Category: Issues

Today is “No Art Day” in Singapore, an occasion for people to reflect on the role of art in Singapore Culture. But “the irony of No Art Day seems to be lost on some artistes, who do not see the point of making such a statement when most Singaporeans remain apathetic towards the arts.” – The Straits Times (Singapore) 12/29/00

Okay, so maybe Liverpool isn’t the first place you think about when you think about culture. But the city has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2008 and the city is fixing up. “Museums and galleries are expanding, public buildings are being spruced up after years of neglect, a theatre has come back into the limelight after three dark years, and the city’s symphony orchestra is looking forward to a stable financial future under a new conductor.”- The Guardian 12/29/00

China spent a good part of the 20th Century destroying its past, particularly during the years of the Cultural Revolution. But history has become hot among today’s Chinese youth, and a revival of things of the past is underway. – International Herald Tribune 12/29/00

Last month teaching assistant graduate students at New York University voted to unionize. “The vote was immediately translated into an attack on the very framework of academic collegiality, and the board’s decision to allow the vote was denounced by other universities facing similar union threats. Loudest in their condemnation were Yale University officials, who have succeeded for almost a decade in thwarting a graduate organizing effort on their own campus.” – Village Voice 12/28/00

Hollywood weighs a new Bush administration. Sen. John Ashcroft, Bush’s nominee for attorney general, gets mixed reviews. – Variety 12/28/00

Which artists are we likely to hear from in the next year. The BBC takes a look. – BBC 12/28/00

Boston’s New Year’s Eve celebrations – First Night – is an artist showcase. A thousand artists in 250 performances at 50 venues for an expected audience of 1.6 million. – Boston Herald 12/28/00

All those millions of home computers out there laying idle much of the time could be put to good use while their owners aren’t working on them, say researchers. “With about 300 million PCs connected to the Internet but idle 90 percent of the time, there’s huge potential for scientific projects utilizing distributed computing power, researchers argue in a report.” – The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (Scripps Howard) 12/28/00

“If André du Laurens’s tract on the subject is to be believed, growing old must have been a positively blissful experience back in 1594.” So what happened? – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 12/27/00

Boston’s First Night New Year’s Eve celebrations are the biggest in the country, with hundreds of performances and artists participating. But last year, “to match large-scale celebrations planned in other major U.S. cities, First Night doubled its budget last year from $1.3 million to $2.7 million and spiffed up programming to include extras such as three days of cultural events, citywide laser shows and five fireworks displays.” Out-of-control costs nearly sank the popular event. – Boston Herald 12/26/00