but still plenty of state and even local regulation, such as laws against branch banking which prevented diversification. In 1863, in response to financing pressures of

3139-502: The business cycle has become less severe. Many factors that may have contributed to this moderation including the establishment of deposit insurance in the form of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 and increased regulation of the banking sector. Other changes include the use of fiscal policy in the form of automatic stabilizers to alleviate cyclical volatility. The creation of

3212-410: The collection of many economic indicators, such as unemployment and GDP, became standardized. Recessions after World War II may be compared to each other much more easily than previous recessions because of these available data. The listed dates and durations are from the official chronology of the National Bureau of Economic Research. GDP data are from the Bureau of Economic Analysis , unemployment from

3285-458: The community or intended for the people living in the town, but rather to encourage a wealthier clientele for tourism. Critics started a non-profit organization called the Aurora Coalition to "support historic integrity and economic autonomy." In opposition to these changes, the Aurora Coalition launched a lawsuit to stop the renovation of the Aurora Inn and the demolition of a neighboring grocery. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and

3358-409: The construction of a new transplant clinic at UW Hospital . Rowland received a kidney transplant at the hospital in 2012. “I was blessed to live so close to a world-renowned transplant center," she said. “This is my gift to others who face the same challenges I did and to the world class transplant team at University Hospital." Rowland donated $ 1 million for Madison's Black Business Hub in 2021. In

3431-491: The criteria we use to select it. This includes how we can better foster discussion with diverse voices in our community and incorporate feedback." Later that day, Edgewood College canceled a planned trip to the production due to increased awareness of the show's content. In a statement, they wrote: "This cancellation is due to the ongoing protests taking place throughout the Madison Community. The play romanticizes

3504-551: The environment we were creating actually fostered a productive discussion." Regarding the removal of Yu's essay, Gajic told the press that a program insert was never an option. “We can’t put anything in our program books," Gajic explained. This claim was disputed by Yu, who publicly shared an email establishing that Overture had offered to include a two-page insert in the Miss Saigon program to provide further context. Overture's vice president of sales, Lex Poppens, confirmed that

3577-427: The event were marked by disagreements and repeated restructuring. The Overture Center replaced one of the panelists with a local theater producer, whose company staged a concert version of Miss Saigon in 2007. This new panelist replaced scholar Lori Kido-Lopez , who had contributed significantly to the panel's development. The event was then re-titled, "Perspectives on Miss Saigon : History and Community". In addition,

3650-597: The first three Addy Walker American Girl books, described her relationship with Pleasant Company and Rowland as confrontational. Rosales claimed that "she was removed from the project because Pleasant Company wanted her to make the characters and their surroundings look more pleasant than they would have in reality." Rowland has described Rosales' dismissal as "a labor issue that cannot be discussed." The first specialized American Girl retail store opened in Chicago in 1998. Rowland later recalled: "The last important piece of

3723-671: The great changes in the economy over the centuries, it is difficult to compare the severity of modern recessions to early recessions. Before the COVID-19 recession began in March 2020, no post-World War II era had come anywhere near the depth of the Great Depression , which lasted from 1929 until 1941 (which included a bull market between 1933 and 1937) and was caused by the 1929 crash of the stock market and other factors . Attempts have been made to date recessions in America beginning in 1790. These periods of recession were not identified until

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3796-488: The health of the banking industry contribute to these declines. U.S. recessions have increasingly affected economies on a worldwide scale, especially as countries' economies become more intertwined . The unofficial beginning and ending dates of recessions in the United States have been defined by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), an American private nonprofit research organization. The NBER defines

3869-439: The historic character and attractiveness of the community and improving the local economy. The Aurora Coalition commented on Rowland's changes to the town on their website: Rowland promised to collaborate with the community to promote economic growth. Six years later, her promise is unfilled and Rowland remains inaccessible and unresponsive. Locally owned [businesses] were evicted. Few new jobs went to locals. Most LLC employment

3942-417: The importance of the whole package (of dolls, books, and accessories): I knew there was magic in the American Girl concept, but it was in the whole idea, not just part. I knew the books had to have stories so good that the reader would identify with and fall in love with the character. If she loved the character, she would want the doll. If she had the doll, she would want the clothes and accessories to play out

4015-448: The inn for lodging, dining, and events and completed renovations in 2003. During her speech at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rowland remarked on how Wells College and the surrounding village were "reminders of the values and traditions of another, more tender time." Rowland donated $ 40 million to Wells College to revitalize Aurora’s downtown district and reverse declining enrollment. In press accounts, Rowland expressed her vision of enhancing

4088-493: The involvement of city planner George Austin, Frautschi and Rowland set out to help develop an arts district in Madison. Rowland and Frautschi gave multiple gifts totaling $ 205 million to cover the building costs of the Overture Center for the Arts , a performing arts center and art gallery, in 2004. (Frautschi is said to have financed the project with personal funds following the sale of his stock in American Girl.) As

4161-590: The main floor and balcony. The theater features an organ built by Oshkosh's Barton Organ Company . Resident companies include the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and CTM Madison Family Theatre, including regular performances from traveling shows and concerts. This smaller, intimate performance space replaced the former Isthmus Playhouse. It was renovated with the Madison Repertory Theatre in mind as its resident company and

4234-706: The nonprofit Rowland Reading Foundation in 2003. The reading program was purchased by education publisher Zaner-Bloser in 2015 and continues to be used in thousands of classrooms across the U.S. In September 2010, Rowland received an honorary doctorate from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. She has also received honorary degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Hartford . Rowland and her husband W. Jerome Frautschi are major philanthropists in Madison, Wisconsin . Frautschi and his family have been based in Madison since his grandfather, Swiss immigrant Christian Frautschi, came to Madison in

4307-451: The original business plan came into being with the building of American Girl Place... This would be the American Girl mecca, an extremely special environment with a store, a theater, a museum, and a restaurant." In the summer of 1998, Rowland sold Pleasant Company (now American Girl) to Mattel Inc. for $ 700 million. As a result of the transaction, Mattel appointed Rowland as vice chairman of Mattel's board. In July 2000, Rowland retired as

4380-469: The production closed, the Overture attempted to reschedule the panel; the original panelists declined to participate. Following the controversial cancellation, President and CEO Sandra Gajic published a public apology on social media. She wrote, "We apologize for postponing last night’s event. That was a mistake and sent the wrong message. It was never our intent to shut down dialogue but rather ensure that

4453-531: The public during regular hours, it features a color scheme of fuchsia walls and floors, as well as permanent audience riser seats. It is also a venue for banquets, meetings, and other performances. These two venues are used mainly for rehearsals and meetings. They are also fully equipped black box theater spaces seating up to 200 guests, depending on their configuration. The center contains four visual art galleries. The Overture Galleries present exhibits by local and state artists and organizations. The center houses

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4526-652: The second quarter of 2009) and the unemployment rate reached 24.9% (the highest since was the 10.8% rate reached during the 1981–1982 recession). The National Bureau of Economic Research dates recessions on a monthly basis back to 1854; according to their chronology, from 1854 to 1919, there were 16 cycles. The average recession lasted 22 months, and the average expansion 27. From 1919 to 1945, there were six cycles; recessions lasted an average 18 months and expansions for 35. From 1945 to 2001, and 10 cycles, recessions lasted an average 10 months and expansions an average of 57 months. This has prompted some economists to declare that

4599-403: The show.” On the morning of the planned event, the panel was delayed indefinitely by the Overture Center. Holmes explained in a press release that "the center canceled the panel out of concern that it was 'becoming more of a lecture than a dialogue.'" In response to the sudden cancellation, the Asian American panelists held a " teach-in " protest outside of the Overture Center. Several weeks after

4672-513: The single Lotus Blossom—shy, passive, virginal in an ersatz Vietnamese wedding gown.” Following public objections, the Overture Center staff worked with a group of scholars and members of the Asian American community to organize a free, publicly accessible panel discussion called "Asian American Perspectives on Miss Saigon : Stereotypes, History and Community." This panel was intended to center Asian American perspectives on Asian American portrayals in media and entertainment. The days leading up to

4745-480: The southeast Asian community will find this show appealing?"; "Who is responsible for bringing diverse stories and productions to the stage?"; and "How might theatre contribute to racial awareness?" President and CEO Sandra Gajic described these questions as "inflammatory." Gajic argued that the tone was “adversarial... blaming Overture and me personally for having Miss Saigon in our season put us in an unfair position.” She continued: “Vietnamese, Asians — many of them love

4818-427: The stories. If she played out the stories, she would want more books. So nothing could disappoint. The product had to be right, down to the tiniest detail. According to Rowland, Pleasant Company was interested in "multiethnic representation in the product line" but hoped to become established financially before producing non-white dolls for their target customers. In 1993, the first African-American doll ( Addy Walker )

4891-534: The third year of operations, Rowland was diagnosed with breast cancer. "I cut the ribbon on the new warehouse in the morning and went into the hospital that afternoon to have surgery," Rowland said. "Throughout chemotherapy and radiation I never missed a day of work, and work is probably what saved me. Pleasant Company was on such a roll. I loved what I was doing, and after all my mind didn't have cancer. I just got through." Pleasant Company eventually began to produce more dolls, starting in 1991 with Felicity Merriman :

4964-453: The vision of financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. , who helped finance the 18th-century historical reconstruction. Rowland worked with Valerie Tripp , a close friend and colleague from Addison-Wesley , to develop characters for the first line of dolls. Each character represented a different period of American history. The first three characters were Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant who settled with her extended family in

5037-644: Was introduced into the American Girls Collection after extensive work with a seven-person advisory panel of African-American scholars. “We could have pushed the diversity button sooner,” Rowland said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “If I got hit by a truck tomorrow, I could die knowing that we made toy history. We made a black doll an object of status and desire for white children.” Addy's story follows her eventual escape from slavery in North Carolina to Philadelphia with her mother during

5110-580: Was later purchased by the CJK Group, Inc., in 2017.) During her business visit to Webcrafters, Frautschi served as Rowland's sales representative. Rowland and Frautschi were married in May 1977. In 1986, Rowland founded Pleasant Company to manufacture American Girl dolls. She had saved $ 1.2 million from textbook royalties and invested the majority of those savings into the project. The American Girl product line aimed to teach aspects of American history through

5183-416: Was mixed reception of Rowland's restoration and revitalization project. Wells' vice president of communications noted an increase in enrollment and recruitment of new faculty to Wells College, in addition to major structural improvements. Other residents of Aurora and alumnae of Wells College objected to the historical accuracy of the improvements and expressed concerns that these changes were not reflective of

5256-483: Was occupied by Madison Rep until its closure in March 2009. Forward Theater Company is now its resident company. The Promenade Hall is a smaller room, featuring bleachers in the walls which can convert it into a performance space seating up to 300. Kanopy Dance is its resident company. This room, located on the lower level, is used primarily for the center's Kids in the Rotunda performances. The only venue accessible to

5329-407: Was paid for by Jerry Frautschi, Pleasant Rowland, and a number of their friends and associates. The endowment liquidations forced the center to cut staff because of the loss of operating income. The Overture Center continues to be a privately owned facility and is now run by a non-profit; it is no longer a City of Madison agency. The center receives an annual subsidy from the city approximately equal to

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