EIU remembers Jan Tarble, namesake of Tarble Arts Center
CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) — Eastern Illinois University announced the passing of beloved philanthropist Jan Tarble, whose family established the Tarble Arts Center in her honor.
Tarble died on May 1 at 95 years old. She was an arts enthusiast and major benefactor of the Tarble Arts Center through her management of the Tarble Family Foundation.
“What Jan Tarble and her family have made possible for the people of east central Illinois is remarkable, and there is no way to adequately quantify the impact she’s had as our benefactor,” said Tarble Arts Center Director Jennifer Seas in a media release. “When Newton and Pat Tarble imagined a way to give back to this community, they chose to build an arts center in honor of their daughter, who was an accomplished artist herself. Through Jan’s continued philanthropy, the center has grown into a state-of-the-art museum providing ambitious and innovative programming that is free of cost, lives beyond the walls of the museum, and touches the lives of so many people.”
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EIU officials said the Tarble Arts Center is the only campus facility built solely through donations, starting with $1 million from Jan’s parents, Newton and Pat Tarble. EIU was Newton’s alma mater. He felt that the opportunity to obtain a higher education would not have been possible for him if not for the university’s accessibility. To extend that access even further, he and his wife fulfilled $1 million of the building’s $1.4 million construction project, and made it a mission to bring the arts directly to the rural Eastern Illinois community.
Now, the center is not only an educational facility that fosters creativity for EIU students and the greater community, but also an accredited museum that showcases the work of artists from around the world.
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The Tarble Arts Center could not have grown into where it is today if not for the Tarble family and the Tarble Family Foundation. The Foundation has been dedicated to helping the center transform into an even bigger and better resource over the course of its 42 years. In 2000, Pat Tarble gave another $2 million to go towards an expansion; in 2015, Jan gifted an additional $3 million through the Foundation, which allowed the Education Lab to evolve into the museum’s Collection Lab and created a $1 million endowed directorship opportunity.
The EIU Foundation twice named the Tarble family as “Outstanding Philanthropist” in 1993 and 2002, respectively. On EIU’s Centennial 100 listing in 1995, the Tarbles were credited among the most significant individuals who contributed to EIU’s success through its first 100 years.
Jan’s generosity has also provided full scholarships to students through the Excellence in Fine Arts fund, which she established in 1986. In 2007, EIU bestowed Jan Tarble with an honorary degree.
“Jan’s passion for the arts, unique vision and philanthropy has had a profound impact on EIU’s campus and across east central Illinois,” EIU President Jay Gatrell said. “Her legacy lives on in the transformational mission of the Tarble Arts Center that will continue to enhance the student experience and quality of life across the region.”
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