Category: issues

Berlin seemed to have it all culturally after the fall of the Berlin Wall. “Seen from, say, London, Paris or Vienna, Berlin had all the ingredients to become a, if not the, European cultural capital. Almost overnight, the city government was owner of 17 museums, 3 opera houses, 8 orchestras and 17 theaters. Further, as the only city to experience German unification firsthand, Berlin itself became a work in progress. For artists, this meant unfettered freedom to explore new avenues.” The reality has turned out somewhat different…

Several of the UK’s most important culture jobs are vacant, and a talent search is underway. But where is the talent for those top jobs going to come from?

The head of the British Arts Council says politicians are out of step with how popular the arts have become. He “warned against excessive political interference in the arts and ‘the gradual amputation’ of the arm’s-length policy that protects artists from direct political tampering. Arguing that politicians are out of step with huge popular support for the arts in Britain, he said: ‘Since 2001 the percentage of adults who believe that arts and cultural projects should receive public funding has increased from an impressive 74% to an even more impressive 79%’.”

“Sir Christopher’s suspicion that it is ‘almost as if politicians are embarrassed to be associated with the arts’, rings horribly true. Labour leaders are happy to be pictured with sports stars and TV personalities, but their alarm bells ring when an artist, playwright or composer gets within snapping range.”

Are corporations bullying the rest of us with the copyright lawsuits? “David Bollier argues that the court’s willingness to let corporations get away with such bullying is increasingly eroding our “cultural commons” — the collection of images, stories, sounds and other creative expressions that, due to their significance and prevalence, no longer belong to any single person or company.”

After a couple of brutal years in which state arts funding was cut, US states are increasing their arts budgets again, says a new report. “While most of the funding changes were 10% or less up or down, there were notable exceptions, including Colorado, up 150.0%; Florida, up 135.7%; the District of Columbia, up 126.0%; and New Jersey, up 51.5%. Of the 56 arts agencies surveyed by NASAA, 44 reported level funding or increases this year, while only 12 suffered cuts.”

Last week the board of tiny Seattle contemporary art presenter Consolidated Works abruptly fired founding director Matthew Richter without explanation. Now a virtual Who’s Who of Seattle art has signed a letter of protest to the board and the arts community has rallied to his defense.

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell is proposing big cuts in the state’s arts budget. “The $23.7 million budget of the Commission on Culture and Tourism took a 16 percent decrease last week when Rell proposed her $15.3 billion state budget. Among other cuts was $450,000 removed from $2.25 million in cultural resources grants, which help fund arts groups’ operations, education and programs. The commission’s new budget total is just under $20 million.”

Andrew O’Hagan wonders if competition is good for the arts. “We are addicted to the concept of winners and losers. Last week alone, I was asked to nominate the Best Top 10 British Bands, write something about the Top 100 Scottish Novels of All Time, and I attended a lavish awards ceremony, sponsored by The Daily Telegraph, to name several Great Britons. The assumption, not a bad one in itself, seems to be that life is more exciting the more rivalry it involves, as if competition was the food of endeavour. I’m not entirely sure that competition is good for art. There is the danger that it can create a uniformity of thought and aim.”

“Georgian artists who headed west before and during the civil strife of the early 90s have begun to reconnect with their homeland, bringing know-how, money, contacts and leadership. Georgian troupes are starting to travel abroad again. Across the entire spectrum of the performing arts, Georgians are getting to grips with the freedoms and responsibilities that a fragile democracy confers. A new culture of autonomy and self-help is being implanted – but no one expects it to flower overnight.”