Adrian Ellis: “The sector is economically significant—we have the data on all those jobs created; on the new investment the arts attract to urban areas; and on those high-end cultural tourists seduced into spending more, staying longer and coming back again. The sector is also socially significant and is, at its core, the custodian of the world’s material and intangible culture.” – Wall Street Journal
Tag: 03.25.20
Germany Announces €50 Billion In Aid For Arts And Culture Sector
Yes, 50 billion-with-a-b. The package, which covers both small enterprises and the self-employed, “will come in the form grants designed to help with overhead costs like venue rentals and artist studios. Loans will also be available within the package to help businesses bridge financial bottlenecks.” – Artnet
L.A. Times Film Critic Kenneth Turan To Step Down After Three Decades
“Arguably the most widely read film critic in the town most associated with the making of movies, … Turan is known as a soft-spoken gentleman … in a [city] filled with brash and attention-seeking people.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Tony Awards Postponed Indefinitely
“Earlier this month, the theater industry announced that Broadway venues would go dark through April 12, and as the pandemic shows no sign of slowing down, that date is expected to be pushed back to May or June.” This year’s awards had been scheduled for June 7. – The New York Times
Will Movie Theatres Survive The Apocalypse?
Even during past recessions, consumers still flocked to theaters to forget their troubles. With ticketing and concession sales now evaporated, many analysts fret that some cinemas will not be able to survive without government assistance. – Los Angeles Times
Why Rebuild When We Could Remake? (Green)
They are asking for a $2 trillion commitment for programs that will create living-wage jobs, amped-up public health and housing sectors, and a pivot away from a fossil-fuels-based energy frame. Under their plan, the stimulus would automatically renew every year at 4 percent of GDP, or $850 billion annually, as well as give the public more of a voice in whether — and how — large-scale corporations would get bailouts.For now, the coalition recognizes that the focus should be on stopping the spread of coronavirus and mitigating all related health risks. – CityLab
Critic/Curator Maurice Berger, 63 From Coronavirus; Changed Museum Conversation On Race
“From a very early age, I understood that my skin had a lot of meaning,” he told National Public Radio in 2005. “It made me different in the projects, but it gave me power in the outside world.” It was a theme he would explore throughout his career.
Cotter Fodder: The Met Museum’s Sober Plan for the Virus Crisis vs. A Critic’s Pandemic Polemic
At a moment when museums around the country are shattered, shuttered and bracing for hard times, what could be more shockingly tone-deaf than Holland Cotter’s 3,000-word “manifesto”? – Lee Rosenbaum
Guess who I talked to today?
I am ecstatic to report that I just got off the phone with Mrs. T. It was, of course, a one-way conversation, since she’s intubated, but her nurse informed me that she is now fully conscious, nodding her head vigorously and moving her mouth in response to questions. – Terry Teachout