“With exhibits showing nudity and politically radical ideas, Qatar’s brand new modern art museum may raise a few eyebrows in the traditionally conservative Middle East.”
Tag: 12.10.10
Ireland’s Arts Council Escapes With 5% Funding Cut
“The conviction that the arts yield a good return for a relatively small investment, and that they are a vital component in Ireland’s international image, possibly saved the sector from more severe cuts in this week’s austerity budget.”
Is Anthropology a Science? Anthropologists Duke It Out
“Anthropologists have been thrown into turmoil about the nature and future of their profession after a decision by the American Anthropological Association at its recent annual meeting to strip the word ‘science’ from a statement of its long-range plan.”
The World Championships of Pole Dancing
“Riding a wave of popularity that has transformed a striptease genre into a cleaned-up and clothed version for fitness clubs around the world, … dozens of the world’s top pole dancers – male and female – gathered in Tokyo [last] week for the International Pole Dancing Championships, a premier event in the budding sport.”
E-Reader Star: The Romance Novel
“If the e-reader is the digital equivalent of the brown-paper wrapper, the romance reader is a little like the Asian carp: insatiable and unstoppable. Together, it turns out, they are a perfect couple. Romance is now the fastest-growing segment of the e-reading market.”
Detroit Symphony Reports $8.8 Million Deficit
“That figure, which includes a $6.7 million operating shortfall and about $2 million in pension obligations and debt service on the Max M. Fisher Music Center, amounts to almost 30 percent of the orchestra’s $29.3 million annual budget.”
Peter Marzio, Houston’s Museum Of Fine Arts Director, 67
“Numbers don’t come close to telling the complete story of how Peter C. Marzio expanded the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s collection, but they tell a lot.”
Uh Oh – Turkey Realizes Its National Anthem Isn’t Copyrighted
“The Turkish government is rushing to legally protect the country’s national anthem after realizing Turkey does not actually own the copyright on the work.”
Detroit Symphony Makes A New Offer To Its Musicans
“The proposal makes activities like chamber music, teaching and coaching voluntary rather than required under the contract. Players who elect to take on the optional work would make an additional $3,800 next season and $7,600 the following year.”
Italy: Of Culture, Politics And Conflict Over National Identity In The Arts
“What’s striking to an outsider about all this is the extent to which the state of Italy’s opera houses, and of the arts more broadly, remains central to public discourse, to national identity and Italian pride, even if most Italians today do not actually attend operas or visit museums.”