Fullerton Cancels Festival, Curbs 3 Arts Programs

Three arts organizations will lose about $6,000 in city support and an annual fall arts festival will be canceled because of expected budget cuts that were approved Tuesday by the Fullerton City Council.

The Fullerton Museum Center lost $2,130. The Muckenthaler Cultural Center lost $2,000. The Fullerton Friends of Music lost $1,810. The annual Lively Arts Festival was eliminated altogether, saving the city $5,450. The arts reductions were among a total $90,000 in cuts in community services.

For 34 years, the Fullerton Friends group has been offering free chamber-music concerts by regionally and nationally known artists. The organization has an annual budget of about $12,000, raised from memberships and corporate and municipal contributions.

Founding music director Beulah Strickler said Tuesday that the new five-program season, which begins Oct. 25, is not in jeopardy.

“But we don’t know about the future,” she said. “We will continue as long as we can. I will not cut the quality of the artists, but if I have to cut back to four concerts, I will do it rather than (cancel) the whole thing.”

Most of the money goes to paying the artists, Strickler said.

The Muckenthaler, which will still receive about $290,000 from the city toward its total $366,000 budget, will scale back its exhibition adjunct activities as a result of the cut, according to director Judy Peterson.

“That will be the main impact,” Peterson said Tuesday. “What we’re trying to save for sure is our children’s Art Smart program for elementary schools. Any deeper cuts and we would have to look at (cutting into) that.”

Museum Center director Joe Felz was out of town Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.