How DC-Area Arts Groups Weathered The Storm "Many of the city's museums and theaters went dark over the weekend" as the mammoth snowstorm struck, but the Newseum remained open, and "despite the snowdrifts and lack of public transportation, the show did go on at a few area venues." So did some rehearsals.

Washington Post 02/09/10

email this story | Posted 02/09/10@05:18AM

Brooklyn Cultural District Construction To Begin "The projects include the long-awaited new building for Theatre for a New Audience; a renovation of the Strand Theater building; [and] a third theater venue for BAM.... But the nascent arts neighborhood has had so many setbacks, it's easy to question whether these projects will be completed as scheduled, especially during a major recession."

Crain's New York Business 02/07/10

email this story | Posted 02/08/10@08:25PM

The USA's Sixty Biggest Donors Arts givers in 2009's top 10: Michael Bloomberg (No. 4), Louise Dieterle Nippert (No. 5) and Eli and Edythe Broad (No. 7).

Slate 02/05/10

email this story | Posted 02/08/10@07:49PM

Obama Names Chuck Close, Jhumpa Lahiri To Arts Panel Newly appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Chuck Close and Jhumpa Lahiri "will become the first visual artist and writer on an advisory panel weighted with actors and business people."

Los Angeles Times 02/05/10

email this story | Posted 02/08/10@07:00PM

How Eli Broad Has Changed LA Culture "Mr. Broad dominates the arts here with a force that has no parallel in any major city. Los Angeles would literally not look the same had Mr. Broad not chosen it as his home 40 years ago, and his business-focused method of managing his giving has earned him a reputation as both a genius and a despot."

The New York Times 02/08/10

email this story | Posted 02/08/10@08:28AM

Rethinking The Venerable University Of California "Should UC increase its use of online classes? Could bachelor's degrees be earned in three years? Should campuses eliminate small departments that are duplicated elsewhere? Enroll more out-of-state students to raise revenue? Boost research ties with private industry?"

Los Angeles Times 02/08/10

email this story | Posted 02/08/10@08:08AM

Has Pasadena Lost Its Way With Culture? "At the turn of the last century, Pasadena's love of the arts was part of what historian Kevin Starr called a "genteel tradition," which included a Shakespeare Club and a Grand Opera House. But these days, Pasadena's art scene is in flux."

Los Angeles Times 02/07/10

email this story | Posted 02/07/10@09:14PM

UK Universities Change Entry Requirements "Universities have introduced the changes partly because of surging numbers of applications -- with a rise of nearly 12% expected in national figures to be released this week."

The Times 02/07/10

email this story | Posted 02/07/10@09:05AM

When High Art Was Part Of The Ordinary Aspiration "In those days it was taken for granted that the upward mobility of middle-class Americans extended to cultural matters, and that anyone, educated or not, could appreciate highbrow art so long as it was presented in an accessible and engaging way."

The Wall Street Journal 02/06/10

email this story | Posted 02/07/10@09:00AM

Buried Under The Online Avalanche "Falling behind is the permanent state of being online. There's too much stuff. No one can see it all. (Or should -- becoming a pop culture connoisseur in the age of a bazillion memes would require such relentless viewing that you couldn't be a connoisseur of anything else. Like bathing.)"

Washington Post 02/05/10

email this story | Posted 02/05/10@08:25AM

Los Angeles City Council Saves Arts Funding "The Los Angeles City Council unanimously shot down a proposal Wednesday that would have eliminated guaranteed city funding for the arts, after listening to often-impassioned pleas during a public hearing on cutting government services and jobs in the face of a municipal budget crisis."

Los Angeles Times 02/05/10

email this story | Posted 02/05/10@06:16AM

World's Oldest Christian Monastery Completes Restoration "Egypt's antiquities chief on Thursday unveiled the completion of an 8-year, $14.5 million restoration of the world's oldest Christian monastery," St. Anthony's in the Red Sea Mountains. The monastery, which is still in operation, was completed in 350AD by the followers of its namesake saint, who is considered the founder of Christian monasticism.

Yahoo!/AP 02/04/10

email this story | Posted 02/04/10@09:57PM

Pop-Culture Smackdown: Indianapolis Vs. New Orleans One city is "famous for its sinful food and its scrumptious music and its freewheeling spirit, for legendary jazz performers such as Jelly Roll Morton. The other is a stolid, serious and responsible locale famous for ... well, Jared, the Subway guy. ... But America loves an underdog. And Indianapolis is no slouch in the cultural realm."

Chicago Tribune 02/03/10

email this story | Posted 02/04/10@06:47AM

Should There Be Driver's Licenses For The Internet? "I can hear the worldwide scream go up: 'But we're entitled to anonymity on the Internet!' Really? Are you? Why do you think that? … [In] the physical world we are implicitly comfortable with the notion that there are certain places we're not allowed to go without identifying ourselves."

Time 01/30/10

email this story | Posted 02/03/10@09:57PM

Site Of Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In Becomes Civil Rights Museum "[One] of the achievements of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which is opening Monday in that former Woolworth building, is that you begin to understand how such a place became a pivot in the greatest political movement of the 20th century."

New York Times 02/01/10

email this story | Posted 02/03/10@09:41PM

Philadelphia Unveils An Arts Festival (Minus The Content) The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts was hailed "as a breakthrough for what [the city's mayor] called 'the arts-and-culture-economy community,'" but what the festival will be remains a mystery. Organizers' strategy, "unveiling packaging before content" for the 2011 extravaganza, created puzzlement.

Philadelphia Inquirer 02/03/10

email this story | Posted 02/03/10@07:52AM

Barbican Box Office Manager Jailed For £33K Refund Scam "Over a period of 13 months, Christopher Todd, 35, transferred cash into his own bank account through scores of transactions involving unsuspecting arts lovers." A co-worker turned him in.

The Guardian (UK) 02/01/10

email this story | Posted 02/03/10@07:20AM

L.A.'s Arts Cuts Could Be Even Worse Than You Think "What's proposed? Cut the Cultural Affairs Department almost in half, laying off 48% of staff. … What else? Terminate existing contracts for arts grants that have already been awarded but whose projects have not yet begun. Suspend the grant program for 2010-11. That's right: Zero it out."

Los Angeles Times 02/02/10

email this story | Posted 02/03/10@01:59AM

Michael Kaiser: Where Are The Arts Important? Everywhere. "I was reflecting on the claims of too many politicians that the arts are the province of the elite in big coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles. … [But people] of all backgrounds and income levels are involved with the arts across the United States. Why else would 400 enthusiastic people come to my presentation in Kalamazoo, Michigan and 750 attend in Kansas City, Missouri?"

Huffington Post 02/01/10

email this story | Posted 02/03/10@01:58AM

Journalists, Stop Giving Away Your Work For Free! Alan Mutter: "Apart from the sheer righteousness of being paid an honest dollar for an honest day's work, journalists need to stand together - and stand tall - to reassert the stature of their profession. The reason is simple: If they don't put a value on what they do, then no one else will, either."

Reflections of a Newsosaur 02/01/10

email this story | Posted 02/02/10@09:29PM

Stop Writing Completely Except For Pay? That'll Be The Day Christopher Lloyd: "[When my newspaper clients lost their freelancer budgets entirely,] I had a choice to make. Take Mutter's high road, and refuse to keep supplying film reviews for free. … Or, I could keep slaving away without pay.  … I opted to go the second way. After all, I knew I wasn't going to drop my passion for film criticism. If I was going to do it, I might as well have it published."

Captain Critic 02/01/10

email this story | Posted 02/02/10@09:28PM

In Obama Budget, Arts Funding Holds Steady "Should the Obama administration get its way, funding for the nation's major arts and cultural institutions will stay largely flat, although a few organizations ... will see increases over what the president requested last year. In general, arts organizations seemed grateful that things didn't turn out worse."

Washington Post 02/02/10

email this story | Posted 02/01/10@07:28PM

Obama Budget May Be Bad News For Philanthropy Under the plan, "tax deductions for charitable donations will be capped at 28% starting in 2011 for individuals earning more than $200,000 and joint-filers whose income tops $250,000. ... So an arts philanthropist donating a $1-million gift to a museum or performance group would get a $350,000 tax break this year, but only $280,000 in 2011."

Los Angeles Times 02/01/10

email this story | Posted 02/01/10@07:08PM

Do We Take The Arts Too Seriously? "Art is often discussed in reverent tones, we invest in it, create daunting palaces for it. … The idea that seriousness is somehow a measure of value and that art needs to be treated seriously all the time is a weird one. Much of the time, people value things that make them laugh, cry, scream, think or [get] inspired - much more than they value the worthy and the serious."

The Age (Melbourne) 02/01/10

email this story | Posted 01/31/10@02:25PM

Arts Funding: Good Politics As Well As Good Economics The British Columbia government slashed arts funding last year, and the province's arts community expects the cuts to remain in place. But some advocates are adding another point to the usual argument that arts funding has a multiplier effect on the larger economy. "More importantly, despite what some politicians think, it's good and shrewd politics to support the arts. That's what Prime Minister Stephen Harper found out in Quebec."

Vancouver Sun 01/29/10

email this story | Posted 01/31/10@10:47AM

Bloomington, Ind. Eliminates Staff At Arts Center "The Bloomington Area Arts Council has laid off the entire paid staff at a financially struggling arts center. The five employees at the John Waldron Arts Center were told about the layoffs Wednesday. The center is expected to remain open, staffed by volunteers."

Chicago Tribune (AP) 01/29/10

email this story | Posted 01/31/10@09:23AM

Could Escondido's Arts Center Become A Shopping Center? "Escondido's performing arts center might become a conglomeration of government offices and retail businesses if city officials follow through on a budget-cutting plan that would shut down the financially struggling facility, but such proposals face a wide variety of hurdles."

North County Times (San Diego County, CA) 01/31/10

email this story | Posted 01/31/10@09:17AM

The Messy Intersection Of Copyright, 'Fair Use', Books, Film And Google Under the doctrine of fair use, a writer may freely quote a limited amount of copyrighted material. Documentary filmmakers, in an analogous situation, must get licenses for even small amounts of archival footage. Once those licenses expire, renewing them is complicated and expensive, but without such renewals, a documentary cannot legally be distributed or even restored. Could the Google Books-Authors Guild settlement push nonfiction books into a similar limbo?

The New Republic 01/26/10

email this story | Posted 01/28/10@10:07PM

'Housework Is An Academic Issue' "Since René Descartes, Western culture has stringently separated matters of mind from body. Housework is, however, related to the life of the mind. Scientists wear clean clothes to the lab (at least from time to time), eat food procured and prepared by someone, and live in reasonably clean houses. This labor used to be done by stay-at-home wives."

Academe (AAUP) January-February 2010

email this story | Posted 01/28/10@09:55PM

Aging Audiences? Hey, Who're You Calling 'Old'? "Those people in your audience who are currently 60, the ones who get hammered as 'conservative' and 'unimaginative'? They were born in 1950, which means they were graduating from high school in 1968. Maybe you've read about 1968 … it was the year America was on fire."

The Guardian (UK) 01/28/10

email this story | Posted 01/28/10@09:53PM

If City Of L.A. Cuts Jobs, Arts Will Be Hit Harder Than Most A plan to cut 1,003 jobs in Los Angeles government would fall disproportionately on the arts. "Libraries would see a 10% reduction in staff," while the city's "Cultural Affairs Department would experience a loss of 30 employees, or 48% of its workforce."

Los Angeles Times 01/28/10

email this story | Posted 01/28/10@07:09AM

At Davos, Margaret Atwood Schools The Global Elite "Unlike the discipline of economics, and indeed unlike money - a lately-come tool we invented to facilitate trading at a distance - art is very old. The anthropologists and neurologists are now telling us how old - it's as old as humanity. It isn't a frill. Art isn't only what we do, it's who we are."

The Globe and Mail (Canada) 01/27/10

email this story | Posted 01/27/10@10:03PM

Seiji Ozawa To Curate Carnegie Hall Japan Festival In 2010-11 The festival "will feature dance, Noh theater, taiko drumming, art exhibitions, manga and jazz, as well as performances by orchestras partly founded by Mr. Ozawa: the Saito Kinen Orchestra and the Seiji Ozawa Ongaku-juku." Much of the programming will also play at the Orange County PAC in California.

New York Times 01/28/10

email this story | Posted 01/27/10@10:00PM

The Cartoonists Who Chronicled Gay Liberation They "put everyday gay experience on the page. By default they were documenting the history of gay liberation in Britain. They turned gay people from the butt of the joke to those delivering the punch lines."

The Times (UK) 01/27/10

email this story | Posted 01/27/10@09:49PM

Have We Been Going At Arts Advocacy The Wrong Way? "It is intrinsically impossible to justify public investment in creativity using (economic) tools, because art's essence is its ability to engage us fully in body, emotions, mind and spirit, … Trying to explain or demonstrate this with numbers is like trying to describe a rainbow without mentioning color."

Orange County Register (Calif.) 01/26/10

email this story | Posted 01/26/10@10:07PM

'London In 2010, As Predicted In 1990' "Twenty years ago we published a magazine that looked ahead to London in 2010. Our team of experts foresaw futuristic monorails, machines to control the rain, and a city riven by class wars. Instead we have the London Eye, the Gherkin and a population in thrall to the iPod and the mobile phone. We went back to those experts to ask: how did we get here?"

The Observer (UK) 01/24/10

email this story | Posted 01/26/10@09:59PM

Paywalls For Newspaper Web Sites? Don't Try It, Says Guardian Editor In a lecture in London this week, Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger said that the move toward site-wide paywalls is based on a "hunch" and that it could lead newspapers on a "sleepwalk into oblivion."

The Guardian (UK) 01/25/10

email this story | Posted 01/26/10@09:48PM

Charleston Newspaper Enlists Syracuse Arts Journalism Students For Spoleto Coverage "The students will expand The Post and Courier's "Spoleto Today" staff by writing for print editions and producing online pieces to include video and audio components. They also will communicate with festival audiences through social media, including Twitter and Facebook, during the May 28-June 13 festival."

The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) 01/24/10

email this story | Posted 01/25/10@08:50AM

Haiti Culture In Ruins "Its vibrant arts scene celebrated the country's creation, and its public buildings sought to capture the elegance of a past that Haitians held onto though political trauma, staggering violence and a string of natural disasters. That alone has made the depth of the destruction of Haiti's heritage hard to fully capture."

The New York Times 01/24/10

email this story | Posted 01/24/10@06:13PM

In Bad Times, How Artists Make A Living These days, artists are "more likely to be stacking supermarket shelves, waiting tables or writing ­advertising copy by day, and acting, dancing or sculpting by night."

The Guardian (UK) 01/24/10

email this story | Posted 01/24/10@05:05PM