Category: issues

References to 9/11 are starting to show up in entertainment. “Allusions are cropping up more often because 9/11 and its aftermath — from color-coded terror alerts to removing shoes at the airport — have become part of ordinary life. But that is probably not the major reason. As the fallout from the attacks, bundled under the term “war on terror,” became unquestionably politicized, the images of 9/11 also became less sacrosanct, fair game for mainstream entertainment.”

“Last week’s announcement of the gift of a £10m endowment for the Royal Opera House from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation is a symbol of a transformation in arts funding in this country. At last, the big arts organisations are growing up and taking charge of their own affairs. Perhaps, as some now believe, we can look forward to the complete end of state arts in the near future.”

“Despite the sharp rise in the number of non-profit arts groups in Chicago’s sprawling suburbs in the last 15 years, it hasn’t outpaced such growth in the city, according to a recent report. The result: A regional arts scene more concentrated in Chicago than it was in prior decades.”

“The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, the biggest and most prestigious event of its kind in the country, is abruptly leaving [Aspen, Colorado] after 13 years.” The cost of lodging and life in the tony ski resort town appears to have been a major factor in the decision, but no replacement city has yet been named.

Harlem’s Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture has been an anchor in the area’s cultural life for decades, and this week, the center unveils the results of its two-year, $11m renovation. “As the Schomburg unveils its facelift, Harlem itself is also undergoing one of its periodic renaissances.”

“Artists who create work that supports or opposes an ideology can contribute to the general discourse, and the collectors who buy such work can show their support for the ideas it expresses. But active participation in politics, whether financially or through personal activism, is also needed.”

The Smithsonian has been ordered to reinstate a fired whistle-blower, after a federal panel determined that he had been dismissed in retaliation for going public with information about the misuse of museum facilities.The allegations were later substantiated by the Smithsonian’s inspector general.

The city of Baltimore is hoping to repeat the success it had last fall when dozens of arts organizations scrapped admission charges to select shows, concerts, lectures, etc. The city council is on the verge of approving a $500,000 grant to underwrite another edition of Free Fall Baltimore, as the admission-free fest is called.

Arts funding for small and midsize groups in Palm Beach County, Florida, is being wiped out to pay for a property tax cut. “The [cultural development] fund has not increased since 2003 and represented only 0.00018 percent of last year’s $4.4 billion county budget,” but county officials decided to remove it from the 2008 budget.

“The Smithsonian Institution has accelerated its search for a public or private partner to redevelop its landmark Arts and Industries Building, which has been closed to the public for three years since pieces of the roof began collapsing.”