Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 2, 1991                   TAG: 9103020029
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Jeff DeBell
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

LAYOFFS LIKELY TO HAVE LASTING EFFECT ON ARTS COMMUNITY

The terminations are effective March 15. They bring to eight the number of employees who have been laid off as part of dramatic spending cuts at the museum.

Like other arts organizations in the Roanoke Valley, it is suffering from unanticipated shortages in contributions and government support owing to the economic recession. As part of their own responses to the crisis, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge (formerly the Arts Council of Roanoke Valley) have laid off four employees each.

Ann Masters is one of the best-known people in the Roanoke Valley's arts community, having worked at the museum since August 1975. She began as part-time loan gallery director, moved to program director, became curator in 1979 and since 1989 has been head of marketing and public relations.

"I'm sad to end a career in this way," Masters said. "But the real tragedy is how long it will take all the non-profits to come back from this crisis. The real losers will be the children" whose educational programs are being cut back because of fund shortages.

The museum also has eliminated the positions held by development director Page Hayhurst, exhibition designer Jim Hudson and office manager/secretary Beth Shively Rutherfoord. The terminations leave the institution with a staff of three full- and five part-time employees.

Museum board president Jack Loeb said he and fellow trustees will help the terminated employees find new jobs. "The board is very concerned about these people as people," he said.

The layoffs were among broad new spending cuts approved by the trustees this week. They brought to some $181,000 the amount that has been trimmed from the museum's $645,140 fiscal '91 budget since it was adopted last summer.

Additional cost-saving measures, such as closing the museum on certain days, are under consideration.

The Virginia Association of Museums, many members of which have been hit hard by the fiscal crisis confronting arts and cultural organizations, will meet in Roanoke April 11-13.

Judy Harris, executive director of the organization, said she expected many of the some 300 conferees to be paying their own ways because of the money crunch. Not surprisingly, money will be a hot topic among them.

"They'll be looking at ways to cut costs by sharing resources," Harris said. "They need innovative ideas for ways to continue functioning."

> The work of Mechanicsville artist Christaphora Leise will be exhibited next month at two galleries in the Netherlands.

Roanokers with good memories - and an eye for artistic promise - may remember Leise as Christaphora "Henny" Jordaans. That was her name when she graduated from Cave Spring High School in 1965. At that time, she had already been studying art for over 10 years and was selling some of her work.

A longtime art teacher, Leise is based at the Torres School of Sculpture in Henrico County but has taught elsewhere, including the Governor's School for the Arts at Radford University.

Last spring, one of her paintings won first place in the Irene Leache Memorial Biennial at Norfolk's Chrysler Museum. Her work can be seen in Roanoke at Gallery 3.

\ Lime Kiln Arts will kick off its eighth summer season June 3 with "White Bear & Red Rose," two one-act musical adaptations of Appalachian folk tales on the subject of love.

Also on tap at Lexington's unique outdoor theater are an acrobatic show from Kenya, reprises of "Stonewall Country" and "Virgil Powers," and a new production of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

There will be a Sunday evening concert series, too. The Metropolitan Blues Band and Sweet Honey on the Rock are confirmed; negotiations continue with Bela Fleck, The Tony Rice Unit, The Seldom Scene, The Bobs and Beausoleil, among other acts.

In contrast with preceding years, Lime Kiln shows will run successively instead of in rotation. One purpose of the change is to make life easier for the technical crew. Another is to discourage playgoers from waiting until the end of the season to see everything.