Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario is laying off 71 employees as it begins work on its $195 million Frank-Gehry-designed expansion. “This likely is the harbinger of further cuts in staffing over the three-year construction period that is expected to conclude in the spring of 2008. The AGO has an estimated 450 full-time and part-time staff. The initial layoffs involve 58 staff members — 18 of them full-time — in the AGO’s retail and food/beverage operations, as well as 13 temporary employees.
Tag: 02.09.05
Arts Council England Salaries Have Jumped
“Arts Council England salaries have increased by an average of 66% in the past six years, despite a £10 million reorganisation in 2001 which was designed to cut costs, new research has revealed.” On top of that, Arts Council funding has been slated for a three-year funding freeze, amgering arts institutions.
A Translation Boom?
“Increasingly, writers, readers and publishers are turning to literature as a bridge between cultures, particularly Western and Arab societies estranged since Arab extremists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. This in turn is driving a boom in translation.”
Denver Station Broadcasts Controversial Buster In Prime Time
Not only is Denver public TV station KBDI airing the episode of Postcards from Buster that drew complaints from education secretary Margaret Spellings and caused PBS to cancel national broadcast, but the station is airing it in prime time. The broadcast will be followed by a public discussion of the show. “We’re not only pleased to offer the episode but want to use it as a basis for extended discussion on one of our signature, local prime-time public-affairs programs.”
Bush Favors Mall Site For African-American History Museum
George Bush endorses the National Mall as the site for a new national museum honoring African-American history. “A commission formed to establish an African American history museum on the Mall is considering four sites in Washington; only two are on the Mall. Many African American groups have said if the museum is not built on the Mall, they would consider it a slight.”
Central Park In Orange
Only a few days to go before New York’s Central Park unfurls in a wash of orange cloth, courtesy of Christo and Jeanne Claude…
Judge Dismisses Elizabeth Taylor Van Gogh Suit
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Elizabeth Taylor over a Van Gogh painting a German family claimed had been stolen by the Nazis. The 1889 artwork was bought by actress Ms Taylor at auction in 1963.
The Berman Factor
“Until January 2004, when he announced his retirement from the concert platform on grounds of ill-health, Lazar Berman played and recorded tirelessly, releasing studio and live performances that soon built up a discography of considerable dimensions. His concerto recordings include fabled accounts of the Rachmaninov Third (with Leonard Bernstein) and Tchaikovsky First (Herbert von Karajan). In an age obsessed with firework virtuosity Lazar Berman brought the requisite flawless technique – but one informed with a powerful Romantic urge. It was a deliberate reaction.”
Meet The Christo Groupies
New York officials are expecting thousands of visitors to come to the city to see Christo’s Central park Gates. “From art collectors to museum groups, tourists to paid Christo volunteers, the city expects 200,000 to flock to the city for the installation, which will remain through Feb. 27. Such figures, of course, are mere guesses for now. But there does seem to be universal agreement that in a traditionally slow tourism period, New York will draw record numbers of visitors, thanks to “The Gates.””
Factory Artists (21st Century Model)
“Cities like New Haven are installing artists in factories and other workplaces to see how technology, be it vintage or cutting-edge, can inform art in the 21st century. Under the auspices of Artspace, a local arts organization, 10 artists were selected last year to be in residence at Connecticut businesses.”