“In the past two months, the Indianapolis Museum of Art has seen its endowment drop by $57 million, causing the museum to implement a raft of cost-cutting measures and project delays.” Both the Indianapolis Symphony and Indianapolis Opera have taken similar measures in the face of falling endowment income and ticket sales.
Category: issues
France’s Plan To Help Economy: More Spending On Culture
“The French government has allocated an extra €100m to the ministry of culture to spend on arts and museums. The supplementary funding, which complements the 2009 Culture budget of €2.9bn, is part of a plan to help revive the ailing economy.”
Where Government Support For The Arts Is Up
The federal cultural budget of Germany has been increased–the fourth time in a row–by 3.5%, reaching €1.14bn in 2009.
Scientist: Stonehenge’s “Perfect” Acoustics Made It Ancient Concert Venue
“Using cutting-edge technology, Rupert Till, an expert in acoustics and music technology at Huddersfield University in northern England, discovered that Stonehenge’s megaliths reflect sound perfectly, making the stone circle an ideal setting for listening to repetitive trance rhythms.”
A British “City Of Culture”?
After Liverpool’s success as European City of Culture in 2008, the British government is “expected to outline plans to establish a British City of Culture prize, to be awarded every four years. The winning city could gain the right to host a number of key events.”
And You Thought The Kimmel Center’s Opening Was Messy
Rio de Janeiro’s showy new Cidade da Música, designed by Christian de Portzamparc, had its official opening just after Christmas, even though construction won’t be finished for six months. With costs having sextupled and Cariocas fuming that the money should have been spent on health, education and transport, the city’s new mayor has halted all work and spending on the project pending a major audit.
Arts Deals For Maryland’s Furloughed State Workers
“Maryland Citizens for the Arts, an advocacy group that has been active for more than 25 years, announced that several organizations have joined an effort to support the 67,000 state employees who are facing furloughs as part of a budget-balancing move. The employees will be able to obtain various deals, including free or discounted tickets….”
Luckily, It’s Not Like LA’s A Big Driving Town
“If you want to catch a weekend show in North Hollywood’s thriving theater district, better be prepared to step out of the performance once or twice — the city of Los Angeles wants you to move your car.”
Cincinnati Arts Groups Hunkering Down In Tough Economy
“Belt-tightening can be seen everywhere in the arts in Greater Cincinnati. Just as the nation is feeling the pinch in lost jobs, failing mortgages and tanking retirement accounts, local arts groups are reeling from the economy.”
How Liverpool’s Year Of Culture Changed The City
“There was a staggering amount going on: 7,000 events, involving 10,000 artists and 60 premieres. Sir Paul McCartney paid three visits, Sir Simon Rattle two, while Gustav Klimt’s metallic fantasies caused a stampede to Tate Liverpool.”