Category: issues

“In Columbus, Ohio, a number of arts groups are doing what American businesses started doing a long time ago: outsourcing. The recession hit nonprofits hard, and now these organizations have no choice but to become more efficient. So they’re handing over the “back office” to the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, or CAPA.”

Google is the “arbiter of every single thing on the Web, and it favors its properties over everyone else’s. “What it wants to do is control Internet traffic. Anything that undermines its ability to do that is threatening.”

“Prices are being inflated after touts snap up tickets for events which they have no plans to attend. The more traditional operation also continues when touts target fans outside gigs and matches and charge huge mark-ups.”

“Arts Council England chief executive Alan Davey has called on the cultural sector to help it make a ‘rational’ argument to government about the importance of funding for the arts, in order to avoid heavy cuts in this autumn’s spending review.”

“When you teach English to college students, you quickly realize two things. First, many seem to have received little writing instruction in high school. … [Second,] correcting students’ papers is tremendously time consuming. … If it takes me all weekend to correct 40 papers, how can a high school English teacher begin to tackle 120 papers (four sections, 30 students per section) in a detail-oriented way?”

All of the major New York cultural organizations that operate on municipal property accept liability for any injuries or incidents that happen on that property – all except Lincoln Center. Now the City wants Lincoln Center to give the same indemnity that the Met Museum and the Brooklyn Academy of Music do. Lincoln Center is resisting.

“When is a cartoon not ‘just’ a cartoon? Well, perhaps when an entire nation decides to ban its citizens’ access to Facebook over a page spawned by an illustration. An illustration that, in turn, was created to support an animated cartoon show.”

“Maryland already has 18 state-approved arts districts, including two in Baltimore. In each district, developers receive property tax reductions for building or renovating arts-related properties. In addition, artists are exempt from Maryland income tax for work created in the district.” The cost of the exemption to the state is unknown.

“Religious conservatives argued that the gay singer would tarnish the image of the north African kingdom were he allowed to perform at the Mawazine World Rhythms festival in the capital Rabat. Despite the opposition, the singer will head the festival, … which brings together musicians from 50 countries and is backed by King Mohammed.”

Robert McCrum: “How many ‘real books’ enjoy ‘darkness and silence’ today? Not many. In 2010, the world of books, and the arts generally, is a bright, raucous and populist place. The internet – and blogs like this – expose everything to scrutiny and discussion. There’s a lot of self-expression, but not necessarily much creativity.”