Renaissance Square is a serious dilemma for the arts community, or at least for me, as a member of that community. There aren't many art galleries in Rochester any more. Support for the arts, and for artists, is dwindling. There is not a lot of appreciation for artists' contributions to the wider community. Even Garth Fagan, who shines a bright light on Rochester when his troupe performs all over the country, can't find a suitable home in Rochester, despite years of discussion.

It would be wonderful to have an arts center in the heart of Rochester, right on Main Street, prominent and glowing, making us all proud, showcasing the talent that resides here. That would be wonderful - so why is there so little, perhaps no, support for it? Why after years of fundraising are there no financial contributions? Why has the project stalled? Why does it look like the lack of support by the arts community is holding back downtown development?

Perhaps it's because, if I can presume to speak for the arts community, we don't like the project. Why is the one big theater dedicated to traveling shows, not Rochester theater? And how was the Rochester Broadway Theater League chosen to be the benefactor of the Renaissance Square funding? Was there a public forum that carefully chose the RBTL as the most deserving arts group in Rochester? 

I think the answer is that the arts center was added onto a badly conceived urban renewal project only to attract public support, like a bit of perfume on a foul-smelling mess. Why is county government, and not city government, in charge of this project? What credentials does our county executive have to plan a huge infrastructure project that will reshape Rochester?

Perhaps the lack of support for the county executive's plans can be attributed in part to her handling of art at the airport.

Fifteen years ago, the Monroe County Legislature refused to approve funds for several art projects that had been selected in a very public process for the Rochester International Airport as part of the expansion. Funding was initially budgeted to be one percent of the construction cost, but that was reduced to half of one percent before the project was announced. Even that small amount was a huge infusion of support, and provided encouragement for a group that often survives on castoffs and curb shopping on trash day.

Artists across the community submitted proposals, and in a very thorough screening process, a committee that consisted of architects, airport administrators, county officials, museum professionals, community leaders, and even artists, reviewed proposals, interviewed the artists, and made selections for specific areas at the airport.

There would be seven projects in all. Bill Stewart's sculpture, "The Council"; Wendell Castle's clock, "Lunar Eclipse," and Peter McGrain's stained glass window, "The Monument," were first-round projects that were approved.

Second-round projects were planned for additional spaces, and the screening process was repeated. When those projects were chosen and contracts were submitted to the Monroe County Legislature, there was a glitch.

Conservative Party Chair Tom Cook objected to funding "unnecessary" artwork with public funds and refused to endorse any candidate for the legislature who voted to approve the second-round contracts. Because Conservative Party endorsements are crucial to success in a county that is almost perfectly split between Republican and Democratic parties, the contracts were not approved. There was a huge outcry, with scorn heaped on the legislators of both parties and on Mr. Cook, who had never gotten so much public attention.

A coalition of arts supporters, heroes in the arts community to this day, dedicated themselves to raising the $180,000 needed for the projects, and 18 months later the artists were awarded contracts and their projects were installed. (I remember these events vividly because I am one of those second-round artists.)

For the past decade, our airport was home to seven wonderful public-art projects. Each of them contributed significantly to the ambiance of the airport, diluting the blaring commercial advertising and serving to welcome visitors to Rochester, a community that seemed to support its arts community.

Last year, three of those Airport Art Projects were packed up and put into storage. Wendell Castle's big clock that marked the center of the terminal is gone. Nancy Jurs' "Triad," selected specifically for the rotunda, was taken apart and replaced by a business center.

And Ruth Manning's hand-woven tapestry, the result of weeks and weeks of tedious work, is gone. What does that say about the county administration's support for the arts in the community? What image does that convey?

For the past several years we have been engaged in a discussion about plans for a row of mostly rundown buildings in the heart of downtown, and the use of public funds that are available for transportation projects. 

Considering the history of support for the arts at the county level, is it surprising that the community is holding back? Perhaps "we" know that the arts center is just a ploy in a political gambit that would result in the county executive's portrait at the entrance to a downtown version of the fast ferry that we will be paying off for generations.

RICHARD MARGOLIS, ROCHESTER

(Margolis is a photographer who recently launched the web site www.RochesterPublicArt.com)