Category: issues

“A court [in Istanbul] on Friday charged Fazil Say, a classical and jazz pianist with an international career, with insulting Islamic values in Twitter messages, the latest in a series of legal actions against Turkish artists, writers and intellectuals for statements they have made about religion and Turkish national identity.”

The album defined South African township sound for a generation – but along with its success at getting the word out about black musicians came Simon’s deliberate choice to ignore a cultural boycott, not to mention accusations of appropriation. What do we think now, a quarter-century later?

“If anything, this is an even bigger win for the rest of the US than it is for Kansas. For years, conservative ideologues have been trying to kill funding for the arts at the state level, but the threat of losing matching federal funds from the NEA had always held them in check. So finally, one governor follows through and eliminates funding entirely, and he gets lambasted mercilessly for it all year and has to reverse his stance in the very next budget.”

The ten-month dispute between the unionized handlers and the auction house is resolved.

“The lawyer for three members of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot, who are currently awaiting trial for an allegedly blasphemous protest in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral … says only appeals from Western celebrities and high-profile cultural figures can save them from further criminal charges and long jail sentences.”

The more the informational bombardment traps us in the here and now, the more we seek fictional escapes into the there and then. The one produces the other. Why?

“Javier Krahe, who has been a popular and provocative figure in Spain for nearly half a century, … faces up to a year in prison after being prosecuted for ‘offending religious feelings’ in relation to a short film he made more than 30 years ago that claimed to show ‘how to cook Jesus Christ’.”

Yes, the reign of Elizabeth II has seen the loss of empire and great political and social tumult, but during her reign Britain has seen a truly extraordinary set of achievements in the arts, architecture and technology.

“The region’s cultural organizations are showing signs of recovery from the fiscal crisis and deep recession that began in 2007, according to an annual survey conducted by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Individual giving is up, foundation support is up, earned income is up, and even some hiring is under way.”

Limelight, the Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s performing arts magazine, has cooked up a vicious, vicious video inviting us all to decide which city is Australia’s cultural capital. (The magazine has also done a serious study of the two cities’ offerings in seven categories, but only print subscribers are allowed to read it.)