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Donna Blanchard, managing director of Kumu Kahua Theatre, is stepping in as consulting director for another downtown nonprofit, The Arts at Marks Garage, starting Tuesday. The move is part of an administrative reorganization announced Thursday.
After 16 years on the staff, The Arts at Marks Garage Executive Director Rich Richardson will join the board of directors. Executive director duties will be redistributed among several positions, according to a news release, with other changes in store.
Board President Noelle Kahanu said in the release that the reorganization was intended to stabilize the community arts center’s financial outlook. She was not immediately available to comment.
More than 45,000 people annually attend exhibitions, performances and other programs at The Arts at Marks Garage, which has played a role in revitalizing the neighborhood.
Blanchard, who was recruited by Kumu Kahua in 2012 when the theater group was on the brink of closing, has extensive experience restructuring nonprofit arts organizations, including management of finances. She will continue on in her position at Kumu Kahua Theatre.
Blanchard declined to say how much debt The Arts at Marks Garage faces, other than it is a “significant amount” requiring all hands on deck. She said she was excited about potential collaborations between Marks Garage and Kumu Kahua.
“This is a labor of love for all of us,” she said. “The organization needs to get out of the hole and we’re going to work as smart as we possibly can to do it. It’s going to be a lot of fun for everyone who gets involved. We really need people to step up as volunteers as well as donors.”
Richardson co-founded the popular First Friday art events and the Chinatown Artists’ Lofts. In March, he oversaw the completion of renovations to the Nuuanu Avenue space.
The organization also forged new partnerships with Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i to sell books along the gallery’s back wall, and Improv Hawaii, a comedy hub founded by “Hawaii Five-0” actress Kimee Balmilero.
Richardson told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he will continue to help manage the lofts and curate exhibits and programs.
The Arts at Marks Garage receives support from the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Mayor’s Office on Culture and the Arts, the Cooke Foundation, Colliers International and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, among others.
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