Category: issues

“Chicago’s new theater for midsize music and dance companies easily could have been a wallflower of a building, drooping in the background alongside the grand metallic bouquet of Frank Gehry’s Millennium Park bandshell. But the theater turns out to be something else: a solid, sometimes soaring example of “stealth architecture,” a mostly underground building that packs far more aesthetic wallop than its modest, above ground profile lets on.”

Chicago performing arts groups are optimistic their new home will help build strong companies. “The original purpose behind this project was to provide stability to organizations such as ours that lacked a centrally located, permanent home in downtown Chicago. Our hope is that, as a consequence of our participating in this new venue, we can help each other build audiences.”

The Harris Theatre is particularly anticipated by Chicago dance companies. “It’s great for the dance community and for us. The timing is perfect. But I have to question whether it will really satisfy the needs of the whole community or if it will prove an affordable theater that lots of companies will use.”

While 60 percent of American states this year cut their arts funding, North Carolina went the other direction, increasing arts funding by $377,000. This in spite of a proposal by the state’s governor for a six-figure budget chop. So how’d it happen? “The majority of the members of our legislature are much more attuned to what the arts are doing back in their home districts than most people would assume,” notes Regan. “I don’t think it was that difficult for the arts community to make the case, because I think what the arts community was saying to the legislature was very quickly recognized as being the facts.”

Departing conductor Sydney Symphony music director Edo de Waart tells Australians their priorities are wrong. “A soccer match, a rugby match or cricket is way more important than the arts. Perhaps it is in your genes. In Europe . . . the British orchestras are paid worst of all. I think that has become normal here, too. You need someone like Paul Keating who will make the statement that the country is not only measured by how fast you can run 100 metres but also whether you have singers and theatre and movies that can be on the international stage.”

After boycotting UNESCO for two decades, the US has once again joined the UN’s cultural body. “The US has been granted a seat on the executive council for its ambassador, a post for which President Bush has nominated Louise Oliver, a conservative Republican fund-raiser who must be confirmed by the Senate.”

A controversial piece of legislation which would extend the rights of Canadian copyright holders well into the 21st century has passed a vote in the House of Commons. Until the late 1990s, Canadian copyrights had no expiration date, but a 1997 overhaul allowed thousands of old documents and images to enter the public domain. The new bill is a partial rollback of that 1997 legislation, and is also being carefully watched by observers on all sides of the ongoing evolution of copyright law.

The refurbishment of Lincoln Center has hit another snag, as the Metropolitan Opera raises objections. “The dispute ostensibly revolves around parking and the convenience of the paying public. But it also resonates with the longstanding objections of the Met’s general manager, Joseph Volpe, to the overall redevelopment project. From the start, Mr. Volpe has been opposed to making major structural changes to the campus. Even if the differences are ultimately resolved, Mr. Volpe’s objections threaten to delay the process.”

Plans for a major performing arts center in Austin Texas are scaled back – for now, at least. “The price tag for the project, stalled by escalating expectations and then an economic downturn, drops from $125.1 million to about $72 million. The group still must raise nearly $25 million – that includes $10 million for an operating endowment – before it can open the center a year later than planned: 2007.”

Charlotte-based Bank of America is taking over FleetBoston to create the second largest bank in America. That may be good news for the arts. “Bank of America has been ‘a real driving force behind the arts really coming front and center in the state, and particularly in Charlotte. It’s just offered the most incredible leadership – not just funding and resources, a lot of human resources, but just really understanding the importance of the arts. It’s in large part because of the bank’s leadership,’ that Charlotte regularly leads the nation in per capita arts spending.”