Category: issues

A year ago the Basques seemed “more optimistic than ever before about peace and prosperity in their little nub of Spain. Not only did the glorious Guggenheim Museum of Frank Gehry now hover over a once-nondescript city. But a truce declared by ETA, the murderous Basque separatist movement, was holding. Since then, ETA has assassinated a general, a politician, and a policeman, and the atmosphere is once again heavy with recrimination and uncertainty.” But perhaps the modernity of Gehry and of architect Norman Foster encourages Basques to look forward, not back” and towards some sort of resolution. – The Idler

Last year everyone in St. Louis arts management was talking about cultural tourism. This year it’s marketing. “The only way we can get on track is with a huge marketing campaign that lets people know everything available to them arts-wise in St. Louis. If we do a piddle here and a piddle there, it won’t get us anywhere.” – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

For decades tobacco manufacturers have been major sponsors of the arts in Canada. Now, “determined to rid Canada of the demon weed, earnest politicians have banned all cigarette advertising, and side-swiped the arts in the process.” Faced with gigantic holes in their budgets, some arts managers wonder where the next sugar daddy is going to come from. – The Globe and Mail (Canada)

The crush of tourism is threatening Egypt’s prehistoric sites, the Eighth International Congress of Egyptologists heard last week in Cairo. “Unless urgent measures are taken, Egypt will be left with not one prehistoric site intact.” – New Scientist

A group of senior execs in Canada’s high-tech industry banded together last week to demand more education money for the liberal arts, saying they can’t build the digital economy with technology grads alone. “A liberal arts and science education nurtures skills and talents increasingly valued by modern corporations.” – Ottawa Citizen

Even in a booming economy, a number of Atlanta arts institutions are struggling to stay afloat. – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Christie’s and Sotheby’s legal woes are well known. But on-line auctioneer E-Bay is also getting tangled up in legal challenges. According to court documents, E-bay is currently involved in three US government investigations. – The Art Newspaper

Lord David Puttnam – director of “Chariots of Fire” and “Midnight Express” and cultural advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair – urges educators and digital technology developers to work hand in hand. “Computers should not be viewed as simply tools…and arts subjects should not be viewed as lightweight pleasurable diversions.” – The Age (Melbourne)

Birmingham, England – once the butt of European jokes, a “city gripped by a concrete stranglehold” – is undergoing a design renaissance. Many observers credit Conductor Simon Rattle, formerly music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, for boosting civic morale and prompting the arts-led transformation. Rattle introduced the city council to the “idea that bribing key players in the arts to decamp to Birmingham would change its image. And it did.” – The Times (UK)

Australia’s debt-laden performing arts organizations will have to wait longer than expected for details on their nation’s agenda to increase arts funding. A recent study found that 31 of the country’s arts organizations were short on funds and “unable to keep pace with global competition,” but cultural ministers expected to announce their remedy unexpectedly cancelled today’s meeting. – Sydney Morning Herald