“They aren’t a luxury but an essential natural health service, the ultimate drop-in centre – preventative healthcare that is far cheaper than the NHS, and without a waiting list. Shame then that not only will our vital public spaces be among the first to bear the brunt of the cuts” but they also “seem increasingly restrictive of what you can do in a so-called public space.”
Tag: 06.21.10
Calif. County Scrambles To Avert Library Disaster
“The rosiest scenario for the struggling library system here is an 83% budget cut, which would force the immediate closure of seven of the 11 1/2 libraries but leave enough money to operate the rest — through December.” The whole system could shutter by month’s end, “making Siskiyou — an area bigger than Connecticut — the only county in California without public libraries.”
At Stonehenge Solstice, Criticism Of Funding Cuts
“The outcry from solstice revellers was led by the unmistakeable figure of Arthur Pendragon, a druid who believes he is an incarnation of the once and future king. Pendragon, who rejoices in the title of battle chieftain of the council of British druid orders, said he was not surprised that the £10m funding was dropped.”
Writing To Mr. Updike
Nicholson Baker digs up a fan letter he wrote on a sunny Sunday in 1985, happy that “the good thing about Mr. Updike is that he is a true writer, and writes out the contents of his mind.”
William Kentridge Wins Kyoto Prize
The award is given by the Inamori Foundation, which “honors individuals who have made ‘significant contributions to the betterment of society.’ Mr. Kentridge is best known for his animated films, which he calls ‘drawings in motion,’ about the history and social circumstances of postcolonial South Africa….”
The Reason For An Orchestra To Play Michael Jackson Is…?
“I suspect one factor is that on some level, an orchestra still functions as a signifier of high quality. Even people who don’t gravitate toward classical music may have a general idea that performance by an orchestra is the highest level to which music can aspire.”
The First iPad Opera?
“The work – a collaboration between Melbourne’s Chamber Made Opera, multimedia arts organisation Aphids, Amsterdam digital art clique Champagne Valentine and Speak Percussion – defies what many of us might consider a staid medium.”
Britain’s 20 Best Writers Under 40?
“Our list is based unapologetically on talent and, to a lesser extent, potential….”
Live Events – The Future Of Movie Theatres?
“Digital cinema can help theaters program opera, soccer matches, a lot of things. People have been really thrilled with the opera we’ve offered. But opera is not particularly mainstream, so there must be other things that can be even more popular.”
How Artists Can Fight Government Funding Cuts
“They should focus on an argument which will be found far more compelling: punish the arts disproportionately and you will bring down upon you the hell of the opinion-forming media, the chattering classes and the urban liberal intelligentsia. Cutting the arts, in other words, can be guaranteed to earn you a lousy press and lose votes – and there’s nothing politicians dread more than that.”