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Galleries Squeeze On l ight BudgetsBY JEANNETTE WALLSContrary to recent rumors, none of the Atlantic Avenue%u2019s five artist-run galleries is in imminent danger of failing, though gallery directors confess budgets are tight and membership skimpy.All on one block, (between Hicks and Henry Streets) the galleries%u2014the Atlantic, Gallery 91, Henry Hicks, Sixth Estate and The Work of Art%u2014-are %u201c cooperative%u201d galleries: their existence depends on the elbow grease and pocketbooks of members, who are repaid in public exposure.To join, an artist submits his work to gallery members for a vote. If accepted, he pays an initiation fee, which goes toward gallery upkeep%u2014$75 to $250 on Atlantic Avenue. Thereafter, he pays monthly dues (of $25-$30), and pitches in on work (including %u201c sitting%u201d during his and other artists%u2019 shows).But the fees only cover the barest necessities, gallery directors say. And unexpected expenses can be disastrous. %u201c We%u2019ve always had the same problems, and probably always will,%u201d said Rich Samuelson, director of the Atlantic Gallery, 81 Atlantic Avenue. %u201c But this kind of institution isn%u2019t designed to be a money-making enterprise,%u201d and yet, said Samuelson, his gallery %u201c has never done better.%u201dThe gallery in greatest financial peril was the Sixth Estate, at 85 Atlantic Avenue. Last September, %u201c it looked like we were going to have to close,%u201d said director Linda Graves%u2014due to a drastic loss of members. %u201c People had just had enough of Brooklyn,%u201d Graves said in a somber tone, adding that many members reside in other boroughs and %u201c it%u2019s just not worth all the problems for them.%u201c After a while, all the work gets thrown on the shoulders of a single Brooklyn member,%u201d Graves said. The gallery is looking for new members, and things have been looking up, she said. %u201c If we can%u2019t get a new turnover, we probably won%u2019t be able to make it through the winter.%u201dFortunately, the situation isn%u2019t so bitter across the board. But directors face common difficulties.Working very closely at first, the galleries%u2014all but one started in the last five years%u2014set up similar schedules todraw each other%u2019s attendance. But with the squeeze, some artists have accused other galleries of %u201c stealing%u201d members.Selling the art work isn%u2019t the real problem, said Charles Crozier of Gallery 91, 91 Atlantic Avenue. But discouragement on the artists%u2019 part can be, said Graves. %u201c New members expect to make it big after their first show,%u201d she said. %u201c And if they don%u2019t, they think something%u2019s wrong with the gallery.%u201dThe %u201c co-op%u201d galleries also share a publicity dilemma. In fact, some publicity funds don%u2019t exist. %u201c We can%u2019t even afford postage%u201d confessed Linda Smith, codirector of The Work of Art, 87 Atlantic Avenue.%u201c A lot of these new artists have to depend entirely on the gallery%u2019s identity,%u201d pointed out Robert Ericson of Henry Hicks, 93 Atlantic Avenue, complaining that many news publications ignore the Atlantic co-ops.%u201c All the laws are against us,%u201d said Smith. She and Samuel Jungkurth converted their hom e/gallery into a cooperative last May for financial reasons.But, %u201c we were given bad information on the legalities of artist-run galleries,%u201d she said. %u201c Since we sell paintings, we were established as a profit organization. Something like a theater company doesn%u2019t have to pay taxes because it %u2018doesn%u2019t sell%u2019 merchandise. The irony is that most people visit the galleries without buying, said 'Sm ith, yet the co-ops are taxed as profit-makers. %u201c It should be recognized that we are an educational public service,%u201d she said.A dogged determination on the part of a few members of each gallery is their collective ace-in-the-hole. %u201c I%u2019ll pay the bills out of my own pocket, if it comes down to that,%u201d' declared Robert Ericson, who has been with Henry Hicks since its beginning and means for the galleries to stay. Though money is tight for Henry Hicks, it%u2019s not in real danger of closing, he added.%u201c W e%u2019ve put an important cultural institution here,%u201d Smith said. %u201c The public needs to realize what they have here: original art that%u2019s very accessible. It%u2019s their patronage that we need more than anything.InTheLimelightThisWeek:%u201c Hogan%u2019s Goat%u201dLocal theater is gong strong this week. The Cobble Hill Players are performing %u201c Hogan%u2019s Goat%u201d every Friday and SaturdayU ~ __M -------- 'YA -------1 - r\\ oV V I I n o * %u25a0 %u2022 W i l U l / V C . J , U l O p . l i l .Written by William Alfred and directed by John Burke, the play depicts Cobble Hill in the 1900%u2019s. Admission is $3 and theplace is St. Petcr%u2019s-St. Paul%u2019s School hall,209 Warren St.%u201c Of Mice and Men%u201d%u201c Of Mice and Men,%u201d based on the John Steinbeck's classic, will be presented by the Brooklyn College Theatre Department at the college%u2019s New Workshop Theatre. Dealing with a close friendship between two itinerant farm workers, the play will be presented Nov. 28, 29 and 30 and Dec. 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $2, $1 for students and senior citizens. For information, call 859-1180.Live Soap OperasSoap operas your dish? The Alonzo Players are proudly (and satirically) presenting what they call %u201c the world%u2019s first continuing, live soap opera. As an extra treat, there are...treats!%u2014and disco entertainment, music and more. It happens at the Professional Arts Center, 33 Flatbush Ave. (See the Phoenix%u2019s %u201c Up & Coming%u201d pages for dates and times of segments.)Heights%u2019 %u201c Elves%u201dFor the kids, The Heights Players are doing %u201cThe Shoemaker and the Elves,%u201d directed by Kevin Keneally and at the Heights Theater, 26 Willow Place. The show goes on on Dec. 2, 3, 9, 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. The tricks, definitely for kids, cost $1.50 a youngster, slightly more for adults (2).u R iim n o lctilfcl/m %u201d -%u2014 -----------jp - %u25a0 .% /%u00ab %u00ab i i a%u201c Rumpelstiltskin%u201d will be performed by the Penny Bridge Players at Brooklyn College Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. Admission is $2, and group rates are available. For information, call 941-8538 or 469-8451.Roosa Brings Music and Arts Back To ProgramsBY JEANNETTE WALLSAfter so much progress in the field of education, it seems ironic that schools had to back up and limit their classes to the so-called basics. New York%u2019s financial crunch of a few years ago prompting the Board of Education to pare art classes from elementary and intermediate programs is a case in point.Yet, %u201c there is a basic need for the arts,%u201d said James Abruzzo of the Roosa School of Music. %u201c Even when a pupil is not going into art as a career, he needs to be aware of what it means.%u201dConsequently, the Roosa School of Music is helping bring music into the lives of children, who, in some cases have no other access to music. %u201c I%u2019ve worked with children who didn%u2019t know what a violin was,%u201d said Abruzzo, the coordinator of the community outreach programs.So, in addition to offering an unusually active ensemble program consisting of a variety of chamber music classes and orchestral ensembles for starting and advanced students, Roosa is bringing music instruction to \children in its neighborhood.Since 1970, sometimes with auxiliary funding from the New York City Council on the Arts, and sometimes using money that it has raised with its own publicity drives, Roosa has offered music and dance classes with Public School Districts 13, 15 and 16, the Council of ItalianAmerican Organizations, Colony South Brooklyn Houses, numerous local day care centers and the Brooklyn Arts and Cultural Association.These programs provide weekly classes in violin, cello, pre-instrumental music, dance and recorder to more than 300 children. In addition to such free classes, some talented students are given scholarships to study privately at the Roosa School.Speaking in regard to Roosa%u2019s program, Assemblyman Michael Pesce said the program %u201c reaches children of families with low income. Working class parents who would never otherwise be exposed to ahy form of art. It is an invaluable, unique and pioneering program.%u201dLocated at 26 Willow Place, the Roosa School is a large building with a friendly atmosphere. Taking a serious approach to music, the faculty supports the School%u2019s philosophy and traditions. Many are longstanding members of the faculty, most of them have master%u2019s degrees from leading American and European universities and conservatories, and all are professional with many years of teaching experience.Since its founding in 1940, theRnOQD n f M u c in k n c V /C T h c dwith and for the musical life cf Brooklyn through its instructional programs and concerts, as well as its community outreach programs.November 23, 19/8, THE PHOENIX. Pane 17