Category: issues

“A survey by the members of the Conférence Internationale des Arts de la Scène (CINARS) suggests that up to 600 out-of-country performances by 36 Canadian arts organizations could be cancelled in the absence of two cultural diplomacy programs and a stalling economy.”

“As online courses’ popularity continues to rise, many administrators are struggling with a steep learning curve, one whose ultimate end point is far from being determined. […] No two models are exactly alike, but as colleges experiment with ways to keep their faculty happy and their [online] courses high in quality, evidence of some common practices is emerging.”

The resort town on Florida’s west coast is well-known for its arts offerings (at least during the winter high season). Though reductions in state funding, sponsorships and subscription sales are causing some organizations (such as Sarasota Opera, Florida Studio Theatre and the Sarasota Film Festival) to revise their current budgets downward, many are finding that ticket sales are improving and that people seem to need the arts to help them through the economic decline.

“Ottawa’s municipal arts funding could soon be cut in half as city councillors prepare to debate a staff proposal for much-needed budget cuts. Should it be approved, the new budget would see a 54-per-cent reduction in arts, culture and heritage dollars and would mark the second cultural blow to Ottawa in recent weeks. On Nov. 7, the federal government scrapped plans to build the Portrait Gallery of Canada a permanent home.”

Madison, Wisconsin’s new performing arts center is having trouble making ends meet, and has announced a wave of impending layoffs among its staff. “Management also is looking at programmatic cuts as part of an array of plans for putting the center on better fiscal footing.”

An EU court has upheld a decision to strip the interlocking plastic bricks of trademark status – because how can you trademark a simple brick? “But, does it matter to you and me? Perhaps not. No one will force you to buy [competitor] MEGA Brands’ brick-locking equivalent and Lego is such a big name that it seems unlikely sales will be particularly affected… Children – like adults – often develop loyalties to toy brands.”

Following Milwaukee Shakespeare’s swift and unexpected closure last month, area nonprofits are understandably watchful. “There is one firm lesson, several people knowledgeable about the giving scene said: Organizations should do all they can to broaden the base of their support so they’re not as vulnerable to the distresses of one or a handful of donors. A second one that applies across the board: Now is a time to be wary.”

“At its first-ever public meeting, the regents of the Smithsonian Institution sat around a red-covered table and announced they wanted ‘a lively dialogue.’ The audience did not hold back. The first volley from the public, gathered in an auditorium at the National Museum of Natural History, was essentially this: Why didn’t all of you resign, since you are the people who picked the last secretary?”

It’s a piggy bank full of your money being spent on art. But is the bureaucracy of art in Houston now costing more than a Picasso?

“Unlike New York City, whose original Fiorello H. LaGuardia high school for the arts dates back to 1936, Los Angeles has never had such a school even though it’s home to the Hollywood film, television and music industries. Students at High School No. 9 will specialize in dance, music, theater or visual arts, with separate buildings for each discipline.