“New York City will expand loan opportunities and find ways to help the city’s 40,000 nonprofit organizations reduce costs and find new donors in the midst of the economic downturn, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The program will focus on nonprofits that conduct job training, provide health services and promote the city’s arts and culture, all of which have experienced cash-flow problems and declines in operating support….”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
425-Year-Old Cambridge Press Sees Digital Writing On Wall
“College dons have become embroiled in a bitter row over plans to axe more than 150 jobs at Cambridge University Press – the oldest continually operating book publisher in the world. … Management argues that the move has been forced on them as the industry changes from lithographic to digital production. But critics claim the redundancies will be the beginning of the end for a world-renowned operation….”
Protesting Gentrification, Group Defaces Banksy Mural
“A mural by urban artist Banksy in Bristol has been daubed with red paint. A group called Appropriate Media said it painted over the picture, entitled The Mild Mild West, as a protest over the Stokes Croft area being gentrified. … In a statement on its website, Appropriate Media said: ‘Graffiti artists are the performing spray-can monkeys for gentrification.'”
Chronicling L.A.’s Built Environment — At Long Last
In Los Angeles, “a city long derided for haphazard planning, a lack of appreciation for its own history and occasional dead-of-night demolitions,” a comprehensive survey of structures, now in the pilot phase, “aims to understand what remains on the ground, what has been lost and what might be worth saving from the wrecking ball.”
‘Schindler’s List’ Found In Author Keneally’s Papers
“A list of Jews saved by Oskar Schindler that inspired the novel and Oscar-winning film ‘Schindler’s List’ has been found in a Sydney library, its co-curator said. Workers at the New South Wales State Library found the list, containing the names of 801 Jews saved from the Holocaust by the businessman, as they sifted through boxes of Australian author Thomas Keneally’s manuscript material.”
Extent Of Quake’s Toll On Art, Architecture Uncertain
“The earthquake in Abruzzo did not spare the region’s artistic patrimony, though government officials said Monday that it was too soon to determine the extent of the damage to historical buildings or works of art. In L’Aquila, the regional capital, the earthquake caused ‘significant damage to monuments,’ said Giuseppe Proietti, secretary general of the Italian Culture Ministry.”
Did Neil LaBute Just Strike A Blow For Women?
Neil LaBute’s Broadway play includes a ferocious and deeply insulting monologue delivered by a woman to the ex-boyfriend who’s wounded her. “A male audience member must have found something a bit too personal in the verbal assault because he stood, called her a bitch twice, said a few other things that cannot be printed, and stormed out of the theater.”
No Principal, Plenty Of Tension Over L.A.’s New Arts School
“A tug of war erupted last week over L.A.’s new downtown arts high school, with some of its biggest supporters declaring that they had given up on the Los Angeles Unified School District and wanted the $242-million campus turned over to a charter school organization. In response to the critics, who included philanthropist Eli Broad, Supt. Ramon C. Cortines shot back: ‘There is not a for-sale sign on it.'”
Now Online, A Dedicated Place For Art Videos
“For old television shows, there’s Hulu. For college lectures, there’s iTunes U. And now, for videos about art, there’s ArtBabble, a Web site created by the Indianapolis Museum of Art that offers videos from sources including the Museum of Modern Art and the PBS series ‘Art:21.'”
Roof Leaks On Artifacts At Field Museum
“Field Museum officials rushed to work before dawn Friday to frantically remove nearly 200 historical artifacts from a storage room, where a leaking roof had caused many of the objects to get wet, said Lance Grande, a senior vice president of the museum who oversees collections and research.” Masks, textiles and baskets were among the objects.