“Supporters of arts and culture rallied last night in a sweltering downtown Toronto theatre to denounce more than $40 million in recent cuts to programs by the Harper government and to strategize on ways to defeat Conservative members of Parliament in the impending election.”
Author: sbergman
Controversial Mohammed Novel Finds A Publisher
“A romantic novel about the prophet Muhammad that was canceled by Random House after critics said it could provoke Muslim anger has found an English-language publisher in Britain.”
Take Me Out To The Verdi
Washington National Opera has announced that it will air a live simulcast of its production of La Traviata on the state-of-the-art Jumbotron at Nationals Park. “Beer and hot dogs will be served. Admission is free.”
What About The Artist’s Wife?
If it’s true that behind every great man is a great woman, surely these women deserve some exposure. “The book is Hidden in the Shadow of the Master: The Model-Wives of Cézanne, Monet and Rodin, recently published by Yale University Press. In it [the author] tries to rescue from obscurity the women who she argues were so much a part of the triumphs of these visionaries.”
Is Italian Culture Being Starved To Death?
“Arts institutions across Italy are reeling from a sweeping round of budget cuts adopted this summer by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s four-month-old conservative government. More than $1.3 billion has been slashed from the culture ministry’s budget for the next three years.”
Indie Publishers To Get A Technological Helping Hand
“Hundreds of small, independent publishers will have easier access to digital book technology under a new service offered by Perseus Books Group… The new service, called Constellation, will allow independent publishers to make use of electronic readers, digital book search, print-on-demand and other digital formats.”
Another Vancouver Art Theft
“Five works of aboriginal art – three masks, a painted drum and a woven cedar basket – were taken from the museum at the Fort Langley National Historic Site between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.”
London Rolls Out Cultural Olympiad
“A William Shakespeare festival and 12 new public works of art will form part of a ‘Cultural Olympiad’ planned for the run-up to the 2012 London games. Set up to showcase Britain’s arts and culture, the four-year programme will comprise 500 events designed to involve and inspire people at home and abroad.”
$5m Gift To Formerly Struggling Orchestra
“The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has announced a commitment for a $5 million anonymous gift. The gift is designated for several immediate uses: operating expenses, special audience development initiatives, revenue enhancements, “capacity building” and research and development.”
Symphony Lending Struggling Ballet A Hand
“The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra announced that it will accompany the financially beleaguered Texas Ballet Theater for the ballet’s October performances at Bass Hall, with the cost being absorbed by” a local foundation. But the local musicians’ union chief is warning the ballet that it could face pickets if it attempts to revert to an earlier plan to use canned music.