Category: issues

“Now that the trust has democratised, as it had to, the credentials for a building’s preservation, almost no house, and certainly no famous person’s house, can be disrespected as built heritage.”

“Calling his city ‘the cultural capital of the West,’ Denver Mayor Michael Hancock on Wednesday heralded the $1.76 billion in economic activity stirred by the metro area’s bustling arts community in 2011.”

“In April, university president Tom Buchanan wrote to the director of the art museum: “Given the controversy that it has generated, it would be best for UW if the fire pit (I’ve forgotten the name of the work) could be considered part of the [removal of other campus artworks] during the summer of 2012.” It was, and today, no trace of it remains.”

“Archaeologists in Bulgaria believe they have discovered Europe’s oldest prehistoric town, a settlement that was founded nearly 5,000 years before the birth of Christ. Experts believe the key to the development of the town was salt, which at the time was as valuable as gold.”

“The report says this shows that local authorities “find it increasingly difficult to maintain regularly funded [arts] organisations”. It would also appear to indicate a shift towards grant-based models of funding.”

“Poland’s supreme court has issued a landmark judgment against a heavy metal musician who tore up a Bible at a gig in 2007. Although the judges conceded that Adam Darski, AKA Nergal, did not intend to offend his audience, they ruled that he could still have ‘offended religious feelings’, violating Polish law.”

“Shutdowns past Wednesday were possible as some organizations waited for word on how much transportation would be available to take art-gazers, music-listeners and theatergoers to their destinations before making any announcements.”

“Earlier this month, Italian literary critic Pietro Citati sparked a storm by writing an open letter in a major Italian newspaper denouncing the behaviour of crowds visiting what is technically a sacred place. Tourists, he said, “resemble drunken herds” as they unwittingly risked damaging the frescoes with their breath, their perspiration, the dust on their shoes and their body heat.”

“Two musicians in Vietnam whose topical songs are popular among overseas Vietnamese … Vo Minh Tri and Tran Vu Anh Binh were sentenced to four and six years in prison, respectively, on charges of spreading propaganda against the state … They faced possible sentences of up to 20 years.”

“The CCA, which has more than 200 members, had been funded annually without interruption by the federal government since 1965. But in April Canadian Heritage announced that, as part of the Conservative government’s ambition to achieve a balanced budget by 2015, it would be terminating the Arts, Culture and Diversity Program.”