Category: issues

The National Archives Blurred A Historic, And Historical, Photograph Of The Women’s March To Blur Anti-Trump Signs

They did what? Yes. They digitally blurred the photo before it went on display in the nation’s capital. To quote one strong tweet about it, “This is some weird Soviet shit right here.” And to quote the Post itself, after the Archives apologized and took down the image: “In their initial weak defense, Archives officials noted that they had not altered articles they preserve for safekeeping, only a photograph for a temporary exhibit. We did not find that reassuring, as we said in the first published version of this editorial. Photo alteration long has been the preserve of authoritarian governments, most famously Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, who erased comrades from historical photographs one by one as he had them executed.” – The Washington Post

Today’s Theme Parks Are More Immersive, Interactive

Say goodbye, at least for the foreseeable future, to the topic-focused lands of yore such as Adventureland or Fantasyland, and think instead of story- and plot-driven lands that will place guests in the midst of an ongoing narrative, which bring with it new opportunities and challenges. They are, in essence, to quote the narration of the recent Disney+ docu-series “The Imagineering Story,” lands that represent a “living theater” where the guest can “play make-believe.” – Los Angeles Times

UK Funding Cuts Are Hurting Organizations’ Basic Operations, Warns Arts Council

“Funding cuts over the past 10 years are impacting cultural organisations ability to deliver non-artistic operations, such as site maintenance and recruitment, Arts Council England has warned. According to ACE, other areas that are affected outside arts organisations’ main programming, include investment in future technologies and staff training.” – The Stage

So What Is This ‘Festival Of Brexit’ Going To Be, Anyway? Here’s What Its Director Says

“It has been mocked and pilloried as a ‘festival of Brexit‘, but the newly appointed boss of the £120m nationwide celebration planned for 2022 has said he is going to embrace the cynics – and prove them wrong. In his first interview as the director of Festival 2022, Martin Green said the aims would be to bring the nation together, showcase British creativity, and on a basic level bring some ‘joy, hope and happiness’.” – The Guardian

Putin Enlists Major Cultural Leaders To Rewrite Russian Constitution

Wasting no time, the Kremlin on Wednesday posted a list of 75 members of a working group appointed to draft the constitutional amendments, including a range of political and cultural figures. Among them are Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and Zelfira Tregulova, the director of Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery, both seasoned political players. Both were among the public figures who served as his 2018 presidential campaign confidants. – The Art Newspaper

Is Boris Johnson Going To Disband Or Downsize UK’s Culture And Media Department?

There have been rumors in London’s government and business circles that the Conservative government will make major changes to the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport next month — and the DCMS is refusing to confirm or deny that it will be reduced in scope or made redundant. The rumors range from simply moving digital and telecom matters into another department to downgrading culture to a portfolio under a different cabinet minister. – Arts Professional (UK)