The Byzantine emperor built it in the sixth century to be the flagship cathedral of Eastern (and perhaps all) Christianity. When the Ottoman sultan conquered Constantinople in 1453, he converted it into a landmark mosque. When Atatürk’s secular revolutionaries founded the modern Turkish republic, he made it a public museum honoring both faiths and their histories. But next week, a Turkish court will rule on whether President Erdoğan can make good on his longtime campaign promise to (as his justice minister puts it) “see its chains broken and opened for a prayer.” – Public Radio International
Category: issues
Philippine Artists Fight Against Duterte’s Anti-Terrorism Bill
“The bill’s vague provisions make it easy for the state to target artistic and creative productions, especially critical, satirical or protest forms it subjectively deems as anti-government or subversive – or terrorist, in today’s cruder parlance,” says Concerned Artists of the Philippines secretary general Lisa Ito, who compares current conditions under Duterte’s government to the martial law period under Ferdinand Marcos. – South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
NYC Slashes Arts Education In Schools
Budgets across departments have been slashed as the city looks to recover from an estimated $9 billion loss in tax revenue due to the shutdown. Among the hard hit is New York City’s Department of Education, which will see $15 million cut from the $21.5 million budget for arts education services in middle and high schools—a roughly 70 percent reduction. – Artnet
Smithsonian Chief Lonnie Bunch: ‘I Want Museums To Be A Place That Gives The Public Not Just What It Wants, But What It Needs’
“I believe very strongly that museums have a social justice role to play. … I’m not expecting museums to engage in partisan politics. What I’m expecting museums to be is driven by scholarship and the community. … And if that means that museums have to take a little more risk, … then so be it. I would rather the museum be a place that takes a little risk to make the country better than a place where history and science go to die.” – The New York Times
Britain’s Arts Organizations Are Begging For Help. In The Rest Europe, They’re Getting It
In France, Germany, Italy or Belgium, where the arts are heavily subsidized by the state, performing companies and museums can survive with reduced ticket sales. But in Britain, where government funding is much lower and organizations rely on commercial income, most are unprepared for a future in which they can only admit a fraction of their usual audience. – The New York Times
Study: The Ideal Numbers Of Students For Online And In-Person Classes
Laurence Tomei and Douglas Nelson say that, as mentioned, online undergraduate classes should have no more than 12 students. In person, on campus classes should be no larger than 18 students and hybrid models should be only 17 students. Undergrad classes should likewise have an upper limit of 18, while graduate classes should have no more than 14 students and doctoral classes should be just nine or fewer students, though Tomei advised more research around that doctoral level finding. – Forbes
Surveying The Damage To Philadelphia’s Arts From Huge City Funding Cuts
The budget passed by the City Council cuts municipal support for the arts citywide by 40% to $5.84 million, and even that amount is $1 million more than the mayor proposed as he attempted to close a $750 million deficit. The city’s arts office has been eliminated entirely, as has funding to film production and historic preservation agencies, and hundreds of other organizations have taken hits. – The New York Times
Consolation: Philadelphia Arts Orgs Get $4 Million In COVID Relief
It’s a bit of welcome news after major cuts from the city government: “467 Philadelphia-area arts and culture groups plus more than a thousand individual artists are receiving a total of $4 million raised through … a multidonor fund assembled in response to the pandemic. … The fund ended up being able to make an award to every group that applied for support and met eligibility requirements.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
In Europe, Festivals Are Reinventing As Drive-Ins
Scandinavia is taking the most innovative approach to the notion of the drive-in festival. Between August 21 and 26, in the Swedish town of Karlskrona, the Carl International Film Festival will have 30 boat-in screenings. Taking place in the Salto Fish Harbour with two LED screens, up to 100 boats will be allowed in, drawing attendees from around 1,600 nearby islands, with food delivered to boats from harbourside restaurants. – Forbes
Bolsonaro Names A Soap Opera Star (The Second In A Row) Brazil’s Culture Secretary
“Mário Frias … is the fifth person to hold the role in the 17 months since president Jair Bolsonaro was elected and, like most of his predecessors, Frias has no political experience. … Last month, [Frias] participated in an anti-fascist protest in São Paulo and said that demonstrators were taking part in ‘organised crimes’ and should be considered terrorists.” – The Art Newspaper