At Harvard, a mere 42 students — “less than 1 percent of Harvard’s 6,640 undergraduates” — major in classics. “Then there’s Sanskrit and Indian studies, which has three students, and astronomy and astrophysics, with five starry-eyed souls. Although most students may deem the undersubscribed subjects impractical, the bastion of liberal arts education has in recent years begun promoting learning for learning’s sake as a worthy and enriching pursuit.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
In Louisiana Gov’s Budget, Arts Suffer The Harshest Cuts
Under Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed budget, the “Louisiana Decentralized Arts Fund, a competitive program that makes small grants ranging from $500 to $10,000 to arts and cultural projects in every parish of the state … would be whacked a whopping 83% — effectively putting the program out of business. The arts, not health and education, are taking the largest cuts by a factor of 10.”
Salander Arrested, Charged With Stealing $88 Million
“A noted Upper East Side art dealer has been indicted on charges he stole $88 million from investors and collectors who consigned artwork to him and said they were cheated out of the sale proceeds or never saw the pieces again, according to a person briefed on the case. The dealer, Lawrence B. Salander, and his business, the Salander-O’Reilly Galleries, were charged by a grand jury with 100 counts including grand larceny, falsifying business records, scheming to defraud, forgery and perjury….”
Guthrie’s Next Budget Will Show $4 Million In Cuts
“The Guthrie Theater will cut its next fiscal-year budget by 14 percent, from $28 million to $24.1 million.” Director Joe Dowling, whose 2007 compensation totaled $682,229, “said he would reduce his salary by 10 percent and that four senior managers will take 5 percent cuts. Actors Equity and the Stagehands union have both agreed in principle to wage freezes (awaiting ratification).”
Milwaukee Performing Arts Fund Sets Goal At ’90s Level
“The United Performing Arts Fund will announce Thursday that it is resetting its fund-raising goal back to late 1990 levels. … UPAF provides core operating funds to 16 area performing arts groups and also provides small grants to additional arts groups.”
Gardaà Question Painter Of Naked Taoiseach Portraits
“A secondary school teacher has been interviewed in connection with the hanging of two paintings of Taoiseach Brian Cowen in two art galleries in Dublin. The 34-year-old man was questioned by detectives at Pearse Street Garda Station for two hours yesterday afternoon. He was released without the charge and a file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.”
Irish PM’s Office, Police Lean On Media Over Nude Portraits
“Fresh life was breathed into the controversy over nude paintings of the Taoiseach which were found hanging in two Dublin art galleries after it emerged that a Garda detective had visited the offices of a national radio station looking for emails it had received from the artist. The news came after RTÉ apologised for a television news report concerning the nude portraits of Mr Cowen.”
CBC’s Big Budget Cuts Will Mean Less News, Drama, Music
“The CBC told employees Wednesday it will cut about 800 jobs in an effort to save $171-million amid a flagging economy that has seen advertising revenues plummet. The cuts needed to balance the public broadcaster’s budget for 2009-10 are expected to hit CBC Television hardest, but both television and radio audiences will notice a reduction in news content as well as programming of current affairs, drama, music and special events. Repeats will become more frequent to fill the void.”
Number Of Braille Readers Is Small, Education Spotty
“Fewer than 10 percent of the 1.3 million legally blind people in the United States read Braille, and just 10 percent of blind children are learning it, according to a report released Thursday by the National Federation of the Blind, which is based in Baltimore. … Today, Braille is considered by many to be too difficult, too outdated, a last resort. Instead, teachers ask students to rely on audio texts, voice-recognition software or other technology.”
One Turner Juror’s Alternative Shortlist
“As the 2009 Turner jury – on which I’m serving – gears up for the shortlisting meeting in just under a month, it’s time to put away childish things. … Still, it is a shame that some artists can’t be included, or anyway are unlikely to be, just because they don’t exist within the framework of art as we know it. So here is my alternative Turner shortlist of things that are sort of Turner-worthy without being eligible …”