Tag: 04.23.03

Judge Restores Harry Potter Books To Arkansas Library Shelves

A judge has ruled that an Arkansas school district must return Harry Potter books to its shelves. The Cedarville school district had voted that children wanting to check out the books had to get parental permission. “The Harry Potter books have been assailed by some Christian groups for their themes of witchcraft. The American Library Association says the books were the most frequently challenged of 2002, but rarely did those challenges lead to restrictions or bans.”

Close Call – Museums Shut While Building For Future

A number of big American museums are closed or closing (sometimes for a couple of years) while major additions/renovations are undertaken. “The spate of temporary closings represents a new phase in the building boom that began in the go-go 90’s, when institutions found it relatively easy to raise large sums. Some museums are refurbishing old buildings; some are commissioning new ones. Others, like the Corcoran and the Aldrich, are doing both. For directors who shut down their institutions, consequences go beyond the obvious loss of revenue and the danger that the museum’s support will erode. The impact is felt most keenly by employees who are laid off, but also extends to scholars who are dependent on easy access to artworks.”

Open Art Bazaar – Trying To Protect Italy’s Artifacts

There are about 6000 archaeological sites in Italy. And artifacts are stolen every day. Combatting the ever-growing trade in stolen art is a special squad of Italian police. “In more than 30 years of activity, the squad has retrieved about 185,000 works of art and 456,000 archaeological objects. The original force of a few dozen police officers has grown to 300, with branches throughout Italy and liaisons throughout the world. Its database of stolen art, called Leonardo, catalogs more than two million objects.”

Cincinnati Boosts Arts Spending

While cities and states across America are cutting their arts budgets, Cincinnati is doubling its arts spending. “Even as budget cuts are forcing the elimination of entire city services, city leaders are doubling government support of the arts. City Council will vote today on a plan by Councilman Jim Tarbell to divvy up an unprecedented $2.2 million in grants to 17 organizations, including $350,000 to the opera to help fix up the north wing of Music Hall. “I will admit that I don’t know much about the opera, the symphony or the ballet – though I do enjoy going to them. It has just seemed to me that the city must recognize its growth potential, and the arts provides the biggest growth potential I can think of’.”

New Jersey Artists Protest Cuts

New Jersey’s arts council says that Gov. James McGreevey’s proposal to cut the state’s arts budget by 50 percent rather than eliminating it is not enough. “Of the cuts McGreevey made in the budget – which include social service programs and higher education – the loudest outcry has been from arts groups, who have made daily pleas at performances, waged letter writing campaigns and sent a barrage of e-mails to lawmakers.”

States Supersize Copyright Laws

Numerous US states are introducing their own “enhancements” of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The new laws may make using a number of digital devices illegal. “By and large, the state bills don’t lay out specific devices that would be deemed illegal. Most follow along the lines of the proposed Tennessee statute, which would criminalize “any communication device which is connected in such a manner that would permit the unauthorized receipt, interception, acquisition, description, transmission or re-transmission of a communication service.”

XXX On A London Stage

A play billed as the “most sexually explicit ever to open in London” has made its debut. “The two-hour multi-media show involves naked actors performing simulated sex acts in front of video screens depicting further explicit sexual activity. Based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade, the performance ‘aims to challenge boundaries of what is acceptable without a moral judgment’.”