GARDEN GROVE : Arts Discussion Scheduled Tuesday

A discussion on the importance of the arts in the city has been set for Tuesday in the Founders Room of the Community Meeting Center.

“There’s been a lot of discussion about the role of the arts in the image of the city, but we want to look at the economic role,” said Yaakov Dvir-Djerassi, general manager of the Garden Grove Symphony, who organized the discussion.

In recent years, the question of city support for the arts, especially the Grove Shakespeare Festival, has been controversial, and public funding has been reduced.

Panelists for the discussion will include Rick Stein, Laguna Playhouse executive producer and former Grove Shakespeare Festival managing director, and Judith Peterson, director of the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton; Dvir-Djerassi.

Also, Greg Devereux, Garden Grove’s housing director; Barry Zander, marketing director for Garden Grove Hospital, and a representative of the Garden Grove Shakespeare Festival. The moderator will be Dr. Frank Benest, city manager of Brea.

“We will use models of other cities like Brea, Laguna Beach, Fullerton and Ashland, Ore.,” home of the well-known Ashland Shakespeare Festival, “where an entire community lives on the arts,” Dvir-Djerassi said.

Business, government and arts leaders have been invited to the discussion at 7:30 p.m. at 11300 Stanford Ave.