The beautifully restored Marjorie Luke Theatre made a perfect setting for a benefit showing of “Generosity of Eye,” a documentary about William Louis-Dreyfus’s decision to donate his vast art collection of works by some well known and many “outsider” artists to the Harlem Children’s Zone, a non-profit in NYC helping inner city youth get a head start in education. Mr. Louis-Dreyfus was the billionaire father of the film’s narrator, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Seinfeld,” “Veep” etc.) who was on hand for the screening, along with writer/director and Julia’s husband Brad Hall. The first in a series of planned auctions from the collection raised over a million dollars for HCZ! After the film ended to a rousing ovation, the couple was interviewed by local arts activist and Luke Theatre Board of Directors President Rod Lathim. It made for an inspiring evening about art, education, philanthropy and justice, laced with humor and valuable insights. The event itself benefitted the Marjorie Luke Theatre Sustainability Fund helping this Santa Barbara treasure continue to “provide a high quality, affordable, accessible, youth-friendly performing arts venue to the students of Santa Barbara Junior High School and the community at large.” Bravo!
