THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602230052
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
THE RECENT layoffs of seven employees at The Chrysler Museum of Art were designed to have the least possible impact on public programs.
The departure of Trinkett Clark, curator of 20th century art, does not mean the demise of contemporary art exhibits at the Norfolk museum, said Catherine Jordan, interim director.
Instead, the museum will revert to its previous setup of having the American art and the European art curators responsible for their areas up to the present.
Jefferson Harrison is the European curator, and H. Nichols Clark - Trinkett's husband - is in charge of American art.
Trinkett Clark started at the museum in mid-1989. In March 1991, she started Parameters, a series of solo shows that changed every two or three months. Among the living artists she showcased were Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Lawrence Gipe, Michael Flanagan and Beverly Buchanan.
An exhibit of paintings by Chinese-American painter Hung Liu that closed Jan. 7 was the 19th Parameters show. While a 20th show was scheduled for the fall, the fate of the series has not yet been determined, Jordan said.
The series brought to Norfolk a wide range of emerging artists, representing various regions in the country as well as cultural diversity. A significant number of these artists came from the prestigious stable of Steinbaum Krauss Gallery in New York.
At times, as in the case of Smith and Liu, both of whom are represented by Steinbaum Krauss, the works were politically charged and autobiographical. Other shows indicated Clark's predilection for art with a strong narrative quality - such as Flanagan's paintings, a series that depicted his lavish fantasy about a fictitious railroad line.
A third direction for Clark was to choose artists who paint abstracts with handsome surfaces that subtly hint at content, such as Judith Streeter.
Among her other achievements, Clark organized ``Land Ho! The Mythical World of Rodney Alan Greenblat,'' which transformed the first-floor changing galleries in 1992 into a vivid, fanciful environment concocted by a major New York artist. She co-wrote the catalog, and the show has traveled to other institutions.
Previously, Clark was assistant curator for 20th century art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., from 1976 to 1982. Before joining the Chrysler, she organized a show of drawings by the great modern sculptor David Smith that toured museums from 1985 to 1988.
With the layoff of Rena Hudgins, head librarian since 1988 of the Jean Outland Chrysler Memorial Art Reference Library, the facility loses its only professional art historian. Hudgins is credited with setting up and organizing the library. Previously, Hudgins was public services librarian at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Several part-time employees remain, and Jordan said the library will continue to be open to the public on Tuesday and Thursday and by appointment on Wednesday.
Since it opened in 1989, the library - the largest and most extensive of its kind in the region - has gradually cut its public hours.
The library is well used by area college students as well as arts and antiques dealers and collectors. In addition, the museum's curatorial staff, education department and volunteer docents use the library often.
With all the fiscal bad news - a $70,000 debt carried over from 1994-'95, and the potential of a $75,000 debt at the end of 1995-'96 prompting cutbacks - there is good news in results of the museum's aggressive membership campaign.
In the last 18 months, the number of memberships has risen from 3,300 to 3,600, Jordan said. Each membership represents an average of more than two people.
After eliminating seven positions on Feb. 16 and cutting hours and salary for two more, the museum hopes to achieve a balanced budget, she said.
Arts institutions around the country have been faced with downsizing, Jordan said, including major museums in Cincinnati, Detroit and Brooklyn.
Staff and board members have been working together since mid-1995 on a strategic planning process to develop long-term goals for survival and growth.
The strategic planning did not prompt the layoffs, Jordan said.
In the fall, board president Roy B. Martin Jr. said that the plan's intent ranged from discerning the community's perception of the museum to looking at new sources for revenue.
Meanwhile, the search continues for a new director to replace Robert Frankel, who left late last year to head the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California. The Chrysler expects to announce his successor in the next few months.
The board is in no rush, said Dick Roberts, who chairs the search committee. ``Catherine Jordan is doing a terrific job as interim director, and everyone is delighted with her performance.''
Jordan is the only non-board member on the eight-member search committee, Roberts said. They are looking for ``someone who will elevate the prominence of this museum regionally and nationally.''
The museum also wants ``a strong leader who can play an effective role along with the board and volunteers in fund raising,'' he added.
Roberts sees the recent cutbacks as ``short term necessities versus long-term dreams'' that will ``provide a basis for going forward. And those dreams will be turned to reality,'' Roberts said.
``There are a lot of people in this area who really love this museum. Sometimes difficult times pull people together and bring out the best in them. That's my observation as to what's happening. I am very excited about the long-term future of the museum.'' by CNB