Graham Avenue Gallery Garners New Name, the Brady and Jeanne Foust Gallery

(EAU CLAIRE, WIS - September 2, 2021) Pablo Center at the Confluence is excited to announce that Brady and Jeanne Foust have donated $1 million to Pablo Center’s new Turn It Up To Eleven Campaign. With this gift, Pablo Center will permanently rename the Graham Avenue Gallery the Brady & Jeanne Foust Gallery.

“We are honored to be able to provide this gift to Pablo Center,” says Brady and Jeanne Foust. “Support of the arts is one of our passions. Pablo is one of the gems in the redevelopment of downtown Eau Claire and has already become a great recruiting tool attracting people and businesses to our wonderful city.” 

Brady Foust taught in the geography department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1971 to 2008. After retirement, he was one of three founders of HazardHub which was established six years ago. It quickly became one of the leading providers of geospatial hazard data to the insurance industry. It was purchased by Guidewire Software in August 2021. Jeanne Foust had a 30-year career at Esri, the world’s leading geographic information systems (GIS) software producer. She retired in 2021. Brady and Jeanne are longtime supporters of the arts in Eau Claire. Brady was involved in the development of Pablo Center from the beginning. During its construction, he conducted over 60 tours of the work in progress. He also served on the Confluence Council, Inc. Board of Pablo Center as a member, Vice President, President, and Past President. His term as Past President ends in September.

For Executive Director Jason Jon Anderson, the Fousts’ gift can be described in three words, “Incredible lasting legacy.” 

“Brady and Jeanne Foust have been passionate advocates for Pablo Center since the inception of the Confluence Project,” Executive Anderson goes on to say. “They helped secure countless pledges ensuring the project’s construction. With this tremendous gift they ensure a lasting legacy to the fine, visual and performing arts of the region as well as for the 100,000+ guests Pablo Center welcomes each year. This gift launches our Turn It Up To Eleven Campaign, which focuses on the retirement of our remaining capital construction expenses along with the funding of two lasting endowments. Their gift springboards the campaign reducing the remaining capital construction liability by one-fifth and funding one-seventh of each of the endowments.”

The Turn It Up To Eleven Campaign is a $7 million fundraising campaign that will enable Pablo Center at the Confluence to expand programming and accessibility to reach its full potential. Director of Development Monica Frederick speaks to the importance of their gift, “This generous gift to Pablo Center has kicked off our Turn It Up To Eleven Campaign in the best way possible. We are so thankful for the support and kindness of Brady and Jeanne Foust. Their legacy will live on to impact our community for many generations to come.”

Dan Gustason, President of the Confluence Council, Inc. Board of Directors shares, “On behalf of the Confluence Council, Inc. Board of Directors, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Brady and Jeanne Foust, for their extremely generous gift to the Pablo Center at the Confluence. This contribution will assist us in retiring the remaining capital debt on the facility, and will begin to fund two new endowments, earmarked for improving access to events for the whole community, and expanding our existing programming in new ways.”