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UCSB
Receives $2 Million Gift for Public Film Theater in New
Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) – Joseph and Helene Pollock,
of Santa Barbara, and their family have contributed $2
million for the construction of a public film theater
in the new Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media at
the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The gift brings to $5.75 million the total raised thus
far toward a goal of $10 million for the privately funded
center. Other leadership gifts for the center include
$2.5 million from television executive Marcy Carsey and
$1 million from Academy Award-winner Michael Douglas,
members of the center's distinguished advisory board.
In celebration of the Pollocks' gift, the center's public
theater will be named in their honor. The recent gift
is the culmination of more than a decade of support for
the arts at UCSB by the Pollock family. Joseph Pollock,
a retired physician and a former president of the Santa
Barbara International Film Festival, is a trustee of The
UCSB Foundation and also a member of the center's advisory
board. Tom Pollock, a son, is also a member of the center's
advisory board. He is a partner of the Montecito Picture
Company and also an adjunct professor of Film and Media Studies
at UCSB.
"We are proud to have the Pollock family associated
with UCSB in this meaningful way," said UCSB Chancellor
Henry T. Yang. "The Pollock Theater will enhance
undergraduate and graduate education and provide year-round
cultural programming for the community. Joe Pollock has
been the inspiration behind building a film theater at
UCSB. Joe and Helene's visionary commitment to the campus
is simply extraordinary."
The Pollock Theater will provide space for year-round
programming of a diverse array of films and filmmakers.
The theater will be the heart of the center, serving as
a classroom by day and a public theater at night where
students, industry leaders, and members of the community
will gather. Planning is still underway for the theater,
which is expected to accommodate an audience of between
200 and 300 people.
"Our family's interest in film education at UCSB
has been ongoing," said Joseph Pollock, who has championed
the creation of a public film theater at UCSB for more
than 10 years. "My goal of having a public film theater
on campus that would enhance teaching and public viewing
of new and archival films will finally be realized. I
am excited to see it reach fruition."
Constance Penley, director of the Center for Film, Television
and New Media, said she "looks forward to the new
opportunities afforded by the Pollock Theater to collaborate
with both the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
and UCSB Arts and Lectures to provide the kind of world
class film programming that the campus and community need
and deserve. We feel a great deal of fondness and appreciation
for Joe's perseverance in his decade-long effort to make
the theater a reality. It is a great gift to us all."
In addition to the Pollock Theater, the center will contain
a state-of-the-art production suite, instructional and
research laboratories, and climate-controlled film and
television archival space. The new UCSB center will bring
together students and scholars from the campus's renowned
departments of Film and Media Studies and communication, as well
as 15 other departments that study film, video, television,
and emerging media in the context of a strong interdisciplinary
liberal arts curriculum.
The privately financed Center for Film, Television, and
New Media will be part of a new state-funded academic
building complex.
About the Donors
Joseph, Helene, and Tom Pollock are devoted community
leaders, providing philanthropic support for the arts,
the environment, and higher education.
Over the years, the Pollock family has made numerous generous
gifts to UCSB for campus priorities, student fellowships,
and a variety of UCSB programs, including the Department
of Film and Media Studies, the University Art Museum, the Gevirtz
Graduate School of Education, and the Interdisciplinary
Humanities Center.
Before moving to Santa Barbara in 1986, Joseph Pollock
had a successful medical practice in Beverly Hills specializing
in abdominal surgery. During his career, he served as
chief of surgery at several hospitals and taught at the
Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California.
He is the author of two books on surgery, "Surgical
Shock" and "Digestive Disturbances." A
businessman, he was also chairman and CEO of Triangle
Steel and Supply Co. Both he and his wife, Helene, have
been actively involved with Filmex and the American Film
Institute in Los Angeles.
In Santa Barbara, the Pollock family has continued to
support the arts and education. Joseph Pollock, in addition
to being a former president of the Santa Barbara International
Film Festival, has long been a member of the festival's
board, on which his wife has also served. He continues
to be associated with the annual festival. The retired
physician is also a member of the Santa Barbara Roundtable,
a trustee of the Santa Barbara City College Foundation,
and serves on the college's President's Council, as well
as other local organizations. Previously, he was chairman
of the Channel Island Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Helene Pollock is an artist and owner of the H. Pollock
Fine Art Gallery in Montecito. In Los Angeles, she owned
an art gallery and an antique rug gallery.
The Pollocks have three children. Their son, Tom Pollock,
is a partner of the Montecito Picture Company and also
an adjunct professor of Film and Media Studies at UCSB. Formerly,
he was vice chairman of MCA, executive vice president
of MCA, and chairman of its Motion Picture Group, Universal
Pictures. He was also a member of the board of directors
of MCA and Cineplex-Odeon Corporation.
Joseph and Helene Pollock are members of the UCSB Chancellor's
Council and the Lancaster Society, UCSB's premier giving
society.
Both Joseph and Tom Pollock are members of the advisory
board for the Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media.
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