“It is sobering,” KAC executive director Lori Meadows acknowledged in an interview earlier this month.
Category: issues
Why Americans Don’t Understand Foreign Cultures
“It is not that Americans lack curiosity of any Âkind–Âbut that we seem to lack the right kind. Europe is overrun with young American tourists. Unfortunately, these college students tend to pack a dozen countries into a month or less. They often tote guides such as Let’s Go, which highlight the greatest hits and cheapest places and are written by, you guessed it, other American college students. That’s how we seem to read international literature as well. Let’s go, we might say, but let’s go easy. And Âcheap.”
Artists – A Need To Reinvent In Tough Times
“Today’s contemporary artists might extract lessons from previous downturns in this nation’s relatively short history, when some artists found ways to support their endeavors and even thrive. For better or worse, their strategies were often rooted in an understanding of the populist spirit that can rise to the fore when America hits hard times.”
Arts Money Survived In Stimulus Bill
“By a vote of 246 to 183, the House of Representatives has passed the $787-billion economic stimulus bill, hammered out Thursday between House and Senate conferees. And, lo and behold, there’s $50 million in it for artists and the nonprofit arts organizations that provide many of their job opportunities.”
The Arts – Now On Sale
“Many cultural groups, hit hard by the recession, are slashing prices at the box office. It’s a controversial tactic in the arts world, where profits are always hard-won. But by offering low prices on high culture, the new crop of deals provide an attractive access point, especially for casual fans.”
Is The California Arts Council A Joke?
“Newly elected chairwoman Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, owner of Feruzzi Fine Art, was elevated to the leadership post by her colleagues a few weeks ago. Having an art dealer chair the state arts council is sort of like having a slot machine manufacturer run the California Gambling Control Commission. On one hand, who would be better informed about gambling than a business that profits from it? On the other, surely you jest.”
Arts Money Back In Stimulus Bill?
Members of the House and Senate conference committee completed their negotiations of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with $50 million designated to assist the nation’s arts and cultural workforce through funding to the National Endowment for the Arts.
Why Chopping The Arts From Stimulus Makes No Sense
“From an economic standpoint, starving the arts is suicidal. Consider the case of the High Line, the park in the Meatpacking District. The City of New York invested $170 million in the project, which directly inspired as many as 50 major residential projects worth as much as $5 billion. And the park isn’t even open yet.”
Why The Arts Need Stimulus Support
“There is nothing in today’s culture that encourages young people to participate in anything more than the most ephemeral expressions of art. The idea of great art is downplayed or ignored, and people grow up consequently seeing less civic importance in theaters, symphonies and museums.”
California Is Last In Arts Funding (Again)
A new report “calculates that the California Arts Council’s $5.6-million budget comes to 15 cents per capita – 11% of the national average of $1.35. We’ve been in the cellar since 2003, when the budget crisis before the current budget crisis led to the agency’s gutting.”