Category: issues

John Kerry had a lot of star power behind him in his losing bid to become President of the United States, with major stars in the world of music, film, and literature lining up to support the Democrat. But though “the 2004 election turned mainly on cultural issues, as distinct from matters of economics or public policy… the vast majority of those who think of themselves as cultural professionals found themselves firmly on the losing side. In an election that many arts people saw as being of cataclysmic importance, that clear disconnect spawned a lot of soul-searching in studios, offices, screening-rooms and theaters over the latter half of the week.”

A survey of Scottish arts institutions shows that few are equiped to serve deaf people. “It showed that although selected centres welcomed deaf and hard of hearing visitors, in some cases producing access guides, most failed to be sufficiently accessible.”

“Rarely have so many artists committed themselves to the defeat of a politician as Bruce Springsteen, Michael Moore and many others did in opposing George W. Bush. Now, with the president’s re-election, those artists find themselves asking whether they made a difference and whether they would do it again.”

The Scottish Arts Council has called on the government to appoint a dedicated minister for the arts. “The council has about 100 employers overseeing some £60 million in arts funding a year. It laid out its ideas in a submission to the Scottish Executive’s Cultural Commission.”

Even though Miami’s new performing arts center is way over budget and behind in its construction schedule, voters in Mimai/Dade County approved a huge new $552.7 million property tax bond issue for cultural facilities. “It includes $100 million toward a $175 million Miami Art Museum and $175 million toward a $267 million Museum of Science and Planetarium — both probably in Bicentennial Park. It also funds 59 other projects…”

Cleveland’s $42 million “Idea Center”, which will house dance studios, a small theater, and broadcast facilities for local public radio and TV stations when it is completed, got another major gift this week when the Reinberger Foundation pledged a cool million to the project. “This is the third major gift for the project this year. The George Gund Foundation contributed $1.6 million in July. Key Bank donated $1 million in March. The two nonprofit partners have raised about $10 million. They hope to raise an additional $17 million, with the rest of the money coming from historic tax credits and the state.”

“In England, £1.86bn of lottery money has been pumped into the arts over the past decade, £1.3bn of which has been capital investment to create 100 new venues and refurbish 500 others. The arts councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have disbursed another £400m, and the UK film industry has received over £100m. The arts – museums in particular – have also been able to tap into huge amounts of cash from the millennium fund and heritage fund, taking the investment into the stratosphere. No wonder Arts Council England (ACE) wants to blow its own trumpet.”

Americans for the Arts has released report cards on members of Congress for their support of legislative arts issues. “The highest-ranked states tended to have smaller delegations. Among states with delegations of 10 or more House members, Massachusetts and New York finished in front. Thirty-three House members received the highest possible grade (A+). However, the average grade for the House was a B. Arts support is increasingly bipartisan, the report card shows, a relief to arts advocates who saw conservative Republicans attempt to scrap the NEA in the mid-’90s.”

“Detectives are investigating claims that lyrics penned by eight leading reggae artists incite violence against homosexuals and are therefore illegal. Lyrics by Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Bounty Killer are among those being scrutinised by Scotland Yard.”

The UK’s national lottery has transformed the cultural landscape in the past ten years. “From large-scale projects such as Cornwall’s Eden Project to much smaller, community-based projects, such as in-school football coaching in primary schools, the lottery has, to date, raised £16bn for good causes.”