Category: issues

“Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has ordered officials to speed up the construction of a cultural centre in Sevastopol, the historic naval capital of Crimea, which will include exhibition space for the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.”

“There’s a push from the politicians to constantly fund something new. And what we really need is sustainable, long-term development. That’s how you build inclusion – because people who are excluded need to understand how they can get involved. If you keep changing the rules it’s bloody difficult for the people who are on the inside, and it becomes impossible for anyone on the outside.”

“Under the proposal, tickets for events like concerts, movie showings and professional sports games would be subject to a 7 percent tax. The tax, if passed by Columbus City Council, would help fund local arts as well as maintenance at Nationwide Arena. But members of the arts community are divided on how much it would actually benefit the city.”

Performing arts institutions are recognizing they need vision to make it in an increasingly tough market. And artists have vision. But just going out and hiring artists is no replacement for the kind of institutional mission that makes vision work. And putting artists in these positions without thinking through their role in the larger organization risks undermining all their efforts and, in some cases, ghettoizing contemporary music still further as something that lies outside the organization’s main mission.

The figures include a dramatic decline of 17m (28%) in attendance and visits at London’s NPOs, which was marginally offset by modest increases in some other parts of the country.

The economy of “the Lucky Country” has been growing for 26 years without a recession or other break, and Australia is now second only to Switzerland in wealth per adult in the world. “Yet arts funding has not kept pace, … [and] worse in many ways, experts say, [it’s] running the same way it has for years — as an insiders’ game.”

“Managing a tourist destination is something like managing a natural resource, like a mine or a fishery; a sustainable level of tourists brings widespread gains to the local economy, but too many ruin it for everyone. … That so many different forces” — especially technological developments — “play into overtourism highlights the difficulties of doing much about it.”

There are more rich people than ever, they’re spread out all across the country, and they’re giving back to hometown institutions at “big city” levels. Throw in continued support from loyal foundations, and that’s a recipe for what American Theatre called Cleveland’s “urban renaissance.”