Marjorie Waldo stands among works by Delray Beach native McKinson Souverain in the Black Box Gallery, a showcase for emerging artists at Arts Garage. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Kathleen Kernicky
When Marjorie Waldo was hired as president and CEO of Arts Garage in Delray Beach, she quickly realized how big a crisis she was facing.
“It was a turnaround business in the truest sense,” Waldo said of the nonprofit performing arts organization she has led since November 2016.
“We were financially drowning, our relationship capital was shot, and it seemed like every angle of the business had to be reprogrammed.
“I came in knowing the organization was in crisis. Until you’re sitting in the chair at your desk, you don’t really know how big the crisis is.”
Drawing on her turnaround expertise as a former educator and executive, Waldo has helped the organization “build a toolbox” to ensure its future survival and success.
That included keeping its doors open during the pandemic and, more recently, facing the potential loss of government grants that could affect about a third of its budget.
“When I first started, I wasn’t aware of how deep the troubles went or how much of a commitment this would take,” Waldo said. “It didn’t scare me away. I’m tough and I fight for what I believe in. I do not like to fail.”
It is more than an aversion to failure that drives her commitment. Waldo’s love of the arts is rooted in the belief that they have the transformative power to break barriers and bring people together.
“We believe the arts transcend all of the differences between us,” she said. “It is a universal language that allows people to share experiences.”
Her goal is to reach as many people as possible with the highest quality experience.
“We want to make sure that everyone can walk through our doors, regardless of their income,” she said.
Born in Key West and raised in southern Virginia, Waldo showed interest in the arts beginning in childhood.
“I studied dancing. I sang in choirs. By age 10 or 11, I was reading massive amounts of literature. In high school, I was acting in school plays.”
At the University of Virginia, “I started as a business major and lasted about a year before I bounced back to what I loved, which was drama.”
In search of a career path after graduation, she tried the banking, retail and nonprofit sectors. She became a substitute teacher to earn money and “fell in love with teaching.”
Waldo taught English to high school students before moving from Princeton, New Jersey, to South Florida in the mid-1990s. Her focus switched to working with at-risk youths and turning around struggling charter schools.
“My real interest emerged with the troublemakers. I was drawn to work with the kids who were throwing chairs, getting into fights,” said Waldo, 62, who has two children and has lived in Delray Beach since 1999.
Eventually, she left education. With a master’s degree in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University, Waldo became a consultant.
She was teaching others how to run a business when she pivoted back to her love of the arts and accepted the position at Arts Garage.
Founded in 2011, Arts Garage brings a diverse group of performers to its stage in downtown Delray Beach each year. From Grammy Award-winning musicians to emerging artists, actors and comedians, it provides entertainment — and arts education and development programs — to adults and children.
In 2024, Arts Garage hosted more than 300 events and served about 29,000 attendees, generating an economic impact of about $4.1 million, Waldo said. During her tenure, attendance has increased by 50% and the budget has grown by 60%.
Waldo is confident the organization will overcome the new challenges. Turnaround between the end of 2016 and the end of 2018 was likely the largest challenge, but the pandemic came in a close second.
“Today, we have an incredible board of directors who are passionate about the work that we do and we have significant support from our community,” she said. “I would like to know that Arts Garage will still be here long after I am not.
“I would like to leave a legacy that will continue to provide these vibrant experiences to as many people as possible.”
For more information about Arts Garage, visit artsgarage.org.
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