Americans for the Arts

Madge Berman dedicated more than 40 years to the support of the arts nationally and in her home state of Michigan. She served on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities during President Clinton’s administration. In the 1980s, as a founding board member of Concerned Citizens for the Arts in Michigan, she initiated the Governor’s Arts Awards, which are presented annually to artists, arts organizations, and civic leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the arts in Michigan. Appointed by Governor Milliken, she served as vice chair of the Michigan Council of the Arts and, as a member of the New Detroit’s Arts Committee, she implemented a plan for establishing the first Detroit Arts Council and was a founding board member. Currently, in addition to serving on the Americans for the Arts board, she is on the boards of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Zoological Institute, where she has developed and funded the Madeleine Berman Academy for Humane Education. Mrs. Berman received an undergraduate degree in musicology from Northwestern University and a master’s in speech, communication, and journalism from Wayne State University. She was married to Mandell “Bill” Berman, who was also deeply involved in community service, and they are survived by their two children—Ann, who currently runs the Berman Family Foundation; and Jon who is an ER specialist in Boulder, CO.