Otis Redding Center for the Arts Fulfills the Soul Legend’s Dream of Giving Back  

A longtime dream of R&B/soul legend Otis Redding has finally come true. The Otis Redding Foundation is announcing the opening next week of the Otis Redding Center for the Arts (ORCA). Located in Redding’s hometown of Macon, Ga., ORCA will kick off its opening festivities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 18 that will include the Redding family, Macon Mayor Lester Miller and the city’s Chamber of Commerce, among other invited guests. The center’s public grand opening will take place on March 22.

Following her husband’s untimely death in 1967, Zelma Redding — also president/founder of the Otis Redding Foundation — has remained committed to fulfilling their vision of giving back to the community by enriching young people through the arts. “This is a dream that my husband and I shared,” she said in a statement. “And being able to turn that dream into a reality with the help of my children, grandchildren and all of those who support us, means more to me than words can express.”

The Otis Redding Center for the Arts is a state-of-the-art, 15,000 square-foot facility housing seven creative labs, five private lesson rooms, an amphitheater and the O3 Recording Studio. The latter is named after the Reddings’ son, Otis Redding III, who died in April 2023. The famed Otis Redding statue, previously located in Gateway Park, now stands outside of ORCA at the corner of Cotton Avenue and Cherry Street. Also nearby is the Otis Redding Museum at 339 Cotton Avenue.

ORCA will begin serving young people in Central Georgia, between the ages 5-18, who are interested in music and the arts. Its curriculum will encompass various aspects of the creative and business sides of the music industry, including content creation, performing, touring, entertainment law, engineering and graphic design. ORCA has already established partnerships with the Bibb County School District and Roberts Academy at Mercer University as well as other schools and organizations in the community. Later this year, the center will start offering programming for toddlers and senior citizens. This summer, ORCA will also host two of the Otis Redding Foundation’s signature programs: the Otis Music Camp (June 2-20) and Camp Dream (July 14-25). For more details about the center and its programs, visit the website.

ORCA’s origin stems from Otis Redding’s entrepreneurial and philanthropic pursuits during his esteemed career. In addition to providing scholarships to students through the Otis Redding Scholarship Fund, Redding financed local educational initiatives and hosted a summer camp for underserved youth on his 300-acre ranch in Macon. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in October. Currently in pre-production is the biopic Otis & Zelma, starring John Boyega and Danielle Deadwyler.

“Education and giving back to the community were very important to my father,” commented Karla Redding-Andrews, vp/executive director of the Otis Redding Foundation. “So we are honored and excited to be able to add another piece to his legacy and continue serving our community through the center.”