Arts Council Follies: Does Shirley Madigan Know What She’s Doing?
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More important than such stylistic gaffes, there is the troubling administrative flux that has plagued the state agency for some time, causing some observers to wonder about the council’s efficacy under Madigan’s iron grip. In June 1988, John Riley was named to the Arts Council post of executive director and then left in a flash after it was discovered he had falsified information on his resume. A more careful search for Riley’s successor led to the appointment two months later of Robin Tryloff, a former executive director of the Nebraska Arts Council. Tryloff lasted all of 18 months before quietly resigning last February to pursue other opportunities, according to the official statement.
But a source in the city’s Cultural Affairs department put the reason for Tryloff’s departure more bluntly: “She was dumped.” Several Arts Council members past and present claim they were surprised by Tryloff’s sudden resignation, and one source familiar with the situation suggests that Tryloff and Madigan may have locked horns. “Shirley doesn’t like anyone with half a brain,” said the source. After Tryloff’s departure, Rhoda Pierce, a longtime council staffer known to be close to Madigan, was named acting executive director, even though the council’s deputy executive director and four assistant deputy executive directors all outranked her in the organizational structure. Pierce says she is unaware of any plans the Arts Council’s search committee may have for finding Tryloff’s permanent successor. Search committee chairwoman Jane O’Connor could not be reached for comment. But other Arts Council members say any attempt to find a replacement probably will be delayed until after the gubernatorial election, perhaps as late as February. Does Pierce, perchance, harbor any interest in the post of executive director on a permanent basis? “We all have career aspirations,” she says, “but I have no interest in the post at this moment” (emphasis added). Spoken like a true politician.
