Airport Arts Budget of $125,000 Recommended by Advisory Panel : Exhibits: The amount is one-half that envisioned by a task force that designed the program, but key aspects would be kept.

An advisory commission for an arts program at the new John Wayne Airport terminal in Irvine has recommended a program budget of $125,000 for fiscal 1990-91. The spending plan will be reviewed by airport staff and then submitted to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Funding would come from the airport “enterprise fund,” generated through fees charged airlines and other airport users.

The recommended amount is half that suggested by a task force that helped design the arts program, which was approved in concept by the supervisors in January. The supervisors are expected to act on the budget this summer.

The new proposal includes funds for four rotating exhibits and a curator for each exhibit, key components of the program as envisioned by the task force. But it also reflects a commission decision to employ an airport staff member part time as director of the program, rather than a full-time arts administrator with five years’ experience, as the task force recommended.

“Art expertise (for the program) will be coming from the commission and consultants or curators,” so a full-time administrator won’t be required, said Courtney Wiercioch, an airport staff analyst.

Also trimmed from the task force recommendations was funding for public relations, work that Wiercioch said the airport staff will assume.

Further costs were cut as “the commissioners realized that they would rather have small-scale exhibits of high quality than some incredibly complex and (logistically) difficult exhibit,” Wiercioch said. “This is a fledgling program, and the commissioners want to start out small.”

Wiercioch said the five-member commission hasn’t yet decided whether the program should involve acquisition of permanent artworks.

Supervisors in January approved $40,000 to be used for an inaugural exhibit featuring Orange County artists during dedication ceremonies at the new passenger terminal Sept. 7 and 8.