Category: issues

With the addition of the Barnes and the possibility of a new Calder Museum, Philadelphia’s Franklin Parkway might indeed become a long-envisioned grand arts boulevard. “The Parkway, of course, already has a lot going for it. The area is home to the Art Museum, the Rodin Museum, the Free Library, the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and Moore College. But there are huge gaps along the broad, tree-lined boulevard that make it hard for visitors and natives alike to think of the 1.1 miles from LOVE Park to the Art Museum as an entity.”

English arts funding is being frozen through 2008, which means a net decline in cultural spending. “Based on a Treasury estimate of inflation at 2.7%, its grant will be worth £10m less in the financial years 2006-7 and £20m less in 2007-8, meaning a total real-term shortfall of £30m.”

The British government’s arts funding plan is ill-advised. “Arts organisations were braced for a tough few years following the last spending review, but the decision to tilt the flow of funds so strongly from one sector (arts) to another (museums) goes against the grain. All arts and culture organisations ask for one thing: not bottomless pockets but reliable funding. Sudden sharp changes in who gets funds and who does not sets off a see-sawing of resources.”

Government plans to see a “4.6 per cent cut in support for English Heritage, an allocation for museums and galleries which falls far short of previous demands and budgets frozen in the performing arts. From heritage bodies, through theatre chiefs to museum directors, all expressed concern that the genuine progress of recent years would be stalled and potentially reversed by the deal.”

Arts leaders reacted angrily to news that the British government intends to freeze cultural spending until 2008. This means a net decline in arts spending. “Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the National Theatre, said he was mystified by the decision. ‘The achievements [of the past few years] will not be lost overnight; we will cope. But it is at the edge that has been most exciting and progressive that the arts will be forced to compromise’.”

South Africa’s Minister of Arts and Culture has dissolved the country’s National Arts Council. Based on consultations, he is “satisfied that the NAC as presently constituted has lost the confidence of the arts community and is not in a position to carry out the responsibilities assigned to it.”

“In all, Minnesota’s 12 largest arts organization — driven largely by proceeds from major capital campaigns — saw total revenue rise 18.1 percent. Meanwhile, total revenue generated by the state’s 29 largest social service agencies — from Lutheran Social Services to Catholic Charities to the Salvation Army — fell 4.4 percent.”

A proposal in San Francisco to “strip public funding from the Opera, Symphony and Ballet to help plug a projected $97 million hole in the municipal budget has been put on hold.”

Could the success of MassMOCA in revitalizing the town of North Adams be repeated elsewhere? Researchers are planning to find out. “The question is, can this be translated to other communities as a model, or are there special things about North Adams that have contributed to its growth? That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

The end-of-the-year holiday season is make-or-break time for many performing arts groups, and in large cities like Philadelphia, where dozens of groups are competing for audience, getting a big enough slice of the ticket revenue pie becomes crucial, and difficult. “In the last three years, the Philadelphia Orchestra has added eight holiday concerts, supplementing its traditional two performances of Handel’s Messiah and its yearly New Year’s Eve concert. The Philly Pops, which in 2000 gave its first holiday-themed concert, now offers six. The Kimmel Center itself also has added holiday shows such as the Vienna Boys Choir. Smaller arts groups also are relying ever more heavily on holiday receipts.”