On Tuesday, the University of Rhode Island informed Judith Tolnick Champa, who runs the URI Fine Arts Center Galleries, and Roxana Tourigny, who runs the school's "Great Performances" program, that they would be laid off, effective July 4, and that the galleries and performance program would close, according to the two women. The decision was attributed to the state's – and in turn the Kingston university's – budget crisis.
Tolnick is organizing a public meeting at the university’s main gallery at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, to brainstorm “about the galleries at URI and supporting the arts in general.”