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History
The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
was incorporated as a not-for-profit
501(c)(3) corporation in March,
2002. The Center assumed management
of the Lucy-Desi Museum and the
Lucy-Desi Gift Shop that April. The
Museum, originally a project of the
Arts Council for Chautauqua County,
opened its doors on May 25, 1996.
On August 5, 2005, the Lucille Ball-Desi
Arnaz Center opened its second
museum, the Desilu Playhouse,
devoted to the “I
Love Lucy” show.
Mission
The mission of the Lucille Ball-Desi
Arnaz Center is
to preserve and celebrate the legacy
of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and
enrich the world through the healing
powers of love and laughter.
Facilities
The Lucy-Desi Museum
(212 Pine Street) is a tribute to
the First Couple of Comedy. The
Museum celebrates Jamestown’s most
famous daughter, Lucille Ball, and
her husband and co-star, Desi Arnaz.
Larger-than-life wall panels
describing The First Couple of
Comedy, interactive displays, and
video screenings offer an intimate
look at these passionate, talented
people. Costumes, gowns,
photographs, letters, scripts, and
awards are among the memorabilia on
display.
The Desilu Playhouse
(2 W. 3rd Street)
displays exact replicas
of the
“I
Love Lucy” television
studio sound stages, including the
Ricardos’ New York City apartment
living room and kitchen and the
Hollywood hotel suite where Lucy
pantomimed with Harpo Marx and set
her nose on fire with William
Holden. Also featured are
a life-sized
wall mural of
the
original studio audience, a
“Vitameatavegamin” opportunity,
“I
Love Lucy” memorabilia
from the 1950s, original costumes
and props from the most popular show
ever on television, and more!
The Lucy-Desi Center Gift Shop
(300 N. Main Street) features
hundreds of Lucy-Desi and
“I
Love Lucy” licensed
products, from magnets to music
boxes, dolls to DVDs, collector
plates to checkbook covers, teddy
bears to t-shirts, wind chimes to
wastebaskets. Through the mail
order department, these items are
shipped around the world. The Lucy-Desi
Museum and Desilu Playhouse offer
gift shops with other treasures that
can also be found on the Center’s
on-line store.
The
Lucy-Desi Museum, Lucy-Desi Center
Gift Shop and Desilu Playhouse are
open daily: Monday-Saturday, 10
am-5:30 pm, Sundays, 1-5 pm. Closed
on New Year’s Day, Easter,
Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
Phone:
(716) 484-0800, ext. 200
Fax: (716) 484-1018
Website:
www.lucy-desi.com
Email:
info@lucy-desi.com
Tour Groups & Motor Coach: (716)
484-0800, Ext. 205
Programming/Special Events
Festivals:
The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
sponsors two annual festivals in
Lucille Ball's hometown: Lucy-Desi
Days on Memorial Day Weekend in May
and Lucy’s Birthday Celebration in
early August.
More than 30 family-friendly
activities are offered during each
festival, including film fests,
contests, celebrity events, outdoor
movies, Lucytown Tours, memorabilia
auctions, vintage collectibles,
food, music, and more.
Legacy of Laughter (LOL) seminars
are
panel discussions, with audience
interaction, that explore and
celebrate the inestimable value of
laughter. These are moderated by
Lucie Arnaz, and panelists include
those who create or perform comedy,
who use it in their work, or who
have been healed by it. LOLs have
been held in Los Angeles, Boulder
City, NV, and two in Jamestown.
Acquisitions Society:
In July,
2005, the Center created the Lucille
Ball-Desi Arnaz Center Acquisitions
Society to generate funds for the
addition of significant Lucy-Desi
artifacts to the Center’s collection
and for their preservation.
Membership is by a one-time donation
of $2,500. Through the generosity
of the Founding Members of the
Acquisitions Society, the Lucy-Desi
Center now owns the famous prop
cello that Lucy used in the
vaudeville act she and Desi created
to convince CBS that the American
public would accept Desi as her
television husband. This cello was
also a prop in the pilot for
“I Love Lucy” and again
in episode #6, “The Audition.” It,
along with the Professor costume
donated by Lucie Arnaz and Desi
Arnaz, Jr., is now on exhibit in the
Desilu Playhouse, Jamestown’s
“I
Love Lucy” museum.
Community Involvement/Outreach
Classroom Initiatives:
Our
education coordinator has designed
programming for students with lesson
plans that address state and
national learning standards across
the curricula. There are currently
three lesson plans in place, and
more are being developed.
Community Organizations:
The Lucy-Desi Center is a member and
active participant in the Downtown
Jamestown Development Corporation,
the Greater Jamestown Area Chamber
of Commerce, the Chautauqua County
Chamber of Commerce, and the
Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau.
Girl Scouts:
Our
education coordinator has worked
with the Girl Scouts of Southwestern
New York and developed programming
that enables Scouts to earn badges
through working with the Lucy-Desi
Center. In addition, Scout troops
have performed community service in
conjunction with the Center.
Hispanic Outreach:
Center staff are part of the United
Way’s Hispanic Outreach Committee
and the Center actively celebrates
Hispanic Heritage Month.
Senior Citizens:
The
Center is beginning monthly
programming with senior citizens at
Jamestown’s Lutheran Social
Services.
Funding
The majority of operational funding
is generated from museum admissions,
gift shop sales and
memberships.
Development funding is raised
through grants and private
donations. |