Category: issues

Is there a growing gap between the cultures of Europe and America? A group of five European and American writers get together to agree that there is. But as for how the gap is defined and what its causes are…

Art historian Sir Christopher Frayling has been named as the new head of Arts Council England. Sir Christopher has been rector of the Royal College of Art since 1996.

After the end of the year, the awards season begins in earnest. A documentary reports that there are “565 show-biz awards competitions each year, of which 100 are televised. That’s better than one broadcast every four days.” Why so many? The awards “mainly reflects outstanding achievement by the industry in ginning up ever more shows for viewers to watch – and thus ever more outlets for promoting entertainment product to the public.”

Why does most research on culture end up with a positive spin, asks Andrew Taylor. “Much of the research on the public aspects of the arts is done by advocacy organizations or community coalitions with an admitted bias (of course the arts have a positive impact on city economies, education, at-risk youth, and luring the creative class, and we’ve designed research to prove it). Even at professional conferences, we are more likely to share ‘best practices’ and handy tips to sell tickets quickly, rather than exposing and exploring times we dropped the ball or didn’t even see it. It’s all fine and friendly, but such one-sided and guarded discussions are contrary to learning.”

“Large nonprofit organizations, like their corporate counterparts, have long recognized the value of branding. Now, small local groups are picking up on the importance of standing out from the charitable crowd. Nearly 1.4 million nonprofits are competing for dollars in the United States. Whether they hire a public- relations expert or buy an online-branding kit, they all hope their logos will convey a trustworthy cause to donors – and make it easy to distinguish their envelopes from the daily round of junk mail.”

“In a decision issued on Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Lincoln Center had violated federal labor law when it sought to have the police arrest union supporters distributing leaflets in front of the center, while it permitted nonunion groups to do so… The labor board ordered Lincoln Center to post a notice acknowledging that it violated federal labor law.” The center’s lawyers are considering an appeal.

A gala fundraiser held to mark the opening of Pittsburgh’s new convention center has raised nearly $700,000 for area cultural groups, according to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “Checks in the amount of $115,000 each were received yesterday by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Symphony and the Cultural Trust.” The amount raised is far in excess of what any of the arts groups had expected to receive from the event.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the arts in South Florida are on life support, and in serious danger of slipping into oblivion. With the demise of the Florida Philharmonic still sending shockwaves through the arts community, and legislative funding for all arts having been slashed by nearly 80% in one year, local leaders have convened a summit with the intent of finding new, workable business models for the arts. Lobbyists are encouraging supporters to look beyond the traditional model of state funding, which they say may never return to previous levels.

“The publisher of Time Out New York and Time Out London said Tuesday it would start printing Time Out Chicago in September 2004. Aimed at the urban hipster, Time Out’s weekly magazines feature listings of concerts, club shows and other events, as well as articles on the urban arts scene.”

“Located 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 15 minutes from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa has been dubbed the City of the Arts. It’s a magical, art-filled cultural and even shopping mecca – from its Orange County Performing Arts Center and South Coast Repertory theater complex to many outdoor sculptures and its world-class ‘anti-mall.'” And while L.A. may have Disney Hall, it is this Orange County suburb which has come to embody the spirit of the arts as ingrained in a community’s soul. Oh, and it’s not bad for tourism, either.