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For Alison Foundation Director Barbara Parker (right) presents Piedmont Arts Executive Director Heidi Pinkston with a $14,000 gift to support the museum’s education programs.
Posted November 13, 2025

Piedmont Arts receives $14,000 gift from For Alison Foundation

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Nov. 13, 2025) — Piedmont Arts received a gift of $14,000 from the For Alison Foundation on Nov. 12. The donation will support arts education workshops for high school students in Martinsville and Henry County.

The For Alison Foundation was established in 2016 in memory of journalist Alison Parker to give young people opportunities to experience the arts. As a child, Parker spent many hours at Piedmont Arts, where her mother, Barbara Parker, served as director of programs for 19 years.

The donation is explicitly designated to support visual arts workshops for local high school students offered through the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Statewide Workshops program. Piedmont Arts is a Statewide Partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and works closely with the museum to bring programs like these to local schools each year.

“We are honored to partner with the For Alison Foundation to continue Alison’s legacy,” said Piedmont Arts Executive Director Heidi Pinkston. “Her early experiences at Piedmont Arts shaped her love of the arts and this gift ensures that future students will have those same opportunities to grow and be inspired.”

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