The music had not even subsided at the gala concert opening Scottish Opera’s new season last week when the company’s artistic director, Sir Richard Armstrong, mounted a furious challenge to the fiscal reorganization plan being forced on the Opera by the Scottish government. “Armstrong’s words suggested that the cuts forced by the Executive will, after the initial shock, be increasingly challenged… The structural underfunding which caused the gradual descent into debt has not been addressed, although clearly the hope is that there will be some future rectification.”
Tag: 09.26.04
America’s Global Art Program
The U.S. State Department’s Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation might be America’s best (and least known) method for building global good will. The program, now in its fourth year of existence, “assesses proposals for funds to local cultural heritage projects put forward by US ambassadors in 121 countries rated medium and low in the UN human development index.” The annual budget is a paltry $1.2 million, but considering where the money is going, that kind of cash infusion can go a long way.
Is Satellite Radio A Threat To Public Broadcasting?
“Starting next week, when Bob Edwards, the longtime host of National Public Radio’s ‘Morning Edition,’ returns to the radio, he will be heard not over the air on the FM band, but on the $10-a-month XM Satellite Radio service… But for most of the public radio establishment, Edwards’s new gig is a harsh reminder that the future of public radio is very much in flux. If listeners prove willing to pay for satellite radio, much as viewers decided a generation ago to shell out for cable TV, then NPR and other programming providers will be sorely tempted to follow the money.”
The Art Of Activism
Artists and musicians are no strangers to politics, of course, but this year, the Bush vs. Kerry presidential campaign has drawn the activism of an unusual number of musicians, actors, and other performers. Some of the newfound activism can be chalked up to Hollywood’s usual inflated sense of its place in the world, but the trend is far more widespread than a few loudmouthed movie stars. “So, is this an unprecedented convergence of art and popular culture in the 2004 election, or does it just seem that way? And more important, will it make a difference to voters?”
Modern Politics, Media Beget Modern Activism
The presence of a never-sleeping, always-hungry mass media beast may have a lot to do with the current bumper crop of high-visibility activists in the arts. In the years before all-news cable channels and the internet, artists who wanted to get involved may have figured that their efforts would be best concentrated behind the scenes. But in an age when getting your message in front of the public is all too easy, the allure of putting one’s face on a political cause is apparently all too tempting.
Do Edgy And Popular Have To Be Mutually Exclusive?
Minneapolis-based Illusion Theater is one of the theater-rich Twin Cities’ edgiest and most innovative venues, and yet, in an area which embraces modern art and modern music, Illusion can’t seem to draw a crowd. “This 30th season finds Illusion mulling its identity and wondering what it takes to get people in the seats. Among [local] theaters its size, Illusion cuts the slightest swath through the public’s consciousness.” The company faces an array of obstacles to creating a more prominent regional identity, but with such a high percentage of the Cities’ theater community pulling for it, some observers are saying that it’s time for Illusion to do more to help itself.
How To Build A Film Festival: Quality & Populism
What has made the Toronto International Film Festival such a major event, while other large fests remain decidedly second-tier? “Over the years, Toronto has become a kind of Canadian Cannes equivalent for North American journalists and moviegoers. It’s a great, awesomely packed film soiree that brings together movies, moviemakers, critics, reporters and audiences for a contemporary world film smorgasbord. It’s also a more accessible festival. Cannes, the queen of the fest circuit, is a professional festival that doesn’t sell tickets to the public. Toronto does — and it also allows the paying audiences to choose their most important prize.”
Digging In The Same Pockets
Big arts organizations are always in competition with their counterparts in the same city for the limited pool of donors available. Usually, all sides manage to keep it civil, but this season, the Canadian Opera Company has been embroiled in a nasty behind-the-scenes spat with the National Ballet of Canada over the timing of a major fundraising event by the ballet.
MoMA’s New Cover Charge May Be A Trendsetter
The Museum of Modern Art’s decision to hike its single entry fee by a whopping 67% seems like a calculated attempt to play to the museum’s base, even if it costs MoMA in the number of casual gawkers it draws. “The upscaling of MoMA is the clearest example of the ways that the nation’s top art museums are trying to change their business model. With attendance flat in recent years and many costs, like insurance and utilities, growing, museum directors see ticket-price increases as a way both to raise funds and to push more visitors to become members.”
La Scala Alleging Dirty Tricks in Muti Flap
The war of words between Milan’s La Scala and London’s Royal Opera House ratcheted up considerably over the weekend, with La Scala releasing a raft of correspondence which, it claims, show that conductor Riccardo Muti was not out of line in withdrawing from an ROH production. Meanwhile, the London house has announced that Antonio Pappano has agreed to cancel several U.S. engagements to replace Muti on the podium.