Category: issues

Until it closed last month, the 84-year-old Universal Studios Research Library was the oldest and largest collection of its sort in Hollywood – a remarkable resource for screenwriters, producers, art directors and set designers who relied on its books, magazines and indexed images to give their projects factual and atmospheric credibility. Now the library has been closed to save money, and its users worry about the fate of its collections. – San Francisco Chronicle

British museums – like those in most countries – have only a fraction of their collections on display. But some treasures haven’t been out of storage in decades. Now a British government initiative to get more of the art out to be seen. – The Independent (UK)

Is “modern” art soon to be relegated to the dustbin of history, recognized for the dead end some want to consider it, as Tom Wolfe prophesies? Not so fast, writes one critic. If history teaches us anything… – National Post (Canada)

Artistic partnerships are a mysterious alchemy. When they work, they produce art that exceeds either partner’s solo efforts. How they work seems to follow no recipe. – Feed

The famed theater is in such disrepair that experts want to shut it down. Despairing that the state won’t come through in time with needed funds to repair the long neglected building, theater managers have sent out an SOS to the world. – The Guardian

Are there too many artists with university degrees? “We can no longer justify preparing more and more graduates to compete more stylishly for fewer and fewer jobs inside the academic pyramid. But, the important question remains: What do we do instead? Do something, is the obvious answer. But what?” – New Art Examiner

But not for another 15 years. Britain agrees to grant artists a share of the resale price when their work is resold, bringing it into line with other European countries. London’s art sellers predict disaster. – The Independent (UK)

• JOB (IN)SECURITY: Now that Britain has accepted European Union proposals to impose a levy on art sales, employees at the UK’s biggest auction houses are worried about losing revenues – not to mention their jobs. – The Guardian
  
  
• A WATERED DOWN AGREEMENT: European Commission is unhappy with the deal. – BBC

We can’t simply have a Rose Bowl or a Chicago Stadium anymore. They have to be the RotoRooter Rose Bowl and the Wonder Bread Center. And now an airline has got its name plastered all over a Broadway theater. What’s next, actors trotting around stage with “Joe’s Sandwich Shop” stitched across their backs? – Chicago Tribune

The culture wars of the 1980s and early ’90s centered around public funding for the arts. After quieting down for awhile, art controversies are back – but this time museums are on the front lines. – New York Times

High-tech billionaire Michael Saylor, worth $13 billion at the ripe old age of 35, plans to give $100 million to launch a free online university. – Washington Post