Category: issues

“The story of how Mr. Clough was caught in a collision of art and politics is in some ways a classic Washington tale: Outsider comes to the capital, crosses power brokers, shifts into damage control. It reflects the difficult landscape for the arts in Washington, where Republicans are ascendant, and arts leaders, nervous about budget cuts, are treading carefully.”

LA Times critics write about what could be improved about the condictions under which they see art.

The arts sector must turn its attentions from attempts to overturn funding cuts – however wrongheaded they may be – and start thinking about the future. In other words, the question must be “what next?”

The outspoken historian finds that a majority of secondary school students know only about isolated historical episodes, with little notion of how they fit into a larger timeline. (He also recommends a particular video game as a supplementary activity.)

“Gov. Chris Gregoire proposes eliminating the Washington State Arts Commission and slashing state funding for grants to hundreds of nonprofit arts organizations. Some lawmakers also want to scale back or repeal a separate program the agency runs that sets aside one-half of 1 percent from the construction of state-owned buildings to commission works of art.”

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Culture found that ACE “spend[s] far too much on itself,” called one of the council’s projects a “gross waste of public money” and a “failure of leadership,” said large institutions are overfunded at the expense of smaller ones, and told the council to sell art from its collection.

“It would be easier to count up all the squirrels in New York City than the artists who live here. But that’s not stopping a new cultural think tank, the Institute for Culture in the Service of Community Sustainability, from trying. … Does it matter if there are actually far more working artists than the city knows about?” (Yes.)

“In a hypercompetitive environment like this one, we need to look out for the artist with the talent and drive to make great art, but without an income stream that will support her as she makes it. The voices of these artists–the gifted but resourceless–risk getting shut out unfairly because many others have the capital and connections to bring their work to the attention of gatekeepers, even if that work is inferior.”

“However lively Madrid or Barcelona might look, and a visit to any regional city greets you with a spanking new public art gallery, something is missing. For all the late dinners and cocaine nights, gleaming museums and prestigious international shows, there is an air of crisis.”

Dennis Peterson came to a town near Nashville with plans to build a $750 million theme park. Local officials eagerly signed on. And yet, there are big warning signs…