Category: issues

Chicago’s Mayor Daley doesn’t just pay lip service to the arts. “He has realized that good arts and entertainment is good for the city, and, in a non-artsy way, he has given the arts of Chicago a public and accessible forum.” Better yet, his attentions are resulting in things happening for the arts. – Chicago Tribune 10/01/00

Is England “an average nation with a fairly typically chaotic past?” You might think so given the lack of care with which modern-day Britons view their own history. But a new book and BBC series seek to take a fresh look at the country’s identity. – The Sunday Times (UK) 10/01/00

Delegates to an international cultural conference in Greece have decided to form the International Network for Cultural Diversity. The organization will endeavor to protect local cultures. “We want this to be a legal and enforceable agreement that will give countries the ability to support culture and diversity and to stand up to trade measures that are infringing on their cultural sovereignty.” – CBC 09/29/00

The handwriting of the ancient queen Cleopatra has been discovered on papyrus stored in a mummy in Berlin. “Cleopatra’s signature can be found in just one word: ‘genestho,’ which means ‘Make it so!’ It is the formula for the royal authorization, and had to be added by the ruler’s own hand.” – Discovery 09/29/00

Americans are big players in London’s current cultural boom. “Today, as London is seeing the greatest cultural expansion in its history — a $600 million millennium effort financed partly by England’s national lottery and partly by private donations — a list of many of the largest donors reads like a Who’s Who of American philanthropy. New galleries, courtyards, libraries, reading rooms and additions are being christened with names like Annenberg and Sackler.” – New York Times 09/28/00 

Finding ways to “brand” your artistic director goes a long way towards defining the success of your arts organization. The Canadian Opera Company’s Richard Bradshaw has remade “one of the fustiest cultural institutions in the land into one of the hippest”. Conversely, the Toronto Symphony tried to position Jukka-Pekka Saraste as a stud and turned off the orchestra’s traditional supporters. – The Globe and Mail (Canada) 09/28/00

All the while Harvey Lichtenstein was building the Brooklyn Academy as a cultural force, he was bothered by the vacant property around the Academy building. Now he proposes an ambitious series of buildings – a visual and performing arts library, a charter school, a new- media center, a mixed-use arts complex, theaters, nonprofit offices, a museum, retail space, loft housing and a hotel – and has got architect Rem Koolhaas interested. – New York Times 09/28/00 

Ireland’s censor has just revoked a ban on a 1967 movie version of Joyce’s “Ulysses.” “The production, which contains all the sexually explicit language that made the novel notorious, is expected to be released to cinemas here for the first time. Film censor Sheamus Smith said it was ‘innocent stuff now’, and has granted a certificate for showing to audiences aged 15 and older.” – Nando Times (AP) 09/27/00

Government funding for the arts in Canada has declined precipitously in recent years – down by $41 million a year in Toronto alone. But Canada doesn’t have a tradition of individual giving to the arts. “Canadians donated $4.44-billion to charitable and non-profit organizations between 1996 and 1997, but only 3 per cent went to arts and culture.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada) 09/27/00

The international arts world has witnessed countless casualties these last few months, with orchestras and dance companies closing shop and widespread budget cuts near certain. Arts lovers bemoan the losses, but one critic sees the futility in trying to save the foundering organizations. “My heart goes out to stranded artists, as it does to shipbuilders and steelworkers whose jobs have vanished. But propping up arts companies that have lost their popularity and purpose is futile. Better, surely, to rally resources around the fittest ensembles, whose success may breed regeneration.” – The Telegraph (UK) 09/27/00