ART OF PROTEST

“Artists don’t understand politics better than anyone else. Why should they? So when they turn their political views into art, something often goes wrong. Not always, of course. Goya and Picasso made great art out of political protest, but did so by going beyond the issues of the moment.” A new show in London looks at protest art from the 1960s and ’70s. – The Telegraph (UK)

RUMORS OF ITS DEATH…

Even before the British Arts Council promised £37 million in additional funding, there were plenty of signs that regional theater is already thriving. Audiences are growing, communities are showing support, and theaters are discovering that their power is in numbers. “If one regional theatre thrives, so will others. If one closes, it threatens others. If you’ve got leprosy and your hand drops off, it doesn’t benefit the rest of the body. It’s still dying.” – The Guardian

DRINK UP

German Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder is about to become a pop star. “Earlier this year Mr Schroeder joked to an autograph hunter ‘Get me a beer or I’ll go on strike!’ as he toured eastern Germany to rally support for his centre-left Social Democrats. But his remark was recorded, and comedian Stefan Raab mixed it into a drinking song called Get Me A Beer!” – BBC