This online newsroom is made available for use by the working press. Here you will find general information about the Madame Walker Theatre Center, current news releases, media alerts and images available for media reproduction. For additional media information, or if you would like to be added to our media release distribution list, please contact the Office of Public Relations at 317.236.2099.

High-resolution images of the Walker Building (interior and exterior shots) are available by calling the Office of Public Relations at the number listed above. The Center does not allow photos taken (or filming) of the building’s interior space without approval from the media department. If your request to take photos is for commercial purposes, we ask that you plan to do so during business hours Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. This request may be subject to a fee. You may also fax your request to 317.236.2097. We ask that you allow for a 24-hour processing period.

If you are not with the working media and want photos, you are advised to take your own photos upon approval.

News Tips

Terry Whitt Bailey Named New President and CEO

Dr. Terry Whitt Bailey, who formerly directed the Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie, Indiana, will lead the Madame Walker Theatre Center beginning April 12 as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Whitt Bailey brings to her position at the Walker Theatre impressive and relevant experience leading and participating in arts organizations. After an extensive search, the Walker Board of Directors concluded that Whitt Bailey’s experience, expertise, and skills were a great fit for this nationally and internationally recognized facility for arts, culture, entertainment, and entrepreneurship programs.

“We are thrilled that Terry Whitt Bailey has accepted our offer,” said Walker Theatre Center board chair, Christopher Barney. “Her background in arts management and the kind of leadership and creativity she displayed at Cornerstone are exactly what we need to ensure a strong future.”

Whitt Bailey, who attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, believes her experience at Cornerstone will translate easily to her new venue. “Both buildings are historic. Both have an auditorium that seats about 1,000. Both boards are very passionate about the arts and both have strong connections with community organizations,” said Whitt Bailey, who received the Center for Leadership Development’s Arts Achievement award earlier this month.

At Cornerstone since 2004, Whitt Bailey was instrumental in creating arts partnerships, in increasing grant and donations, and in managing a 135% increase in student art class enrollment. She previously held positions with Ball State University, most recently as Director of Executive Staff & Administrative Affairs, Office of the President. She also was an Assistant Professor at Ball State, and at Chicago State University.

Whitt Bailey is actively involved in local, state and national arts organizations. She currently serves as President and State Captain for the Indiana Coalition for the Arts and with Americans for the Arts in Washington, D.C. She has been recognized by the National Dance Association and received the Mayor’s Community Service Award and the Indiana Community Arts Leadership Award. She has is in professional and community organizations including Women in Business Unlimited, Indiana Black Expo, the American Heart Association, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and Phi Beta Phi.

Whitt Bailey earned a bachelors degree from Rutgers University, and a masters degree from UCLA. She received her doctorate from Ball State University, completed post-graduate work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Harvard University, and recently received her Doctor of Ministry Degree from Newburgh Theological Seminary. The Madame Walker Theatre is a legacy of Madame C. J. Walker, an African American entrepreneur, hair care industry pioneer and philanthropist, who is widely recognized as the nation’s first self-made American female millionaire. The original Walker Building, with its African art deco theater, opened in 1927 as the headquarters of the Madame C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company. After extensive renovations in 1988, this National Historic Landmark reopened as a cultural arts, education and entertainment center and is the anchor of the Indiana Avenue Cultural Arts District.

For more information about the Walker Theatre, visit www.walkertheatre.com

View/Download Photo of Bailey (Credit: Kyle Evens) as JPG

Mays to Receive Madame C.J. Walker Award May 12

The Board of Directors of the Madame Walker Theatre Center will present local businessman William G. Mays with the Madame C.J. Walker Business Award at a luncheon and fundraising event on Wednesday, May 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Grand Casino Ballroom of the Walker Building. He is being recognized for his outstanding business achievements and ability to inspire others to excel.

Mays is president and CEO of Mays Chemical Co., one of the largest chemical distribution companies in the United States. The company serves clients in a variety of industries from cosmetics and pharmaceuticals to personal care and automotive and has grown to include facilities in Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati. Mays is also the owner of the Indianapolis Recorder, the nation’s fourth-oldest surviving African American newspaper.

Mays was born and raised in Evansville, Ind., and graduated at the top of his class at Evansville Lincoln High School. A second-generation chemist, May’s father was a college chemistry professor. Mays attended Indiana University in Bloomington, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry in 1970. In the midst of his early professional career, he accepted a Consortium Fellowship that he later applied to his postgraduate studies in marketing and finance. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University in 1973. Mays received honorary doctorate degrees from Martin University in Indianapolis in 1995, University of Evansville in 1997, Indiana University in Bloomington in 2000 and Marion College in Indianapolis in 2001.

Mays is considered Indiana’s most successful African American businessman. He holds several firsts in his home state including: the first African American to serve as campaign chairman for the United Way of Central Indiana; the first to chair the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the first to be elected to the Indiana University Foundation board and the first appointed to chair the Indiana Lottery Commission. He has earned many honors including the Madame Walker Theatre Center’s prestigious Madame Walker Spirit Award. To get tickets, please contact Marcia Ray at 317.236.2099.

2007-08 Accomplishments Report

2007-2008 Accomplishments Report

The Madame Walker Theatre Center is known for stretching central Indiana’s arts & cultural boundaries and embracing change...and the 2007-08 fiscal year was unlike any we have experienced. We generated big ideas to expand and diversify our audience and showcased one of the most ambitious arts seasons to date. read more

View/Download the Report ( 1.5 MB)

About the Organization, Walker Building and Theatre

Searching for Walker Family Web site: www.madamecjwalker.com/