Category: issues

“Jets of water spurt into the air in front of the warriors: red, yellow, blue, violet. The eight bronze men stare fiercely through the spray of the fountain, while far above their heads, Alexander the Great sits enthroned, raising one sword up at the sky. Wagner and Tchaikovsky blare out of the speakers and the water shoots more or less in time with the music.”

“A radical shakeup in children’s music education has failed to have a significant impact on the quality of provision, with only a minority of pupils feeling the benefits.”

“The arts in Texas are better than you might expect. Assuming, of course, you weren’t expecting much. The state’s cultural scene has developed later than in other major American centres but … no other part of the country has experienced an equivalent cultural boom, especially one largely funded and led by private individuals.”

“A legal row over two art installations in Marfa, Texas, has reopened an old argument about the economics of the art in the town. While some say the community benefits from the tourism revenue that the works of art attract, others argue that local ranching families are being priced out of Marfa.”

“The glut is not surprising in a country where the notion of campanilismo – denoting a proud attachment to one’s hometown – runs deep.” But it’s not just about hometown pride: “Studies and estimates suggest that there is a return of 5 euros to 10 euros for every euro invested in a European Capital of Culture.”

“The WikiLeaks text features Hollywood and recording industry-inspired proposals – think about the SOPA debacle – to limit internet freedom and access to educational materials, to force internet providers to act as copyright enforcers and to cut off people’s internet access.”

“[Judith] Isherwood has been a controversial figure during her tenure, with numerous current and former staff speaking critically of her tough, at times confrontational, management style and determination to launch costly initiatives such as … [presenting] Einstein on the Beach.” Others praise her artistic ambitions for the Centre as well as her stewardship of the recent renovations of concert venue Hamer Hall.

“By easing the definition of ‘handmade,’ Etsy is trying to accommodate individual vendors who are having more and more trouble keeping up with their growing volume of customers. But many Etsy users are outraged by what they see as Etsy’s abandonment of its commitment to human handicraft.”

“What does high performance mean for a non-profit arts group? A bigger budget? A larger audience? A shiny new building?”

That’s the title of a recent installment of Randall Munroe’s Web comic XKCD. The single panel is pithy and witty, but – argues Robinson Meyer – the answers are probably too “simple.”