Storrs — Supporters of the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art encouraged the University of Connecticut's Board of Trustees on Thursday to reopen the Avery Point gallery and reinstate a full-time, professional curator-director's position.

The group, spearheaded by state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, and UConn professor emeritus David Madacsi, spoke at length at the Board of Trustees meeting about the value of the gallery to students and the community.

Osten said the von Schlippe "is an asset for eastern Connecticut, and I'm dismayed the gallery has been closed."

The gallery was co-founded in 1992 by Madasci and Julia Pavone. But UConn, faced with enormous budget cuts from the state, decided earlier this year to eliminate the curator-director's position at the von Schlippe, which would save about $100,000 in salary and benefits.

The gallery hosted its final exhibition in late July and has been closed since. Pavone's job as curator-director ended shortly thereafter.

Before that, though, many of the same pro-von Schlippe people who attended Thursday's session met in June with UConn officials to argue in favor of the gallery. In response, university officials proposed a compromise of hiring a graduate student, in a part-time position for $36,000, to run the gallery, along with other responsibilities.

The von Schlippe supporters, though, weren't satisfied and so approached the Board of Trustees. They spoke during the public portion of Thursday's meeting, and there wasn't a vote, since the item wasn't on the agenda.

Osten asked that a subcommittee be created on the matter or that it be put on a future agenda. Board Chairman Lawrence D. McHugh, though, urged Sally M. Reis, who is vice provost for academic affairs, to continue discussions to see if the grad student proposal could be worked out.

Both proposals — for the reinstatement of a professional curator-director and for a part-time grad student — included the idea that the position would be funded by UConn for up to five years, allowing supporters time to raise money to turn the gallery into a self-supporting nonprofit.

When UConn officials decided to close the gallery, they also decided to create an "Arts Space" at Avery Point focusing on students' arts programming, according to Reis. That will involve a variety of elements, including reinstating studio art classes, rebuilding the sculpture walk and establishing a campus choir.

The grad student position would deal with that "Arts Space" and some of the former gallery functions.

The gallery, though, wouldn't have been run in the same way as it had before, Reis said. The focus would be on student art and arts enrichment. The gallery space would be used for classes and seminars.

"Those who raised the original concerns did not express satisfaction with our proposal, so indeed the gallery was closed," Reis said.

On Thursday, Osten said she is requesting $70,000 for the curator-director position in lieu of the $36,000 already earmarked for the part-time grad student.

All told, she said, "I'm asking for a pittance."

The von Schlippe group spoke in favor of the gallery, coming from various angles. They detailed the gallery's diversity and how it worked with the Latin Network for the Visual Arts. They mentioned how it seems the arts are always the first to go when budgets are cut.

Councilors from Groton and New London made their voices heard in backing the von Schlippe, as did City of Groton Mayor Marian Galbraith.

Diana Barcelo, who teaches art appreciation at UConn's Avery Point campus, discussed the educational value of the gallery to the site's students, in particular to her students, many of whom are marine science majors.

Artist Del-Bourree Bach, who co-owns the Courtyard Gallery in Mystic and has exhibited at the von Schlippe, said, "It is incumbent on institutions like the University of Connecticut to keep the flame of the arts alive." With the closing of the von Schlippe, he said, "The torch of enlightenment has been sadly diminished."

Artist Pam Gordinier, who also has exhibited at the von Schlippe, said that 1,000 signatures in support of the gallery were collected on MoveOn.org, and she read aloud several comments collected there. One alumnus and former Avery Point student body president wrote that he "cares about preserving the value of the Avery Point campus for current and future students. This act of shutting down the AvS Gallery is appalling and an embarrassment for UConn as well as a complete disservice to the years of dedication put into this gallery."

Gordinier noted that she was scheduled to have a 2017 exhibition at the von Schlippe dealing with domestic violence. She has been working on the project with Safe Futures, a New London-based organization that helps people who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault. Safe Futures, Gordinier said, saved 211 lives last year. The exhibition would have been a resource for students as well as the community.

"It is a missed moment. I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could save one life?" she said. "That exhibition could have been at Avery Point, and it will not be."

Madacsi noted that, over the course of two decades, the von Schlippe, "through its innovative and established arts and cultural programs, has continued to play a defining role in the cultural life of the campus and is widely recognized as a unique cultural resource for the community."

Reis said, "As a university, we wish we could do everything." But, she added, the university has seen state support slashed by $87 million since 2010. If the von Schlippe curator-director position hadn't been eliminated, other things would have had to go; a part-time program coordinator position might have been axed, or the academic services budget might have been cut.

She noted that the university's priority is teaching and learning. In addition, she said, recruiting and retaining students is particularly important at Avery Point, where the number of incoming freshmen has dropped from 274 in the fall of 2014 to 230 this fall.

k.dorsey@theday.com