THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608020062
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 181 lines
LATE LAST MONTH, several hundred of the region's artists and art lovers braved a thunderstorm to help celebrate the d'Art Center's 10th anniversary. The moment was reminiscent of a summer storm a decade ago that drenched the center as it opened its doors for the first time.
True to tradition, the downpour didn't keep guests away. Patrons clustered cozily in the skylit atrium that serves as a main gallery, chatting loudly to be heard over the band and the pounding rain. Professional types in suits mingled comfortably with resident artists in motley dress and jeans.
One d'Artist, Norfolk painter Steven Wolf, strode out of his studio, headed for the hors d'oeuvres. ``Ten years? Actually, it seems longer than that,'' said Wolf, en route. ``And I'm not one of the old-timers.''
From the late 1970s, artists and other visionaries had pictured just such a downtown Norfolk arts center. Now that it's been here a decade, most artists agree: It's hard to imagine a time when the d'Art Center at College Place and Boush Street did not exist, even if the public still seems largely unaware of the art mecca.
Wolf is among the 60 or so artists included in the d'Art Center's anniversary exhibit, ``Action Heroes and Not: From Classic to Pop Icons,'' which continues through Aug. 26.
During the reception, d'Artist Lynne Sward stood near her mixed media ``shrine'' to the Pope - a ``hero,'' certainly, to Catholics. ``I was worried I might be accosted by people about my work,'' she explained. ``But my whole deal is putting humor in art.
``Hey, you know what? Art needs a response.''
A decade ago, the d'Art Center was created out of need. In 1982, the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau needed a new attraction to spice up its mix, and to enhance downtown revitalization efforts. Also, area schools needed a place to take their students to see how real artists work.
Meanwhile, many of the region's artists needed an inexpensive place where they could make and sell their art. And there's only been one small rent hike in 10 years, said Susan Bernard, d'Art's executive director since it 1986. Today, a medium-sized studio can be leased for about $200 a month.
For some artists, the supportive communal atmosphere at the d'Art Center has been a bonus. Painter Ken Wright said he and painter Bob Holland, both long-time d'Artists, help each other by giving honest critiques of each other's work.
``We kind of feed off each other,'' observed mixed media artist Deborah T. Small, who moved in three years ago.
Since visitors are encouraged to enter the studios and interact with the artists, d'Artists have learned to talk as they work: As Small spoke in her upstairs studio, she sewed a valance for her counter.
``There are times you don't feel you're at your creative peak,'' she said. ``But when you're around other people who are working, you can feed off their energy. And when you are at your peak, other people draw from you.
``And everybody knows why they're here. It's not a hobby. No, not for the people here. These people are artists whose lifestyle is art.''
Once a loner, painter Ray Hershberger found a community of kindred spirits when he rented his downstairs studio in 1993. ``It has felt good to know people in the same situation, dealing with the same problems, and looking for the same solutions.''
From the start, the d'Art Center has not been every artist's choice. Not all artists are comfortable being so close to the public.
In 10 years, the d'Art Center has seen dozens of artists come and go. A few may have been disgruntled with the setup, but most had other reasons for leaving, from money troubles to kids.
``Lifelong friendships have been formed here,'' said painter Beverly Furman, who arrived months after the center opened.
Of the 30 artists who rented studios when the center opened, only Ken Wright remains. ``And I'm going to be here another 10 years,'' Wright said. ``I'm going to be here until they carry me out.''
With 39 d'Artists, the center is as fully occupied as it's ever been. In 1993, to boost the diminishing numbers, the center offered certain well-known local artists one month's free rent at d'Art. The lure worked: Hershberger and Small are among the artists who bit, and stayed on.
``I can really get more work done here,'' said Small. ``I can walk in, put on my apron and just start working.''
Sales have not been strong, she said. ``I don't sell a lot out of here. A lot of people have seen my work other places, and might come here to buy it. And, occasionally a walk-in will buy a smaller-priced item for maybe $150.''
While most of the d'Artists said they sell enough to at least cover their rent, ``being at the d'Art Center is not a cure-all,'' cautioned Holland, who has rented a studio since 1987. ``This is a tough way to make a living. You still have to do outdoor art shows, and submit your work to juried shows.''
He keeps regular hours at d'Art, and has leased a highly visible studio near the entrance facing College Place. As a result, he said, ``I'm the direction-giver, the receptionist for every visitor and every street person. I tell everybody where The Dumbwaiter (restaurant) moved, and where the Virginia Symphony now has their offices.''
It can be distracting, he said, ``but it's still so much better than being at home.''
The center regularly hears from people looking for artists to create special pieces as gifts or awards. That's how Furman began making the handmade paper masks for PortFolio magazine's theater prizes, and how Holland was commissioned to make a painting of a ship that now hangs in the White House.
``I always send clients there,'' said Shirley Confino, a Norfolk interior designer and an art fan. ``I think the d'Art Center is a wonderful melting pot of talent. It's had hard times and good times, but it's always the first place I look.''
Pat Kelly, Norfolk's manager of visitor marketing, said the d'Art Center is featured in all of the city's tourism materials. ``It's a prominent attraction for us in town. In any way we can, we promote it.''
Bernard said she does not know whether d'Art sees more local or out-of-town visitors. Since the center does not keep accurate attendance records, she must rely on her best estimate - 25,000 visitors for 1995-1996, counting people taking classes, attending special events and exhibits and the center's studios.
The way Bernard sees it, ``everything we do promotes the center. Every time someone comes in the door, we make sure that person has a positive experience, so that he or she will become an ambassador for the center.''
While sales and visitation could be better, the private, nonprofit center - run by a 32-member volunteer board led by Norfolk attorney Rob McFarland - boasts a balanced budget. And that budget has grown - from the 1986 budget of about $100,000 to the 1995-96 budget of $160,000.
For the last fiscal year, the two greatest sources for funds were studio rent - which made up 37 percent of the budget, or $59,200 - and proceeds from an annual art auction, which provided 16 percent, or $25,600. The remaining sources were art classes taught at the center (14 percent, or $22,400), public and private grants (12 percent, or $19,200), other fund-raising projects (8 percent, or $12,800) and gallery sales (13 percent, or $20,800).
Yearly budgets have ended in the black, but one debt remains: The d'Art Center owes $435,474 to Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority for the facility renovations a decade ago. In 10 years, the d'Art Center managed to reduce the original $540,000 debt by more than $100,000, honoring the lease's guidelines.
In 1998, the current lease with NRHA concludes, said Steve Cooper, NRHA assistant executive director for development. A new lease is being negotiated that will probably require the center to repay the debt by 2008, he said.
Meanwhile, the center also has made lease payments to NRHA of about $25,000 per year.
``They have done an excellent job of operating the d'Art Center, especially given the environment they've been operating in,'' said Cooper, referring to the downtown decline. ``It's been a nice cultural amenity, and it's going to get a boost.''
In the fall, Tidewater Community College will open its Norfolk campus; by January, 2,000 students will be there. When MacArthur Center opens in two years, downtown is expected to be even more bustling.
``In essence, we're painting a new neighborhood,'' said Peter Mark Shaw, TCC's director of continuing education and a d'Art Center board member.
``I can easily see a lot of joint ventures between TCC and d'Art,'' said Shaw, at the anniversary party. ``With TCC serving as an educational and an economic development magnet, the d'Art Center is well positioned for greater exposure.
``More people will be coming downtown.''
Such ideas might set an artist to dreaming. ``It's going to be fabulous for the whole downtown area,'' said Holland. ``It'll pump new life, new vigor into a decaying downtown. Miraculously, it's happening. From that, you'll get peripherals - bookstores, art shops, restaurants.
``It can't do anything but stimulate enthusiasm for the d'Art Center. We're part of the action of what's happening downtown,'' he said.
``It'll never be the way it was. In a lot of ways, it's going to be better.'' ILLUSTRATION: VICKI CRONIS color photos/The Virginian-Pilot
Cynthia Jones, a ``d'Artist,'' works on an abstract piece she is
doing in acrylic paint. ``When the brush doesn't work,'' she says,
``I go to the hands.'' She has rented a studio space at the d'Art
Center for several years.
Susan Bernard has been the d'Art Center's executive director since
its opening in 1986.
Graphic
WANT TO GO?
What: D'Art Center, featuring galleries and studios for 39
artists
Where: 125 College Place, Norfolk
When: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5
p.m. Sunday
How much: free
Call: 625-4211
Special exhibit: The anniversary theme show, ``Action Heroes and
Not: From Classic to Pop Icons,'' continues through Aug. 26.
Readings: Sundays in August, free poetry and prose readings at 2
p.m. Today, ``The Lunar Project'' by D.D. Delaney.
KEYWORDS: ART STUDIOS COOPERATIVE ANNIVERSARY by CNB