"The community rallied but within a week it died down," says Snyder. "No contributions were made. The artists did not come through with their offers to help."
To be fair, the crisis did inspire supporters to come forward. A new board was constituted under Duron, an attorney and art collector who's been an indefatigable volunteer. The doors reopened later that year, but even as new leaders worked to restore programming, the agency's foundation remained tenuous as long as it depended on charity.
"It was clear we were there as guests of the nuns," says Benitez, who resigned under pressure in 2005 and is now director of development for Shakespeare Festival/LA. "We knew that the institution was essentially fragile."
Some say this latest setback provides an opportunity for Self Help to finally get on solid ground. At a community meeting Thursday night, some 200 artists and supporters discussed the agency's options, including pressuring the Los Angeles archdiocese to help. Under consideration is the possibility of renting from the new owner, buying the building or moving, though most would prefer to stay.
"We're not going to fold, whether we stay there or move somewhere else," says Duron, who is stepping down as board president. He calls Self Help a "resurgent organization" with an active gallery program, a revitalized print-making operation and money in the bank.
"If nobody came through the door, we would hang it up," says Valarie De La Garza, a public relations consultant who also volunteered for the board after the 2005 closure. "But people keep on coming. There's clearly a place for what we do."
The hard part will not be in finding a new location. "The organization could live longer as long as it is in tune with the tone and feel of the times," says Leclerc. "To try to hold to a frozen past, the one thing that will guarantee is a slow death."
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agustin.gurza@latimes.com
