Category: issues

“What, exactly, is the Cultural Olympiad? Mention it to senior arts figures and the reaction varies from wary diplomacy to hollow laughter. ‘It makes me ashamed of my profession,’ the head of one major institution told me. Some see the spectre of the Millennium Dome looming. Many worry about the money being spent on Olympics projects, when arts organisations are bracing themselves for cuts.”

“Washington continues to be consumed by economic turmoil, but cultural professionals say they are cautiously optimistic about the future of the arts under President Obama. Among the positive signs: The $50 million in stimulus money going to the National Endowment for the Arts, the additional $10 million for the Endowment in the recent omnibus spending bill and the decision to give a White House official responsibility for arts and culture, though this has yet to be announced.”

“Plans to upgrade the interior of the Sydney Opera House appear doomed after Kevin Rudd baulked at sharing the $1 billion [Aus] cost with the NSW Government. […] While conceding that he was open to being persuaded about the job-creation opportunities of the proposal, Mr Rudd said the money could be better spent elsewhere.”

“Does anyone know what a Cultural Olympiad will look like? Does anyone want one? London’s winning bid to host the Olympics included a programme for a Cultural Olympiad. So, we will get one.” But, with three years to go, the idea remains disconcertingly vague.

“A programme of more than 100 free events are to be held in Liverpool to build on the success of its year as European Capital of Culture. The 2009 plans include the On The Waterfront festival to reflect the city’s connection to New York and a public art event in the winter. … The 2008 culture year is estimated to have generated about £800m for the regional economy.”

“A group of hardline Saudi clerics have issued a statement urging the conservative kingdom’s new information minister to ban women from appearing in TV or in newspapers and magazines.” The statement reads, in part: “We have noticed how well-rooted perversity is in the Ministry of Information and Culture, in television, radio, press, culture clubs and the book fair.”

“I spent my youth in galaxies far, far away, and not just that one. In fact, my physical environment — I can only remember it hazily, but I think this is right — seemed to be designed to provide the maximum number of escape hatches from the real world. There were TVs in the basement, living room and my bedroom. We had one of the first Atari video game consoles. … But compared to kids growing up today, of course, I was Amish.”

“This is the plan to fully realise Joern Utzon’s vision for the building by creating an interior that is worthy of its sublime exterior. It involves nothing less than a complete rebuilding of the problematic Opera Theatre, with more room, better sound and sightlines, and a richly conceived decorative scheme. The renewal project would take seven years, employ up to 3000 people and cost an estimated $900 million. Some reports have rounded up the figure to $1 billion.”

“Organisations acting as sponsors must pay anything up to £1,000 for the privilege. This is proving prohibitive for some smaller companies around the world, and there is growing concern from us at the Royal Opera House, the Southbank Centre, the National Theatre and artists such as Antony Gormley, among others, that the new system has begun to affect the richness and excellence of the UK’s cultural offering.”

“Beauty can be abstract as well as visual. London is the cultural and gastronomic capital of the world. Better now to eat here than in Paris. Same goes for music and theatre. We spend more time in and more money on gardens than any other culture.”