Category: issues

“Whatever about calls for divestment or economic sanctions and protests such as refusing to buy produce grown in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the notion of a cultural or academic boycott leaves many, including some sympathetic to the Palestinians’ plight, conflicted or uneasy.”

“ACE’s Stakeholder Focus Research reveals that 44% of the general public support government subsidy of the arts, down from 52% when the research was last carried out in 2009. Only 12% strongly support it – down from 16% in 2009 – while 19% of the population oppose it – up from 14% in 2009 – and 7% strongly oppose it, up from 5%.”

“With more than $1 trillion in student loans outstanding in this country, crippling debt is no longer confined to dropouts from for-profit colleges or graduate students who owe on many years of education, some of the overextended debtors in years past. Now nearly everyone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is borrowing.”

“When the 12 writers left Pushkin Square at lunchtime, they were trailed by a crowd that swelled to an estimated 10,000 people, stopping traffic and filling boulevards for 1.2 miles. Many wore the white ribbons that are a symbol of opposition to Mr. Putin’s government. The police did not interfere, although the organizers had not received a permit to march.”

“The architect of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg is criticizing the waterpark and hotel proposed for a lot across the street at The Forks. In a letter sent to Winnipeg city councillors Thursday night, Antoine Predock said a water park ‘risks trivializing’ the area’s rich historic past and cultural district that is being built up.”

“Ishyo was granted an extension until 30 September. However, the impending closure of the arts centre demonstrates the lack of infrastructure to support the conservation of Rwandan culture. ‘We are an oral society,’ said Ruzibiza. ‘We are losing many people. The elders are dying and are taking all this knowledge with them. We have to take the opportunity right now to document everything.'”

As Chicago activists turn up the heat for NATO protests, many of them are making art. It’s a messy business with uncertain results – like democracy, they say. “There really has been a resurgence in the visual culture of protest. … It is all about branding the message effectively. Whether you’re selling a product or promoting an idea, a picture really can be worth a thousand words.”

“Dieudonné’s current show, titled Rendez-nous Jésus (Give us back Jesus), has been criticized in France because it features Holocaust denial, slurs against the Talmud and praise for Hitler. In France, he has to book his shows into smaller venues because established event planners won’t handle him.”

“The challenge is an old one in urban areas across the country: How do you resuscitate a community without condescending to it, while ensuring that long-time residents won’t be pushed aside, or worse, priced out? The partnership here in Savannah, though, is a particularly unlikely one, pairing the well-off students of a pricey art and design school with the low-income, minority residents of a community with scant interest in art and design.”

“Plans to axe 150 posts – a quarter of its current workforce – are being considered by Arts Council England as the quango tries to halve its running costs, The Stage can reveal.”