THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 27, 1996 TAG: 9606270435
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 69 lines
Helen Snow, president of the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts since 1992, announced her resignation Wednesday to her staff and board.
After four years at the helm of one of the region's top nonprofit arts centers, Snow said in a news release that she is leaving ``to pursue career opportunities in the `for profit' sector.'' She did not give details. Her last day is Friday.
Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf was among the city's cultural supporters who were sorry to see her go.
``I'm very proud of the fact that she took on the challenge to make the arts center, and the arts here in Virginia Beach, something that can be recognized regionally, statewide and nationally,'' Oberndorf said.
Snow declined to comment Wednesday, but she said in the release that she was proud of her tenure.
``I accomplished what I set out to do here, and now it's time to move on to other challenges and fields of interest,'' Snow said in the release.
She added that she was ``leaving the center in a much stronger position than it was when I got here, and it is in the good hands of a very capable staff.''
Since 1992, the center's annual budget rose about 40 percent to $1.27 million for 1995-96, the release said. Local and state grants nearly quadrupled - from $70,000 in 1992 to $275,000 this year. Yet, administrative costs rose only 5 percent in that period.
Also in the release, arts center board Chairman Rod Rodriguez lauded Snow for her work, especially in outreach and marketing. ``She basically put the center on the map and raised its visibility regionally,'' he said.
Snow told Rodriguez of her plans earlier this month, according to the release. But the two decided to keep it a secret until after the Boardwalk International Arts Festival, held June 7 to 16 at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
The festival, built around the popular Boardwalk Art Show, came about through Snow's vision, Rodriguez said.
The festival fed into Snow's mission to broaden the center's audience.
When Snow moved to Virginia Beach in June 1992, she came with 14 years of experience as president of the United Arts Council of Greensboro, N.C. In that job, she raised $25 million for arts programming and facilities, and developed festivals and annual arts events.
Soon after Snow's arrival, Mayor Oberndorf said, she asked her to ``reach out to everyone at the beach. Please make it an arts center that belongs to everyone at the beach.''
Through diverse exhibits and programs, Snow achieved that, Oberndorf said. ``I've been at the center for African-American exhibits. I've been there when they had local professionals paired with artists, making portraits of each other.''
Andrew Fine of Virginia Beach, an area cultural leader for 30 years, said that ``under Helen's stewardship, the center really fulfilled its mission to the greatest degree that it has since it's been in existence. It really served the public interest and the arts community.''
Under Snow's direction, the exhibits have been ``exciting and relevant to our public,'' said Fine, a former chairman of the Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission.
Diane Murdock, who becomes chairwoman of the Beach commission on Monday, said Snow helped the city gain a better understanding of the significance of culture.
``With her activities and her involvement, she started people thinking, and knowing, and feeling how important the arts are to a community,'' Murdock said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Helen Snow, who has led the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts since
1992,
expanded the center's reach. by CNB