<i> A look at noteworthy addresses in the Southland.</i>

On the Relevance of Art in Today’s Society

‘Our community is both riot-torn and financially strapped. . . . It is within this atmosphere that I ask a simple question: Is art relevant? Should we make art a priority when we are concerned about finding solutions to so many problems that are crippling our city?

I believe the answer is yes. I believe that art can help to heal this city, can help to nourish its citizens and can help us regain our pride and redefine ourselves and our community. I believe that exposure to art is an essential part of a balanced human existence. It is a mirror of ourselves and we must study its reflection.

. . . What if understanding painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, film and video was an integral part of our children’s education?”

On LACMA’s Role

“There is no question that (the museum has) had a difficult few months. We have been forced to review all expenditures under a microscope and to substantially alter our plans to fit into our financial realities, including opening the galleries on a rotating basis. I have had to make extremely difficult decisions, including making a number of layoffs. . . .

What do we need to do? In practical terms we need to ensure that we will have the funds to keep our doors open to the public, to provide relevant exhibitions and programs, to keep developing our permanent collection and to build our endowment to ensure our future stability.

At the same time, we also need to make our museum friendlier and more pertinent to our diverse population. Even though the bulk of our financial support comes from a fairly limited segment of our society, we know that our charter must encompass the full diversity of our populations. . . .

We are looking at realigning the permanent collections so that they project a more logical and harmonic view of the world. For example, the Asian collections--Japanese, Korean, Chinese--should be adjacent to each other so that visitors interested in Asian art can view our treasures in a context. . . .

We are trying to involve families from all neighborhoods in special programs. . . . On a citywide scale, we are trying to develop ways to coordinate with our sister institutions.”

Looking Ahead * Monday: L. William Seidman, former chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., will discuss “Full Faith and Credit: The Great S&L; Debacle and Other Washington Sagas,” at the Hotel Inter-Continental, noon. His remarks will be sponsored by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, (213) 628-2333.

Announcements concerning prominent speakers in Los Angeles should be sent to Speaking Up, c/o Times researcher Nona Yates, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053