The UK’s national lottery has transformed the cultural landscape in the past ten years. “From large-scale projects such as Cornwall’s Eden Project to much smaller, community-based projects, such as in-school football coaching in primary schools, the lottery has, to date, raised £16bn for good causes.”
Blog
Could Arts Lose Lottery Funding?
Sir Christopher Frayling, the chairman of Arts Council England, has warned that the arts could get edged out of National Lottery money in favor of sports. Frayling points to a number of reasons, adding that “ministers were happy being photographed at football matches, but afraid of being seen at any remotely controversial [arts event].”
Gambling On Culture
The Heritage Lottery Fund has made an impact on culture. But what kind of impact? “So what has HLF achieved in the past ten years? Has it been too conservative? Or too politically correct? Is it right that a non-governmental body, funded by our gambling appetite, should be the last refuge for Britain’s most important distressed buildings, artworks and natural environments? And has the HLF’s change of direction since Labour came to office meant support for too many “inclusive” projects at the expense of the more traditional kind? The HLF has presided over a decade of unrivalled munificence towards the heritage world – £3.33bn awarded to 1,680 projects throughout Britain.”
Poets Take On Publishers Weekly (And Win)
Over the summer, Publishers Weekly decided to discontinue its monthly poetry forecast. “But for many in the world of independent presses, where the bottom line is quite a bit lower than in commercial publishing, that explanation wasn’t good enough. Zaleski estimates that Publishers Weekly received approximately 150 phone calls, e-mails, and letters about the decision. The response was so great that the magazine reversed its decision and reinstituted its monthly poetry section in September.”
Scotland: Museum-Going A “Cultural Right?”
Scotland’s museums say schoolchildren should get free transportation to museums as part of students’ “cultural rights.” “Schools have to work within their curriculum but there’s a real richness on their doorstep if it can be accessed properly. You’ve got collections all over the country but they can’t be seen. Kids are entitled to so many swims a year, and they have developed minimum standards of physical education in schools.”
Starbucks, Music Giant?
Starbucks is getting into the music business in a big way, producing and selling CD’s and even making it possible for customers to make their own compilations. The coffee retailer figures to be a player in the recording industry, even cracking the top music charts.
China’s New Accessibility
The Metropolitan Museum’s big fall Chinese show would not have been possible a few years ago. “Behind this prodigious exhibition is a story of curatorial obsession and adventure, as well as a glimpse at how China’s internal bureaucracy has subtly opened up recently, at least vis-à-vis the art world. American specialists found their Chinese museum counterparts accessible in a way that would have been unheard of just a few years earlier.”
Chart: Ringers Top CDs
Musical ringtones are outselling CDs, according to the new Billboard charts. “The inaugural top ringy-dingy choice goes to … drumroll … “My Boo” by Usher and Alicia Keys. It inspired 97,000 purchases last week. By contrast, the No. 1 legal song download of the week – U2’s “Vertigo” – drew 25,000 buyers.”
How Much Radio Raunch When Limits Are Off?
As shock jocks get squeezed off the broadcast airwaves, satellite radio is becoming a home to some high-profile raunch-meisters such as Howard Stern and Oppie and Anthony. But how raunchy do you get when the limits are off? Make it too gross and listeners might stay away…
The Rostropovich Corps
Mstislav Rostropovich has had a brilliant career. Now he says it’s time to give something back. So he started a foundation to identify and support seven promising young musicians. Each month , he pays living and teaching money. He also helps them get concert engagements, buy instruments and pay for masterclasses.