Three year after absorbing a brutal 62% cut in its state funding, the Massachusetts Cultural Council has made slight gains at the legislature, receiving an additional $1.3 million in public funds for fiscal 2006. The increase, signed into law by the state’s Republican governor last week, puts the council’s overall budget at $9.6 million. Most of the additional money is meant to restore grants that were eliminated in the wake of the budget cuts in 2002. The governor had originally threatened to veto the increase, but changed his mind under pressue from legislative leaders and the public.
Tag: 07.06.05
Canaletto Masterpiece Up For Sale
“A painting by Italian master Canaletto is expected to fetch between £4-6m at auction in London. Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day is part of a £15m auction of items owned by Portuguese businessman Antonio Champalimaud, who died last year. The painting shows the Doge’s barge, the Bucintoro, with crowds on what is thought to be Ascension Day, when the Doge blessed the city.”
No Red Ink In Dallas
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has balanced its $23 million budget for the second year in a row, bringing in $8.48 million for its annual fund drive and boosting its endowment to $100 million.
Top Exec At BBC Scottish Calling It Quits
It’s an exciting time for the Glasgow-based BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, which has just extended the contract of its popular music director, Ilan Volkov, and will shortly move into its new permanent home in the heart of the city’s entertainment district. “By any yardstick, then, there is everything to play for in the orchestra whose technical ability and reputation has utterly transformed in the past decade and a half.” So why is the orchestra’s longtime general director choosing this moment to walk away?
Hizzoner Puts His Money Where His Budget Knife Is
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made a $20 million personal donation to the city’s arts groups through his preferred vehicle, the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Bloomberg has long been known as one of New York’s leading philanthropists, and while his donations to Carnegie have officially been anonymous, his willingness to spend his own considerable wealth on the arts has long been an open secret. “While the grants through Carnegie represent just a portion of the mayor’s overall philanthropy – last year he gave a total of about $140 million in donations to more than 800 institutions and groups – they are often vital to local groups that are struggling with fund-raising and, sometimes, have also struggled with budget cuts imposed by the Bloomberg administration.”
Edinburgh Summer Fests Going Through The Roof
Edinburgh’s multiple summer festivals are doing particularly well at the box office this year, with many upcoming events already sold out. “Ticket sales for this year’s International Festival are 14 per cent up on last year as theatre and dance fans snap up briefs for the most sought-after productions.” The book fest is selling at a record pace as well, and the always-popular Fringe Festival is on a steady track as well. Overall, it’s a positive sign for the arts in Scotland, given the recent history of government funding controversies and struggling companies.