Lead gift to name and support MacFarlane Artisan Village

A substantial lead gift from Joan and Peter Hood will help “get the ball rolling” on improvements in Allerton Park and Retreat Center’s Artisan Village.

Their donation will support programming and long‑term facility care for The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, in addition to serving as a contingency to supplement initial construction costs.

The Hoods, who live in Urbana, are longtime supporters of the University of Illinois, where both had distinguished careers. The gift is in memory of Joan’s parents, Marjorie and Frank MacFarlane, for whom the village will be named.

“They loved education and the arts — visual and performing. They were real artisans in the true sense of the word,” said Joan Hood, noting that her dad designed houses and was an early adopter of organic gardening, while her mother loved painting, rug hooking and square dancing.

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