Georgia Music Hall of Fame director will step down
No decision has been made about the future of Georgia Music Hall of Fame, but its executive director, Lisa Love, has made a personal one.
Love, who has helmed the museum since 2006 but been involved in some capacity since 1996, will leave her position June 1.
“Obviously, a change has been imminent because of funding issues, but I remained on board because I’m committed to responsible change,” Love said. “My confidence in our authority board was such that I felt I could step down and start thinking about my own future. It was an agonizing decision, though. This has been my family and my home for 15 years.”
The establishment dedicated to celebrating Georgia’s musical heritage has been in a precarious state since the state decided last year that it would no longer subsidize about half of the hall’s annual operating costs, and will end its funding June 30. The hall of fame is not in Gov. Nathan Deal’s budget for fiscal year 2012.
Last week, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority board rejected four proposals made in January from Dunwoody, Woodstock and Athens -- all interested in hosting the hall -- and from Macon, where the museum is located. Board members left open the possibility that if they could identify private funding, they would consider keeping the museum open in its current spot for at least a year.
Halls of Fame Inc. in Macon, meanwhile, has pledged funding for the next three years and city and county officials in Macon have reportedly offered about $1.1 million over five years to keep the attraction stationary.
“It’s critical to note that the members did recognize valid ideas in all of the proposals and that there are stakeholders statewide who want to see Georgia music celebrated in their communities,” Love said.
Love presented a contingency plan that recommended the authority look closely at the organizational structure of the hall of fame operation and transfer a significant portion of its 30,000-piece collection to different libraries for off-site housing and preservation.
Known as a tireless and passionate ambassador of Georgia’s musical history, Love, 46, will continue to edit Georgia Music Magazine, a quarterly publication that focuses on the state’s musicians.
While she is unsure of any other immediate employment plans, she noted that she is “ripe for reinvention.”
And, she said, she will leave her longtime hall of fame post with no regrets, only gratification.
“I experience a sense of pride every time a visitor exits and says, ‘I had no idea all of these artists were from Georgia,’” Love said. “That’s when I know we did it. We fostered that appreciation, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to accomplish.”
About the Author
Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.
