UVA Arts

Celebrating the Life Tessa Ader

he recent passing of historic UVA Arts benefactor Tessa Ader marked the final chapter of a life filled with love, art, a sense of adventure, and a legacy that will enrich the UVA and Charlottesville communities for generations to come. Ader’s historic lead $50 million gift to fund the building of a performing arts center is the largest gift to the arts in the University’s history and will transform the arts landscape by providing a state-of-the-art home for concerts, dance, theater and interdisciplinary art forms. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have known Tessa Ader and have heard so much about her passion for the arts, and particularly the arts here at the University of Virginia,” said Jody Kielbasa, vice provost for the arts at UVA and executive director of the Virginia Film Festival. “It is astonishing to think of the creativity, the stories, and the experiences that Tessa’s extraordinary generosity will launch here, and the differences she will make in the lives of artists and audience members for generations to come.”