Search Down to Six for Cultural Affairs Chief

The eight-month search for a new general manager for Los Angeles’ Cultural Affairs Department was narrowed to a field of six finalists Wednesday, including the department’s acting general manager and the head of San Francisco’s Cultural Affairs Department.

Officials are expected to choose the new manager in coming weeks. The administrator will replace former General Manager Fred Croton, who resigned last November after disclosures that he had lied on his resume.

The general manager serves as an advocate for the arts within the city’s bureaucracy, working under the mayor, the City Council and two appointed bodies, the Cultural Affairs and Cultural Heritage commissions. The Cultural Affairs Commission has final approval for design of all structures on city-owned land, while the Cultural Heritage Commission rules which structures may be protected as historic-cultural landmarks.

The finalists, culled from a field of 50 applicants, were selected after extensive screening.

The finalists are:

- Rodney L. Punt, who has served as acting general manager of the city’s department since Croton’s resignation. Punt, holder of a master’s degree in art administration from USC, has been with the city department since 1977.

- Claire N. Isaacs, director of cultural affairs for San Francisco since 1983. Isaacs, holder of a master’s in art history from Claremont Graduate School, previously had been with the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department as director of the Junior Arts Center.

- Adolfo V. (Al) Nodal, concurrently executive director of the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans and vice president of the MacArthur Park Foundation in Los Angeles. Nodal, who has a master’s degree in art from San Francisco State, founded a much-praised public arts program for MacArthur Park while serving as gallery director of the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design.

- Gerald E. Allen, who has overseen cultural affairs programs for Dallas since 1983. Allen, holder of a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Puget Sound, previously held a similar position in Kings County, Wash.

- Michael E. Alexander, who has been performing arts director for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department since February. Alexander, who owned an artist management company from 1985 through 1988, was previously affiliated with the Los Angeles Theatre Center, the Aman Folk Ensemble and the San Francisco Ballet.

- Elsa S. Cameron, who has been director of the Bureau of Exhibitions and Cultural Education for San Francisco International Airport since 1980. Cameron, who holds a master’s degree in art and art history from San Francisco State, was previously affiliated with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.