Hard times forces Sushi to dump executive director
Neck deep in red ink, the edgy Downtown arts group Sushi has announced that it will let interim executive director Lynn Schuette go. Her last day will be Feb. 28.
“It was a financial decision,” Sushi board member Indra Gardiner told CityBeat Tuesday. “We’re struggling to keep the place going.” Gardiner said the move is part of an attempt to crawl out of a hole that, by the end the fiscal year on June 30, would amount to $60,000 if nothing were done to save money.
“We are taking steps to both increase revenue and decrease costs,” she said, adding that Schuette’s departure “is as amicable as it can be. It’s not ideal.”
Schuette, a visual artist in her own right, founded Sushi in 1980 and remained at the helm for 15 years before stepping down. She was asked by the board to take over again last year and program the 2008-09 season, the first in the group’s new home at 11th Avenue and J Streets. It had been homeless for four years. Schuette had been brought back on a temporary basis, but it wasn’t supposed to be this temporary.
In a written statement, Sushi said it hopes to soon begin a search for a permanent executive director, using a Parker Foundation grant that Gardiner said is worth $28,000. Presumably, that would be augmented with operating funds.
An upcoming set of performaces of Teresa Gunn’s Juanita Goes to Rehab (Feb. 26-March 1) made the City Week page in the current issue of CityBeat.
This is terrible news but knowing how much time Lynn put into putting Sushi back together, programming a stellar season and tending to details that many wouldn’t think to consider, all for astoundingly little compensation, I don’t expect Lynn will mind having some of her life back. We’ll miss you at the helm Lynn and god help SUSHI. I hope the board can figure out how to keep the damn thing afloat.