M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers and Objects of Art Recognized As One Of The Top Ten Businesses Supporting The Arts In The United States

M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers supports the arts as enrichment for the whole community. Soon after buying his father's jewelry store in 1985, Mark Ginsberg established the M.C. Ginsberg Fund to serve the arts community in Iowa City through free exhibitions,public lectures, artists' workshops, and community arts events. Known for initiating cultural program-ming as well as hoping to inspire other businesses,large and small, to follow its lead, M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers spans more than two decades of committed activism in the arts. In a college town of 60,000 people, and supported by revenue from just 600 square foot of retail space, the business has given nearly $600,000 to the arts since 1984, in addition to countless in-kind donations and volunteer hours.

M.C. Ginsberg is not solely a jewelry store. The space is defined as a gallery and an incubator for artists,housing original works for viewing and for sale as well as specially curated exhibitions presenting jewelry as works of art. One recent exhibition enabled the community to see examples of custom-made Art Deco and Retrospective jewelry. In the fall of 2010, the gallery space became a classroom as well, hosting a master-level practicum class for University of Iowa metal-smithing students to hone their craft while learning real-world business skills.

M.C. Ginsberg provides financial support of approximately $20,000 a year toward art and culture programs, including an artist-in-residence program for the Iowa City School District. The entire staff volunteers for these programs. The business also hosts fundraising events throughout the year in which all profits benefit a specific arts or cultural program,such as the Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa. M.C. Ginsberg has also started an ongoing project producing a jewelry line for an organization.When the jewelry is sold, the organization receives 50 percent of the profits.

In 1990, M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers President Mark Ginsberg helped found the annual Iowa City Jazz Festival. Ginsberg served as executive producer until 1997. Now in its 20th year, the three-day event attracts more than 60,000 people from all over the country and is considered by the international jazz community to be one of the finest jazz venues in the United States. In addition to performances,the festival includes an educational component. In past years, the festival has hosted workshops and lectures led by esteemed jazz musicians such as Paquito D'Rivera, T. S Monk, Paul McKee, Ed Wilkerson, Ron Carter, Marshall Allen, and members of the Sun Ra Arkestra.

M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers sponsors Summer of the Arts in Iowa City, the umbrella organization under which the Iowa City Jazz Festival is now encompassed.Summer of the Arts also includes the Iowa CityArt Festival and other programming such as free downtown concerts. Mark Ginsberg serves on the board of Summer of the Arts as well as the Iowa Great Places Citizen Advisory Board, which is a governor-appointed position.