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

DATE: MONDAY, June 21, 1993                   TAG: 9306220358
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

COVERAGE OF ARTS LOST IN THE SHUFFLE

AT THE RISK of appearing to be another voice in the vast chasm of protest that is currently flooding our society, I ask the editors of this newspaper why they persist in refusing to report on the artistic life of the Roanoke Valley? Since Jeff DeBell was removed from his "Backstage" column and not replaced, the Roanoke Times & World-News has been nothing more than a conglomeration of brooding economic and news stories, jaded and biting editorials, and a collection of sports scores so complete as to make me wonder why you do not remove one of your sports writers and have him or her cover arts.

Here and throughout America, painters, musicians and the like pour their souls into creating works that serve to make our problem-ridden world a little more bearable. They highlight the beauty in life, which seldom makes it to the front pages in the days of Bosnia and Somalia.

So the next time someone complains there is no culture in the Roanoke Valley, know that you are to blame for their ignorance. The arts are alive and well in this valley, and they deserve more attention than they lately have received. ROBERT M. DOHERTY ROANOKE

by CNB