CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF ROBERT WILSON

Sunday, October 4, 2026 | Cameron Hall at MCC

Presented by Ambassador Lyndon Olson and Kay Olson

Art Center Waco will host a special event celebrating the legacy of internationally acclaimed artist and theatre director Robert Wilson, who was born and raised in Waco and who died in July 2025. The event will be held at noon on October 4, 2026, what would have been Wilson’s 85 birthday. It will take place at Cameron Hall on MCC’s campus and will feature arrival drinks in the Dr. Johnette McKown courtyard across from Wilson’s landmark sculpture, The Waco Door, followed by lunch and a celebratory memorial inside. Proceeds will benefit Art Center Waco’s mission of making art accessible to everyone in the Waco community through curated art exhibits, dynamic programming, and educational opportunities for all ages.

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS

Our sponsorships are named after famous works by Robert Wilson.  Both visual and theatrical arts.

The Waco Door | $20,000

• 16 Event Tickets
• Recognition as Presenting Sponsor
• Acknowledgment during event 

The Hoffmanettes | $10,000

• 8 Event Tickets
• Recognition as Premier Sponsor
• Acknowledgment during event

The Black Rider | $5,000

• 8 Event Tickets
• Recognition as Event Sponsor
• Acknowledgment during event

Einstein on the Beach | $3,000

• 8 Event Tickets
• Recognition as Event Sponsor

Voom Portraits | $1,000

• 4 Event Tickets
• Recognition as Event Sponsor

Deafman Glance | $500

• 2 Event Tickets
• Recognition as Event Sponsor

Early Bird Ticket | $100

Note: Tickets are $125 after September 1, 2026

To be included on the invitation, complete your sponsorship by August 31, 2026.

ABOUT ROBERT WILSON

Robert Wilson was born in Waco on October 4, 1941 to Velma Loree Hamilton and Diugiud Mims (D.M.) Wilson, who at various times served as Waco’s City Attorney and City Manager. He moved to Austin in 1959 to attend the University of Texas, where he studied for three years.

Wilson moved to New York in the early 1960s to study art and architecture. In 1968, he founded the Byrd Hoffmann School of Byrds, an experimental and inclusive performance group based in Manhattan. The school was named for Bird Hoffman, a Waco dance instructor who played a pivotal role in Wilson’s early life. He credited Bird with advising him to thoughtfully slow down his speech, a practice that eventually allowed him to overcome a stutter. Bird also encouraged Wilson to express himself freely, advice that inspired his career in the arts. It is clear that Robert felt understood and accepted by Bird, who had herself trained and danced in New York.

Wilson was a prolific creator, known for experimental, avant-garde theatre productions and for his many collaborations with artists from Philip Glass to Lady Gaga. His productions were featured in the United States, France, Germany, Russia, Greece, Slovenia, Japan, Australia, Sweden, England, and Iran. 

In addition to his work for the stage, Wilson created sculpture, drawings, and furniture designs and worked frequently with young and developing artists. In 1992 he founded the Watermill Center, owned by the selffounded Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation in Long Island, New York, which continues to hold multidisciplinary workshops for students from around the world. Lindsay Morris for The New York Times.

In 1995, the Waco Art Center commissioned the Waco Door by Wilson, located on the MCC campus by the new Cameron Hall. This 19' steel structure is often considered one of the city’s most significant public artworks.

Since Wilson’s passing in 2025, memorials have been held in New York, Berlin, Paris and Milan. Waco’s memorial for its native son will be a celebration of Wilson’s life and legacy on his birthday.