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New York Artists are getting energized for this summer’s Republican convention in their city. “Dozens of arts organizations are making plans for at least four nights of political theater during the convention at East Village clubs, established theaters like Symphony Space, public libraries and of course the streets. The Internet is throbbing with information and strategies exchanged by people often identifying themselves by first name only or by acronym. They want to make it clear that this is not the same old same old.”

“Creativity, some scientists say, may play an important role in healthy aging – conversely, the ill can shed extraordinary light on just how the brain perceives art. Even though our brains age, it doesn’t diminish our ability to create. The big question, as arts projects become more common in retirement and nursing homes, is whether tapping elders’ creativity truly brings them physical health benefits as well as joy. And if so, what works best?”

“When the wheels fell off a French government program designed to help guarantee the livelihood of a certain number of artists and musicians, it caused a ruckus which is still echoing in the corridors of power.”

Tessa Jowell, the British Secretary of State for Culture, will “pledge tomorrow to roll back decades of Whitehall antipathy by asserting that culture and the arts are fundamental human rights. In a reversal of the post-war obsession with using culture as a tool of social policy – in tackling crime, boosting educational standards and regenerating rundown cities – Ms Jowell will make a surprising plea for art for art’s sake.”