Category: issues

“The federal government’s 2012 budget outlined cuts of $9.6 million over three years to Library and Archives Canada and $1.9 million over the same time period for the National Arts Centre. Telefilm, the National Film Board, the National Battlefields Commission and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission also will be cut.”

“The federal government’s 2012 budget outlined cuts of $9.6 million over three years to Library and Archives Canada and $1.9 million over the same time period for the National Arts Centre. Telefilm, the National Film Board, the National Battlefields Commission and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission also will be cut.”

With almost a billion euros in annual arts subsidies, Berlin has transformed itself into one of the world’s major meccas for the arts. But tight budgets and a shrinking number of alternative venues have pitted established institutions against the avant-garde and threaten the city’s lucrative status as Europe’s self-proclaimed “art capital.”

“At-risk teenagers or young adults with a history of intensive arts experiences show achievement levels closer to, and in some cases exceeding, the levels shown by the general population studied, These findings suggest that in-school or extracurricular programs offering deep arts involvement may help to narrow the gap in achievement levels among youth.”

“The country’s rich artistic culture was destroyed in the 70s by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. Today, despite terrible poverty, a revival is taking place – and it is gaining international recognition.” The cultural ferment extends beyond salvaging the country’s traditional art forms: lively contemporary work is being made in fields ranging from painting to art rock.

“It’s not that I simply want a more imaginative future – it’s more the case that… there won’t be much of a future of any sort unless we’re prepared to become significantly more imaginative – most particularly in respect of the way in which we educate people.”

“We’ve drifted now way too far away from meaning. And let’s face it, we’re not the most intellectually rigorous society in the world — at least, we’re not where we want to be. Too many people just spend too much time watching the Real Housewives of [fill in the blank], and our brains are getting a smidge mushy on account of it. So I think it’s time for artists to come out and just tell us what’s on their minds. Challenge us for Pete’s sake! We can take it.”

“From 1 April 2012, it will become necessary to have a ‘Public Entertainment License’ to undertake any kind of public art in Scotland. Previously a licence was only required for events charging admission.”

“In the next three years, the Ontario government plans to winnow tens of millions of dollars from its support of the culture, tourism and sport sector, including a 23 per cent reduction in funding to Toronto’s high-profile Luminato festival and modest decreases in operating assistance to such venerable institutions as the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario.”

“Creativity is the most essential skill for navigating an increasingly complex world — or so said 1,500 CEOs across 60 countries in a recent survey by IBM. And yet federally funded research and development — creativity, institutionalized — is down 20% as a share of America’s GDP since the late 1980s.”