It is one of the topics that gets whispered about in arts circles, but rarely confronted head-on: a generation of great philanthropists is beginning to die out, with no replacements in sight. “These folks were more than just rich people who gave their money away out of a sense of noblesse oblige… They weren’t especially interested in having their names on buildings. In their best days, you’d see them — frequently — in the buildings of the organizations they supported and in other arts venues they simply found interesting.” These days, corporations are replacing individuals in major giving, and that doesn’t bode well for art, music, theatre, or the people who make it.