Month: December 2003

Saturating The Market?

A long-planned project to build a museum focusing on African-American heritage in the nation’s capitol has been getting plenty of press lately. But some observers in Baltimore are concerned that the D.C.-based museum could steal the thunder of Baltimore’s own fledgling African-American history museum. (Baltimore is less than 60 miles from the District of Columbia.) Still, Baltimore museum officials say they aren’t worried, and that the two museums can coexist.

Over Budget, And Maybe Out Of Luck

A concert hall already under construction in suburban Washington, D.C., and intended as the second home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, is in danger of having the plug pulled on its funding if the local county council does not approve an additional expenditure for cost overruns on the project. The council is reportedly “galled by the request for more money, given that the council agreed to approve its $44.6 million share of the cost only after explicitly writing into the funding bill that the council would not pay a penny more.”

Finally, An Art Award For Kids

“Art collector Charles Saatchi has launched a £10,000 award which he says is aimed at encouraging more children to become interested in modern art. Schoolchildren will be invited to compete for The Saatchi Gallery Award by sending an essay or project about their visit to the London gallery. The winner will get £7,500 for their school’s art department plus a computer worth £2,500 to keep for themselves.”

UK Arts Biz, 03

So what kind of year was it for the arts in the UK? “The Arts Council itself can always be relied upon to provide a little black comedy. The esteemed organisation paid consultants over £70,000 to remove the words “the” and “of” from its name, so it was transformed from The Arts Council of England to the stunningly different Arts Council England. A triumph for branding professionals everywhere.”

Charlotte Repertory – Bumps On The Way To Greatness

In 2001, Charlotte Repertory Theatre’s board embarked on a five-year plan to become one of the best regional theatres in America. “Two years later, the Rep’s trustees have driven away two artistic directors, two managing directors, two literary managers, and the first full-time development director in the company’s 27-year history. In the wake of artistic director Michael Bush’s sudden resignation last month, there is no permanent artistic leadership at Charlotte Rep, and the company is further from realizing its ambition than it was”

Recordings In The UK: Prices Fall, Sales Rise

Unlike in the US, sales of recorded music have been growing in the UK. Why? Maybe it’s price cuts. “Average prices have continued to fall and reached a new low of £10.40 for the year ending in September, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said. It said prices of new albums had fallen by 7.6% since it began providing detailed records at the start of 2000.”

A Tale Of Two Clubs

In New York City, famous performance spots abound, and countless bars, clubs, and watering holes can lay claim to having “launched” the career of a superstar or two. But few clubs have the lineage of the Bottom Line, which was recently ordered to close after falling behind in its rent payments to New York University, and few have the social cache of CBGB, which has played host to the cutting edge of the American punk movement for three decades. There are lessons in the contrast between the current fortunes of these two clubs, and the hardest one may be that, all too often, it isn’t enough to be legendary, or even good at what you do. You’ve got to be lucky, too.