“Giving by U.S. foundations rose by 11.7 percent, to an estimated $40.7 billion, in 2006, and is expected to show double-digit growth again this year.”
Author: sbergman
Just Because New Jersey Doesn’t Have A Chariot…
“A mountain village in Umbria is caught up in a tug of war with the Metropolitan Museum of Art over the 2,600-year-old Etruscan chariot that is a highlight of the museum’s new Greek and Roman galleries… The residents of Monteleone, population 680, say the chariot was illegally sold and should never have left the country.” Now, a New Jersey mayor, of all people, has joined the struggle and is pressuring the Met to give back the chariot.
A Carnival Of Errors
The head of Miami’s struggling Carnival Center for the Arts has floated the idea of a temporary shutdown as a short-term solution for the venue’s cash crunch. But would such a stopgap obscure the deeper problems facing the center? “Everyone knew costs would skyrocket and private funding wouldn’t cover losses. The aim was to get it built, then let taxpayers fund losses forever… The structure isn’t working, the management isn’t working. No sense pointing fingers. We need solutions, fast.”
Vienna State Opera In A Political Uproar
Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer is facing harsh criticism over his reportedly deep involvement in the Vienna State Opera’s search for a new general director. “The chancellor is good friends with American star tenor Neil Shicoff, and Shicoff himself has indirectly expressed interest in the job. But Gusi’s open support for the American quickly led to accusations of cronyism” and suggestions that Shicoff is unqualified for the job.
Lloyd Webber: Hattogate Is A Crime, Not A Love Story
Julian Lloyd Webber says that the Joyce Hatto recording scandal isn’t the semi-sweet melodrama that some are making it out to be. “There are those who are saying Hattogate is a human tragedy: an attempt by a loving husband to console his dying wife. Rubbish. Lots of people (my mother included) suffer terminal illness without pilfering other people’s hard work. Hatto and Barrington-Coupe were thoroughly dishonest, and Barrington-Coupe should be forced to face the music his wife lacked the talent to make.”
Funding Comes Through For Wilson Center
With several area banks having committed to funding a credit line, construction will begin shortly on Pittsburgh’s new $36 million August Wilson Center for African American Culture. The center is projected to open in late 2008 in the heart of the city’s downtown Cultural District.
Is Met Soprano Being Blackballed?
Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson has been a regular at the Metropolitan Opera for years, and this week, she’ll be on the famous stage in a production of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare.” But all of a sudden, the Met “appears no longer to want her services after nearly two decades of regular performances.” New Met chief Peter Gelb insists that Swenson isn’t being shut out, but acknowledges that he’s not a big fan.
Not The Ones That They Wanted
When the producers of the new Broadway revival of Grease decided to drum up interest in the production by launching a televised competition to allow America to select the leading performers, they probably expected that the TV show might tank with a broad public that has little interest in Broadway. But what they may not have expected was the backlash from what few viewers the show did have once the winners were announced. Despite strong box office sales, Ticketmaster was swamped with calls from unhappy viewers wanting their money back when their personal faves didn’t land the leading roles.
Griffin Announces Finalists
The shortlist is out for Canada’s Griffin Poetry Prize, which offers $100,000 and plenty of publicity to the winners. Three Canadians will vie for the $50,000 domestic prize, while three Americans and a Briton vie for the international award.
AGO Gets Uncommon Gift
“An unusual group donation by 20 Italian-Canadian families will pump $10-million into the Art Gallery of Ontario’s ambitious expansion and renovation program… The $10-million, which the AGO has been touting as “a milestone gift,” means the gallery has now raised 87 per cent of the $207-million it budgeted for its Transformation AGO capital campaign. Overall cost of the expansion, to be completed by mid-2008, is $254-million, which includes a $50-million endowment already raised.”