ORLANDO, Fla. – The next time you head to the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando, you’ll be greeted by a brand new sculpture that celebrates a man who helped make it all possible.
Jim Pugh was one of the driving forces behind the performing arts center from the very beginning back in 2003.
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The sculpture was unveiled Thursday morning. It highlights how Pugh helped push the project forward from concept to completion. Along with his wife, Alexis, Pugh was the center’s very first donor.
The artist behind the sculpture is Paul Day, who also created the “A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor” sculpture at Rollins College.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings spoke at the unveiling ceremony and talked about the impact the performing arts center has had on Central Florida.
“Each year, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center generates over a quarter of a billion dollars in economic impact to our area and over 5.6 million people come here each year. None of that could likely have been able to occur without the support and the vision of a visionary leader like Jim Pugh,” Demings said.
This year, the Dr. Phillips Center is celebrating 10 years of providing arts to the community, including in the 294-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, which has welcomed thousands of artists and performances over the past decade.