Shari Gasper
Kathleen Woit: A lifetime of impact on Madison’s art scene
March 19, 2025
Looking back on five decades of fundraising, Madisonian Kathleen Woit considers her work on the Great Performance Fund at Overture Center her career’s crowning achievement.
“When Pleasant Rowland invited to me to her house back in 2008 and shared her plans for a $23 million endowment, asking me to raise matching funds, I knew instantly I was going to accept the challenge—and I was going to succeed,” said Woit, who worked for the Madison Community Foundation at the time.
Woit led the fundraising campaign for the Great Performance Fund, which helps Overture Center's resident companies pay rent. She asked Jane Coleman to join her, and together, they began seeking donations of at least $100,000, with a lead gift of $3 million from Diane Ballweg.
“I kept people in tune with the progress and loved showing off the building on tours,” she said. “The donors loved it, too.”
In less than two years, Woit and Coleman raised $23 million—with contributions from 80 total families, foundations and organizations.
“People admired Jerry Frautschi and Pleasant Rowland and were excited about Jerry’s plan to build a new arts center in downtown Madison. Everyone wanted to be a part of it,” said Woit.
She helped plan the grand opening, which she describes as “the most exciting evening in Madison I can remember.” Mayor Dave Cieslewicz cut the ribbon, followed by dinner and a performance in Overture Hall.
Twenty years later, whenever Woit visits Overture Center, she pauses in the Rotunda Lobby to read Jerry Frautschi’s dedication on the wall, and it brings tears to her eyes.
“Overture Center sparked what I call ‘the second Renaissance’ for Madison, drawing restaurants, condos, retailers back downtown,” she said. “More than anything in the past 50 years, Overture Center and the Monona Terrace have inspired Dane County. Both are centerpieces of the community.”
Woit’s fundraising career includes raising support for Arizona State University’s Centennial Commission, the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Iriving L. Young Performance Center, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and Meriter Foundation Inc.
During her seven years at Meriter Foundation, Woit became more involved in the Madison community, serving on several boards of directors, with a special focus on arts organizations. She joined Madison Community Foundation as president in 1997—her “dream job”—the same day the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center’s opened.
Shortly after, Jerry Frautschi announced his donation to build a new arts center in downtown Madison.
“The entire community was thrilled by the news,” recalled Woit.
Woit spent 16 years with Madison Community Foundation, retiring in 2013.
“To see the fruits of my labor, especially in my hometown, was truly rewarding,” she noted.
Woit has many special Overture memories, visiting often for Madison Symphony Orchestra concerts and other performances. She especially loves the annual Jerry Awards Show and attends every year.
To ensure future generations can enjoy Overture as much as she does, Woit has left a planned gift to Overture in her will to support kids’ programming.
“I’m impressed with Overture Center’s success,” she said. “I absolutely love the atmosphere here and what Overture is doing for young people.”
Woit is currently serving her third year on the Overture Foundation Development Committee. She enjoys meeting fellow donors in the Donor Lounge and appreciates how Overture inspires giving across the community.
“Jerry Frautschi and Pleasant Rowland show what it means to give back to your community,” said Woit. “I’m deeply grateful to them and their example of what can happen when philanthropic people get together.”
In her travels, Woit often meets people who love Madison and its vibrant art scene.
“They say we have one of the finest arts venues in the country,” she said. “That fills my heart with happiness and always makes me smile.”