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For a while, it looked as if the 1990s could be the decade in which Queens culture started to sprint. But last year, culture stumbled over budget cuts. It didn't fall on its face, but it's limping pretty badly. No one is sure just how serious the injury is, but the '90s promise to be leaner times.
From Jamaica to Jackson Heights, artists and art administrators are losing their jobs and finding that doors traditionally open to them are closed. Not only are artists losing funding but groups that have traditionally hired them - schools, senior citizen groups, community service and other "presenting" organizations - also have lost funding and are unable to pay what small amount they did for art in their lives.
"I think the fiscal picture is causing shudders everywhere," said Aida Gonzalez, assistant for cultural affairs to Borough President Claire Shulman. Patricia A. Johnson, director of the Jamaica Arts Center, was more severe in her assessment: `We've been devastated," she said.
The recession is wiping out not only current programs but also, in some cases, hope for...