“I believe that any action by the executive branch that interferes with the ability of higher-education institutions to address this problem themselves is misguided and in fact sets a very problematic precedent,” Robert J. Zimmer wrote. – Chronicle of Higher Education
Category: issues
State Arts Funding – Steady As She Goes (And Yet…)
On one hand, it is a testament to the continuous hard work of a lot of people that the sector is able to, on balance, keep funding to SAAs relatively stable. On the other hand, it is frustrating and emblematic of how far we still have to go in terms of effective lobbying and making the case for our value to the public, that we can’t realize consistently meaningful significant increases, sustainable over time. – Barry’s Blog
It’s Cold In Minnesota. Dogs (And Their Humans) Need A Place To Walk. Enter The Shopping Mall
“That first weekend there were probably 300 dogs. The area has a huge dog community, and it spread like wildfire.” With stores closed and escalators stopped, the two-story shopping center quickly teemed with dogs and their people, flowing along the perimeter of the mall like the classic image of early-morning mall walkers. What was intended to be a once-a-month winter event turned into a year-round weekly walking bonanza, save for the holiday season, when dog-walking was paused for a few weeks to accommodate extended shopping hours. – CityLab
Google’s Like ‘Oh, Let’s Just Go Ahead And Be Evil’
In other words, no, they’re not going to remove an app that lets Saudi men track and monitor and control their wives and domestic workers. It doesn’t violate Google’s terms of service, they say. (Apple hasn’t yet decided whether its similar app violates its TOS.) – Business Insider
What It Costs To Have Fun (Ticket Prices Across Arts, Sports, Spectacle)
A comparison of price data across entertainment categories throws up a few surprises. Those who claim that a night at the opera is only for the elite should know that attending a top-of-the-range gig is nearly as pricey: an average opera ticket in London costs £81 ($103), compared with a global average of $96 for the 50 most-lucrative music tours. And the Royal Opera House in London boasts that 30% of its seats go for £35 or under – but good luck finding that sort of deal for Bruce Springsteen or Jennifer Lopez. – 1843 Magazine
Report: London’s Vibrant Creative Sector Has Failed To Diversify
Despite “significant job growth” since 2012, the creative sector has “failed to diversify its work force” and it is still “who you know, not what you know, that counts”, the report states. – The Stage
Edinburgh Wrestles With The Question ‘How Much Festival Can One City Take?’
It’s not just the ever-growing Fringe: the International, Film, and Book Festivals are expanding, too. But yes, the Fringe is the biggest issue: it regularly sets attendance records and is now Scotland’s most lucrative event. But as it continues to surge, the side-product problems are causing worry among residents, campaigners, and the government: “It’s clearly not sustainable, but on several levels. The question that everyone is asking is: is growth the only metric of success you have?” – The Herald (Scotland)
A Crowdsourced Archive To ‘Provide The Foundation’ For Rebuilding Aleppo
The project, called Aleppo Built Heritage Documentation and based in Berlin, “[has] assembled the largest repository of information on Syrian heritage outside the country — more than 200,000 photographs, as well as archaeological reports, maps, plans, drawings and oral testimonies.” – The Art Newspaper
Should Historical Art And Artifacts Be Returned To The Country Where They Were Created? (A Four-Way Debate)
Author Tiffany Jenkins (Keeping Their Marbles) argues no; Africanist Marie Rodet argues yes, “as part of a reparation process”; anthropology museum director Nicholas Thomas says, in so many words, “It depends”; diplomatic historian Ioannis Stefanidis illustrates just how complicated the question can get with the example of the very-well-traveled “Horses of Saint Mark.” – History Today
Why It’s Good Business For Arts Organizations To Be Socially Conscious (And Act On It)
“I’m not suggesting for a moment that corporate virtue-signaling is driven by anything more than pure, uncut capitalism, or that a chasm doesn’t separate legitimate IRL activism from retail “activism.” But the point is that sincerity isn’t required for money to change hands. On average, people with the most surplus cash increasingly want to support a progressive agenda—or at least pay for a tenuous claim to it—and the for-profit world is adjusting itself accordingly. So why wouldn’t the nonprofit world benefit by doing the same?” – Artnet