Thirty seasons in, patrons of the Brooks Center remain committed to serving a growing thirst for the arts
Helen Golan welcomes neighbors new to the area with a friendly smile. It’s become second nature that she also gifts them the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts’ season lineup.
As one of many volunteers who have committed years of service to the performance arts at Clemson University, Helen kindly greets more than new neighbors. She’s been an usher for a decade, making her one of the first faces a guest at the Brooks Center interacts with.
“I just love it. You see some people all the time, and you get to know them,” Helen said. “I’ll scan their phones where their tickets are and pray the scanner works. It really is a fun time.”
This fall, the Brooks Center celebrates three decades of bringing renowned theater, dance and music to the Clemson area. Each year, dedicated members of the public like Helen return to the Brooks Center again and again, eager to support and enjoy programming that has shaped the region’s cultural landscape.
A love of the arts
Much has changed since the Golans moved to the Upstate in 1986. Helen and her husband, Larry, left New Jersey so he could become the director of the South Carolina Institute of Energy Studies at Clemson.
The Brooks Center wasn’t even a concept when they arrived. The Golans enjoyed outings to the Peace Center in Greenville, and Helen discovered that shows at the Brooks Center were more affordable and of higher quality. “We could go and be back home in 15 minutes,” she said. “What’s not to like?”
A love for the arts is traced back to her mother, Mary Hemko, who was committed to educating herself and loved classical music, something Helen adored.
“If there was a free concert at a church, she would take me along,” she recalled. “She listened to classical music all the time in the house. She read every one of her four children’s college textbooks.”
With that upbringing, it’s easy to understand why Helen felt called to volunteer at the Brooks Center. Her husband of 58 years joined her in doing so up until he passed away in 2018.
“I just loved to come to the programs, and I asked one of the ladies I knew volunteering how I could join,” she said. “The people who have put this together have fought for it and brought in wonderful entertainment. What is offered at the Brooks Center is top-notch.”
Staff and volunteers have not strayed from the Brooks Center’s guiding mission to bring professional music, theater and dance performances to campus and community through educational outreach. Two of these initiatives continue to serve as tentpoles for the center.
The Eskridge Tri-ART Series is an educational outreach program for schools with students ages 3–18 in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia that sells tickets that are either free or up to $2.
“The children’s programs are fabulous,” Helen said. “I love seeing the kids come off the bus. It’s such an opportunity for these children.”
The Lillian and Robert Utsey Chamber Music Series, which celebrates 40 years as an endowment in 2026, continues to offer world-class performances to the public at no cost. Since 2003, series recordings have been broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today more than 100 times. Recordings are produced by the Brooks Center’s professional audio team and have reached more than 26 million listeners.
All are welcome to enjoy the arts at Clemson. Just be sure to ask Helen where the best seat in the house is ahead of a show. She won’t hesitate to share.
Tickets to the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts can be purchased online at clemson.universitytickets.com/w/.
