‘A lot of exciting momentum’: Brushwood Center receives $2.5 million gift for new performance plaza
A center of arts and nature, nestled in the woods of the expansive Ryerson Conservation Area near Riverwoods, is celebrating a historic gift that will improve facilities and expand programming for Lake County and Chicago-area residents.
The nonprofit Brushwood Center will use the largest gift in its history — $2.5 million from the Hunter Family Foundation — toward construction of a performance plaza to be named in honor of Maxine M. Hunter, the organization’s first board chair.
“In honoring the legacy of Maxine Hunter, the foundation underscores the critical importance of local commitment to community organizations, particularly vital when so many federal resources are being cut back,” said Catherine Game, Brushwood’s executive director.
The gift will allow the center to expand access to nature through the arts, healing and education, Game added.
The plaza is part of the “Building for Impact” portion of a comprehensive, ongoing $10 million campaign that includes expanding programs and outreach and undertaking building renovations and upgrades that embody Brushwood Center’s vision.
“There’s a lot of exciting momentum with this,” said Mirja Spooner Haffner, Brushwood’s director of development.
Brushwood Center’s programs connect more than 20,000 people each year to art and nature through programs and exhibitions, classes, concerts and other activities.
Planned as a three-season, open-air event space, the plaza will allow Brushwood to reach broader audiences, host more participants and explore new programs for children, adults, families and veterans, according to the center.
The plaza will be a seamless connection to the outdoors and allow more visitors to “enjoy the therapeutic benefits of nature while immersed in music, movement and creative expression,” according to the announcement.
Brushwood Center was founded as Friends of Ryerson Woods in 1984 and operates through a license agreement with the Lake County Forest Preserve District in the summer home of Nora and Edward Ryerson, known as Brushwood.
Maxine Hunter, who died Nov. 30 at age 94, was born and raised in Lake Forest, where the foundation is based. She was connected to the community and philanthropic endeavors throughout her life.
Art, nature and conservation were important to her and she believed people visited Brushwood Center to experience serenity and tranquility and left with a sense of awe of nature, according to the announcement.
The foundation, created in 1993, has grown from a passion for the arts to a broad philanthropic endeavor. Local benefactors include Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital and Chicago Botanic Garden.
In February, Ravinia Festival announced a multiyear renovation centered on transforming the Pavilion. When finished in 2026, the space will be renamed the Hunter Pavilion in recognition of a $10 million gift from the foundation.