Bank of America bolsters commitment to the arts with combined half-million dollar grant to Nashua Center for the Arts

Bank of America donation to Nashua Center for the Arts
From left, Wendy Hunt, President and CEO, Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce; Rich Lannan, President, Nashua Community Arts; Ken Sheldon, President, Bank of America New Hampshire; Mayor Jim Donchess, City of Nashua. Photo Credit/Bank of America


NASHUA, NH  — The highly-anticipated Nashua Center for the Arts, opening this April, has received a second $250,000 grant from Bank of America. As part of this commitment, Bank of America will receive naming rights to the Center’s Theater chamber, which will be known as the Bank of America Theater at the Nashua Center for the Arts. In 2020, Bank of America awarded an initial $250,000 grant to anchor the Center’s $2.5 million private capital campaign and inspire additional contributions. 

“We are doubling our commitment to the City of Nashua and to supporting local arts and culture,” said Ken Sheldon, President, Bank of America New Hampshire. “Nashua holds special significance to Bank of America, which has roots in the city dating back to the 19th century, and as one of our state’s most creative communities. The arts are alive in Nashua, and Bank of America believes the arts are critical to educating and enriching our society, bringing communities together, and creating greater cultural understanding.”

Bank of America sponsors major arts and culture exhibitions and programs each year to help nonprofit arts institutions around the world deliver outreach and educational programs to ever-broader audiences and celebrate diverse traditions. Through the Nashua Center for the Arts, Bank of America and partners will look for opportunities to expand access to the arts while providing an important anchor for Nashua’s thriving arts and culture scene.

Spectacle Live, the firm contracted to book, operate and market the Center, and Nashua Community Arts, the volunteer nonprofit associated with the Center, are developing plans for community access and benefits, possibly including reduced-price tickets, nonprofit rental rates, and community art exhibitions where local students and emerging and established artists would be able to show and sell their work without commission. 

“We are grateful to Bank of America for their initial grant that helped energize our capital campaign, and their continuing commitment to the importance of the Nashua Center for the Arts as a cultural focal point and economic engine for the City and the region,” said Richard Lannan, president of Nashua Community Arts.

“The Nashua Center for the Arts is an exciting development for Nashua,” said Mayor Jim Donchess. “This will be a strong economic driver, bringing thousands of people to shop and dine in Nashua businesses. The beautiful new venue will add value and revitalize the site, and the project already has increased our tax base. It will continue to be a positive impact on our city for years to come.”

The Nashua Center for the Arts was designed by ICON Architecture with flexibility of use in mind.  The Bank of America Theater has seating for 750 people and will accommodate a variety of performances including music, dance, theater, comedy and more. Retractable seating in the main level audience chamber will allow for flat floor standing room audiences of up to 1,000 people and banquet seating for 250 people at corporate and non-profit events, and family celebrations such as weddings and other private gatherings. The Center also features a community art gallery located on the West Pearl Street concourse of the first floor.

The Nashua Center for the Arts will open with The Nashua Celebration of the Arts event on April 1. The Grand Opening will be followed by an array of shows featuring a wide range of genres including Jazz, Rock, Classical, Ballet, and more. Among the first nationally touring artist to perform on the Nashua Center for the Arts stage include singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, American jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, and American Idol sensations Ruben & Clay. Tickets for these shows and many more are on sale now and can be purchased online at NashuaCenterfortheArts.com.


About Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 68 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATMs and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.