Hawaii arts foundation walloped by layoffs

Arts advocates are resisting Gov. Linda Lingle’s Aug. 5 layoff order to cut the staff of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts beginning Nov. 13. Ten employees, including Executive Director Ronald Yamakawa, were among the 1,100 public workers notified by the state that they would be out of a job.

According to the Hawaii Arts Alliance, at this time the only remaining staff are in the Arts in Public Places program and two other federally funded staff positions. The areas where staff would be missing, thereby crippling these programs, include the statewide grants program, arts education programs, the folk arts program and community arts programs.

The foundation is part of the state Department of Accounting and General Services and receives funds from the state, the National Endowment for the Arts and private donations. The eliminated positions were all paid from the state’s general fund.

The Arts Alliance, a coalition of arts organizations, warned Gov. Lingle in a Aug. 27 letter that the planned staff cuts will actually cost the state money and that thousands of schoolchildren, participants in community cultural programs and island artists will be affected if the ten employees are laid off.

Arts advocates said the reduced work force will jeopardize the state's ability to bring in funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and other federal agencies, as well as private grants. More than $1 million in federal aid and arts grants came to Hawaii last year. More than $7 million has been generated over the past five years for Arts First education programs, according to the alliance.

"The proposed cuts will virtually gut the agency and will decimate the arts community," wrote Marilyn Cristofori, chief executive officer of the alliance of nonprofit groups.

Last year 2,357 people who created, performed or taught in arts projects were paid $1,082,638 by the Culture and Arts Foundation, the alliance said.

Peter Rosegg, a member of the foundation's board of directors, said the nine-member commission of community representatives is monitoring the situation and doesn't want to increase the panic. "We hope to continue grants programs, education programs in schools. Our programs contribute an essential arts aspect to the education of our children," he said.