Louvre: Sponsor This

The Louvre is looking for sponsors, as one of a series of reforms that requires museums to raise more of their own budgets. “The three main principles of the reforms are to give museums the freedom to manage money from entry tickets; full responsibility for their exhibition and display policies; and freedom to manage their acquisitions policy.”

London’s Stab At A Contemporary Fair

A new art fair dedicated to contemporary art is opening in London. “It is a momentous occasion because London has never hosted a truly international contemporary art fair before. The fairs that did take place were considered either too provincial or too traditional in content. And there were not, it was argued, enough collectors in the UK to make the journey worthwhile.”

Dewey Decimal Sues Hotel

“The nonprofit library cooperative that owns the Dewey Decimal system has filed suit against a library-themed luxury hotel in Manhattan for trademark infringement. The Library Hotel, which overlooks the New York Public Library, is divided according to the classification system, with each floor dedicated to one of Dewey’s 10 categories. Room 700.003 includes books on the performing arts, for example, while room 800.001 has a collection of erotic literature.”

The NEA’s Shakespeare Gambit

The National Endowment for the Arts’ ambitious new Shakespeare tour begins. “It is the launch of something that could change the political fortunes of the once-embattled, now-neglected national arts agency. NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, at a reception Saturday evening, called the high-profile Shakespeare initiative ‘a Hail Mary pass.’ Dana Gioia’s approach is to try to bring a lot of positive attention, a lot of positive play to the NEA.”