ART

Santa Monica Museum of Art officials Wednesday signed a lease for their Main Street building with Edgemar, developers of the multi-use complex that houses the museum. They also announced renovation and programming plans. Activities scheduled for the museum, slated to open formally in September, include exhibits by Alexis Smith and Lita Albuquerque and performances by Rachel Rosenthal and Sara Elgart. Formation of the museum has been surrounded by controversy. However, all but one of 15 misdemeanor charges against founder Abby Sher, filed for her alleged use of the museum before obtaining a final certificate of occupancy, have been dropped, said museum director Thomas Rhoads. Sher was fined $250 for the outstanding charge.