“The troubled and besieged Art Gallery of Ontario is about to get some major help fixing its tarnished image. To mastermind a turnaround, the AGO has hired Susan Bloch-Nevitte — one of the behind-the-scenes stars of the University of Toronto’s [$1 billion fundraising] success story. During the past year, the AGO has endured every plague a museum could have: falling attendance; budget-slashing; labour strife; a security problem that surfaced with the theft of Ken Thomson’s miniature ivories; a public uproar over the closing of the Group of Seven galleries; conflict with residents of its neighbourhood, and, most sensationally, the defection of major benefactor and board member Joey Tanenbaum over Frank Gehry’s makeover design.”
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Minnesota Mayor Wants More $$ For Arts
The mayor of St. Paul has responded to a study which showed the city’s arts groups stuck in a cycle of deficits by proposing a new annual infusion of cash into the arts scene. Mayor Randy Kelly’s proposal, which was crafted in consultation with several arts leaders, calls for a $25 million bump in annual support for St. Paul’s cultural sector, including $6.5 million in new public subsidies. St. Paul arts groups have been struggling in comparison wth those across the Mississippi River in larger, more cosmopolitan Minneapolis.
Coach House vs. Student Housing
Coach House Books, an icon of countercultural Canadian literature, is in danger of being taken over by a University of Toronto student coop, unless it can negotiate a lease soon. “It’s the first formal lease that the pioneer of small presses will have had since Coach House sprang up in 1965 as part of the wild cultural experiment that characterized Toronto’s literary sixties. It’s a lease that will likely sign off on the historic literary landmark where the early careers of writers such as Michael Ondaatje and bpNichol were nurtured, in the name of creating new residence space for students… Even if a lease is signed, the precise fate of the Coach House building, now rickety due to years of absorbing vibrations from the printing presses, is up for speculation.”
Who Says We Can’t Launch A New Magazine?
“Due to the rather dire current state of the print media, launching a new magazine goes against the grain of conventional wisdom. But when the Montreal-based creative team of Daniel Charron, Jean Blais and André Ducharme decided to create a new publication, they had a solid previous success in their favour. And with Manoeuvres, their ode to Montreal style, design, fashion and creativity launched tonight, the trio has maintained the principle rule they obeyed during their first print run of 1987-91: Ignore as many rules as possible.”
A Jazzer’s Circuitous Route
Saxophonist Oliver Lake is a big name in jazz circles, having made his name as a founding member of the St. Louis-based Black Artists Group, and as 1/4 of the World Saxophone Quartet. So what is he doing hanging out with a bunch of middle school kids in inner-city Minneapolis?
Spurned Steppers See SPAC Sales Soar
“A campaign to increase ticket sales for the New York City Ballet’s summer residency at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center appears to be paying off. As of May 9, SPAC had ticket orders totaling $511,464 for 17,240 tickets to the ballet, compared with $429,297 for 15,611 tickets through the same date last year.” The ticket sales initiative was undertaken after the SPAC board announced that the ballet would be booted from its schedule after this summer, then reversed course in the face of public criticism. SPAC’s other major summer tenant, the Philadelphia Orchestra, has not apparently benefitted from the sales push: orchestra sales are down from this time last year.
Pooling Resources in Glasgow
A new umbrella organization backed by many of Glasgow’s high-profile arts organizations has been created to attract audiences to cultural events in the city. Glasgow Grows Audiences (GGA) is funded in large part by the Scottish Arts Council, and “will act as a marketing organisation for the theatres, galleries and companies based in the city.” GGA’s first project will be to undertake extensive audience research to determine where the city’s residents are spending their entertainment dollars.
Pittsburgh Ballet Exec Steps Down
Steven Libman, whose 17 years at the helm of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater make him one of the longest-tenured dance executives in the U.S., is resigning from the company and will depart later this summer. Libman is credited with raising the PBT’s endowment to become the fourth-largest in the country among ballet troupes, but since 2001, the company has struggled, and several of Libman’s decisions have been questioned by members of the company and the public.
He Cuts Because He Loves?
San Francisco’s new mayor recently announced that the city’s arts grant program would be taking a 25% hit in his new budget, infuriating arts supporters. But Gavin Newsom insists that he loves the arts, and plans for them to be a major part of his administration’s goals for the city. The mayor got together for a meeting with 200 area artists last week, with author Dave Eggers moderating the discussion.
Apple Looks To Expand Its Library
With Apple’s iTunes service an unqualified success in the lucrative music-downloading business, the company is setting its sights on a massive expansion of the library of music available digitally. Consumers are coming to expect that iTunes will be able to come up with the music they want to hear, even if it’s obscure or out of print, and the company’s team of song-hunters are determined to convince record companies to open their vaults and license more songs for digital release.