“Over the past five years, the economic impact of the arts has grown by 25 percent. Nationally that figure is 24 percent. It also says over the past five years, employment in the arts have grown 26 percent, with 9,000 direct jobs.” But “according to the Giving USA Foundation, over the past decade, the portion of corporate donations dedicated to the arts has dropped by more than half.”
Tag: 08.22.07
Spanish TV Drops Live Bullfights
Spain’s public television network has dropped live bullfighting from its schedule. “Bullfight promoters say dropping live broadcasts is unfair to older people who cannot afford to go to bullfights. The sport, described so eloquently by Ernest Hemingway in Death in the Afternoon, still draws 65 million people annually, promoters said. But bullfighting has few young followers in Spain and most audiences are middle-aged or older.”
Society Leaves University Press
A scholarly society is moving its publications from a scholarly press to a for-profit publisher. “Some object to the move from a university press to a commercial entity and fear a lessening of commitment to important scholarship that may not make money.”
Royal Shakespeare Company’s Garage Sale
The company is selling 4000 costumes. “Many of the items sifted from the RSC’s enormous collections can be bought for as little as £2 and include garments worn alongside some of the theatre company’s most famous thespians such as Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Helen Mirren and Simon Callow.”
Longtime Stratford Director Retiring
Richard Monette led the Stratford Festival for 14 years. “The longest-serving artistic director of the Stratford Festival is retiring after 14 seasons, leaving behind a legacy that includes a fourth theatre (the 260-seat Studio), an acting school and a financially profitable operation.”
Conductor Sues Musicians In His Orchestra
“The conductor of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra is suing some of its musicians, saying they accused him of abuse, stalking musicians, working under the influence of alcohol and intentionally sabotaging performances.”
Can Technology Bring Kids To Books?
Minnesota librarians hope “a new after-school program that brings together video games, computers, tutors and books will attract teens who often socialize at the library and expose them to technology — including how to e-mail and use a digital camera — that they might not have at home. And while they’re at the library, the hope is that maybe they’ll pick up a book or two.”
Reading Nation …(Or Not)
“One in four adults read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.”
Rivals Team Up To Challenge iTunes
iTunes dominates the online music business. “First, Wal-Mart, the nation’s leading music retailer, announced that it has begun selling copy protection-free songs through its online music store. Separately, RealNetworks announced it is merging its Rhapsody music service with MTV’s Urge music store and Verizon Wireless’ V-Cast, which offers song downloads for mobile phones.”
Oh, That’s So High School!
This late summer, the entertainment getting the biggest ratings are focused on high school. “Every era, maybe every season probably seems special to its own constituents. Acknowledging that this, too, shall pass, I offer a modest proposal about the high school products on offer in the summer of 2007: Innocence, an especially keen yearning for a futureless state of suspended animation, is the transfixing allure of this year’s wildly popular productions.”