Category: issues

Concerts and all of London’s West End theatres have been closed after the Thursday bombing as police advised residents not to travel to central London. “The theatre closures are thought to be unprecedented since World War II, apart from the days of state funerals.

Hip-hop culture has often been said to be inextricably bound together with thuggery and crime, and the genre’s biggest stars are also frequently the ones with the longest rap sheets. It’s all about the mysterious notion of “credibility,” a measure of personal and professional success considered vitally important to American rappers. But the conventional wisdom probably misses the point about hip-hop’s crime connection, and so, too, do many rappers: “if your rhymes don’t ring true to begin with, an arrest will probably just make matters worse… For a rapper, having your name printed in the police blotter is likely merely to reinforce whatever perceptions fans already have.”

A proposal before the US Congress would give tax incentives to a commercial radio station that gave over its license to performing arts groups. “The Cultural Radio Tax Credit Act of 2005 (or HR 2904) was introduced June 15 and would provide a tax credit to the owner of a radio broadcasting station that “donates the license and other assets of said station to a nonprofit corporation for purposes of supporting nonprofit fine arts and performing arts organizations.”

Why are Australians running some of the UK’s biggest arts institutions? “Little in their sunkissed insularity has equipped them for the ethnic and economic diversity of British arts and their focus is so short-term that only the most desperate of boards would, it seems to me, choose a second-string Aussie above a locally experienced, lifelong committed Brit. It makes no sense at all. More alarming still is the effect of their mass defection on the morale and infrastructure of Australian culture.”

Three year after absorbing a brutal 62% cut in its state funding, the Massachusetts Cultural Council has made slight gains at the legislature, receiving an additional $1.3 million in public funds for fiscal 2006. The increase, signed into law by the state’s Republican governor last week, puts the council’s overall budget at $9.6 million. Most of the additional money is meant to restore grants that were eliminated in the wake of the budget cuts in 2002. The governor had originally threatened to veto the increase, but changed his mind under pressue from legislative leaders and the public.

Edinburgh’s multiple summer festivals are doing particularly well at the box office this year, with many upcoming events already sold out. “Ticket sales for this year’s International Festival are 14 per cent up on last year as theatre and dance fans snap up briefs for the most sought-after productions.” The book fest is selling at a record pace as well, and the always-popular Fringe Festival is on a steady track as well. Overall, it’s a positive sign for the arts in Scotland, given the recent history of government funding controversies and struggling companies.

“Planned federal passport and visa rules and other measures intended to safeguard the nation are creating the perception of a Fortress America overseas, tarnishing this country’s reputation for hospitality and personal freedom. As a consequence, visa applications from foreign travelers have dropped by one-third from pre-Sept. 11 levels, and fewer foreign students are applying to U.S. schools. Moreover, travel agents report booking foreign travelers away from the United States, and airlines that serve overseas hot spots say business is down on their routes to the United States.”

A move by the Australian government to to do away with compulsory student union fees at universities has artists concerned. “Every year, students pay a compulsory union fee, which varies between $100 and $500, depending on the campus. Student-run bodies use the money to pay for services such as food and bar subsidies, sporting grounds, advocacy services, galleries and campus sport and arts clubs. A proportion is also used to fund political pursuits, including campaigns against higher university fees. The Government says students who never use these services or don’t join campus clubs shouldn’t be forced to pay for them, and has drafted a bill to make the fee voluntary.” Artists say the cut in fee collections will kill programs.

Looks like the roubled Miami Performing Arts Center is finally on budget and on schedule. “To be clear, it has been known since last July that the center is 20 months late and $67.7 million over the budget set when construction began in 2001. But at least it is adhering to its new schedule of opening in October 2006 and its new budget of $412 million. The center, with its 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, 2,200-seat Carnival Concert Hall and 200-seat Studio Theater, is more than 70 percent complete.”

A new report from Independent Sector, “a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of non-profits,” takes a hard line on executive compensation and other methods of pushing the financial envelope, calling for government intervention in cases where non-profit and charitable organizations are found to be abusing the rules that govern their tax-free existence. Why would a group representing non-profits be so tough on its own members? Maybe because the U.S. Senate is gearing up to pass new rules which would be even tougher than those being proposed by Independent Sector.