Our Projects
where your support lives
Mr. Wirth’s Millpond Music Studio
The John J. Durbin Fine Arts Foundation is proud to play a leading role in the creation of Mr. Wirth’s Millpond Music Studio, an interactive outdoor music space being developed in the heart of Brighton, Michigan. This project honors the legacy of Al Wirth — a beloved musician, educator, and longtime supporter of the arts in our community.
Our foundation helped to fund, design, and bring this musical environment to life, ensuring that children and families in Brighton have free, joyful access to music-making in a public space for years to come. This studio reflects our mission to make the arts visible, accessible, and alive in everyday community spaces.
To learn more about the project please visit www.millpondmusicstudio.weebly.com.
PRESS REGARDING INSTALLMENT: WHMI Article Livingston Daily Article
Entrepreneurship Support for Emerging Artists
The foundation proudly sponsored business and financial training for three emerging artists through Sunlight Tax, an organization dedicated to empowering creative professionals. All three recipients are former students of Dance Theatre Studio who have gone on to build careers as professional dancers, artists, and personal trainers.
During the COVID-19 shutdown — when live performance opportunities disappeared — they used this time to strengthen their knowledge of financial management, form LLCs, and learn how to professionally and confidently charge for their creative work and intellectual property.
This initiative reflects our commitment to not only nurture artistic talent, but to equip artists with the business tools necessary to sustain lifelong careers in the arts.
Supporting Arts Spaces Through the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 shutdown, the foundation provided financial assistance to a Boston-based dance studio to help cover cleaning costs and safety protocol expenses, allowing the studio to remain open and operational during an especially challenging time for the performing arts.
One meaningful way we offered support was by covering the rental cost for a Pilates instructor to film her virtual classes in the studio space. This act of support helped sustain both the studio owner’s business and the independent teaching artist, ensuring that the arts could continue — safely, creatively, and accessibly — even in the midst of global disruption.
Bringing Joy Through Music at Gilbert Residence
The foundation purchased a karaoke and speaker system for Grace Hall at the Gilbert Residence in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Many of the caregivers there are gifted vocalists who love to sing to the residents, and this system gives them the opportunity to fill the space with music, comfort, and joy on a daily basis.
This small investment has created moments of connection, memory, and emotional well-being for residents — reinforcing our belief that the arts are a vital part of human care at every stage of life.
Puppetry for Comfort and Connection
The foundation provided therapeutic puppets for Grace Hall at the Gilbert Residence, offering caregivers and family members a powerful tool to create calming, joyful interactions with residents during moments of sadness, overwhelm, or simply when they are seeking entertainment.
This gift carries special meaning in John’s legacy. Years ago, when Disney Studios held live auditions at his dance studio for performing cast members, John was often invited to warm up the auditionees. He always felt a deep admiration and connection to the puppeteers in the room — in awe of their rare talent, their ability to find joy, and their willingness to bring that joy to others through storytelling and character.
The puppets were intentionally purchased from a locally owned business, reflecting our commitment not only to meaningful human care, but also to supporting local arts and community craftsmanship.
Celebrating Representation in the Arts
The foundation donated copies of the children’s book My Daddy Can Fly! to seven elementary schools and local libraries in the Brighton community. Written by American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Thomas Forster, the book tells the story of a young boy whose father is a professional ballet dancer — offering children a joyful and empowering example of artistry, strength, and possibility in the world of dance.
In keeping with our commitment to supporting the local arts economy, all books were purchased from 2 Dandelions Bookshop, a locally owned independent bookstore in downtown Brighton.
Supporting Movement and Well-Being in Schools
The foundation purchased classroom movement equipment for an elementary school to support healthy movement breaks throughout the day — helping students regulate energy, improve focus, and care for their physical well-being.
In alignment with our commitment to strengthening local communities, the equipment was purchased from a family-owned business.
Expanding Access to the Performing Arts
The foundation provided moveable dance mirrors to Hilton Elementary and the Hilton Musical Theatre program, empowering the school to offer extremely low-cost dance and theatre instruction to students in the Brighton community. These mirrors create a more professional learning environment while supporting confident movement, self-awareness, and artistic growth.
The mirrors were purchased from a family-owned local business, reflecting our ongoing commitment to supporting both youth arts education and local entrepreneurship. This business was one John worked with often during his thirty-six years at Dance Theatre Studio.
The Tracey Stewart Scholarship
In 2022, the foundation established The Tracey Stewart Scholarship at Dance Theatre Studio to honor the life, spirit, and enduring legacy of Tracey Stewart, a beloved dancer, mother, and fiercely thoughtful presence in the Ann Arbor arts community.
Tracey was a lifelong student of dance — taking classes at Dance Theatre Studio for over 35 years in jazz, modern, ballet, and eventually tap — where she found both deep joy and a loyal circle of fellow dancers who became true friends. Outside the studio, she was a brilliant data systems analyst within major Michigan health institutions, known for her sharp mind, humor, and unwavering sense of responsibility to those she loved. Tracey passed away in 2021 at the age of 65, after a long battle with cancer, leaving behind a legacy defined not by performance or spotlight — but by devotion, insight, and care.
What made Tracey exceptional was the way she lived with intention and generosity. A devoted mother to her son, Ethan, she approached every choice with foresight — guiding, preparing, and protecting with fierce love. She was as quick to offer dry humor as she was stability, as much Lucy Van Pelt as guardian angel. Her life was equal parts artistry, intellect, and service.
The Tracey Stewart Scholarship honors her exactly as she lived — by making it possible for students to experience dance as healing, joy, expression, and play. This scholarship ensures that those with curiosity, need, or spirit — just as Tracey had — are never kept from the transformative power of the arts.
Her love continues — now passed forward through opportunity.
Looking Ahead
where your support is headed next
Parent Book Club: Supporting Adolescent Girls
The John J. Durbin Fine Arts Foundation is sponsoring a parent book club centered on Untangled by Lisa Damour, led by a certified counselor and a school principal, designed for parents of adolescent girls. This small group experience, limited to 20 to 30 parents, offers a safe, informed space to understand the social, emotional, and developmental journey of girls while building community and strengthening family connections.
This initiative honors John’s legacy as a school guidance counselor in Southfield Public Schools. His daily work focused on listening, coaching families, and helping students thrive. By bringing parents together with expert facilitation, the foundation continues John’s commitment to practical support for families and to the well-being of young people in our community.
Workshops Coming to Brighton, Michigan
The foundation is in the early stages of launching hands-on creative workshops for children and families in Brighton, Michigan — blending arts, storytelling, movement, curiosity, and joy in accessible community spaces. These experiences will be thoughtfully designed to spark imagination, build confidence, and open doors to creative expression — all rooted in John’s belief that the arts and learning should be welcoming, uplifting, and life-changing for every child.
Stay tuned — more will be announced soon.