Issues

Michelle Goldberg: “When I think back, from my obviously privileged position, on the texture of daily life during the past four years, all the attention sucked up by this black hole of a president has been its own sort of loss. Every moment spent thinking about Trump is a moment that could have been spent contemplating, creating or appreciating something else. Trump is a narcissistic philistine, and he bent American culture toward him.” – The New York Times

“It would be easy to dismiss a surfeit of depressed artists as the most minor of national considerations, given the loss of jobs across the spectrum, but it is important to examine how we got to this point, and why there should be an onus on our politicians to take more care in their consideration of our collective fate.” – MAX

“Starting Friday, France will go into a nationwide lockdown with just schools and essential businesses staying open until Dec. 1, while in Germany, the new measures will close restaurants, bars, gyms and cultural spaces like theaters for one month, but exempt schools and shops.” – The New York Times

San Francisco has set up free hubs. So far, 1,100 students are enrolled in the free hubs, where community groups provide full-time academic support and activities at 55 city sites, including recreation centers, libraries and other locations. – San Francisco Chronicle

Originally posited as a “suit over artistic freedom,” the case quickly turned into a question of equal protection (performances vis-a-vis church services and political protests), and then into a debate over logistics. – San Francisco Classical Voice

“Crafting laughs is the most high-stakes form of creation. It is intrinsically difficult, as ‘funny’ varies from person to person in a way that ‘sad’ or ‘romantic’ just doesn’t. Plus, it is a medium that demands success, because a failed gag is excruciating, like OK-ish results in other artforms never will be.” – The Guardian

In 2012 after the murder of Trayvon Martin my only employee at the time, a Black male, called to tell me that he was scared to leave his home, but didn’t want to let me down by not showing up to work. I told him to please take care of himself and to not worry then hung up. That conversation was a turning point for me. – WESTAF

With the country setting new daily records for infections, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has ordered that movie theaters, concert halls, opera houses, live theaters, and gyms (which include dance schools) must shut down completely until at least November 24. – Variety

“As the 9pm to 6am curfew now covers roughly half of France, … culture minister Roselyne Bachelot unveiled a new €115 million support package, split between the cinema (€30 million) and the live performance sector (€85 million).” – The Local (France)

While Royalty Exchange might sound like a dating service for those in the peerage, it’s actually a company geared to assisting artists looking to auction off some of their most valuable assets: their royalties and residual rights. Royalties and residuals are contract-guaranteed percentages doled out to creators and performers based on the use or performance of works they were involved in. And participation in a hit song, movie or TV show can mean they rack up pretty fast. – Los Angeles Times

While these more traditional education platforms have seen huge spikes in users and funding during the pandemic, consumers have also demonstrated a growing appetite for online classes geared toward entertainment and enrichment. MasterClass is adding more content, while Airbnb and Instagram Live have emerged as learning hubs, with influential instructors teaching everything from dance to poetry writing to cocktail making. – Fast Company

The bailout came to more than 2,000 arts organizations and venues in Britain (and U.S. arts groups are feeling quite jealous). But: “For many, the joy might not last long. The terms of the grants state that they must be spent by Mar. 31 next year. After that, on Apr. 1, if institutions can’t operate profitably with social distancing limiting numbers, many will again face the prospect of layoffs or closing.” – The New York Times

That’s especially true for women, especially women of color, Jewish women, and other women who face abuse on multiple fronts. “There are much wider implications for democracy when women are reluctant to come forward for fear of the abuse they will suffer.” – Irish Times

A coalition of theaters are lobbying New York State for special permission to present ticketed performances to reduced capacity, socially distanced audiences. Because of their open spaces and flexible designs, these theaters argue that they can safely return to business now or soon, before standard theaters do. At present, though, only rehearsals, gallery exhibitions and film shoots are allowed. – The New York Times

“[A package exploring] how fear informs the culture that we consume. … Chronicle classical music critic Joshua Kosman tells us how music can stoke terror in us with just a few notes. Chronicle theater critic Lily Janiak shows us how fear can be used to our advantage. And Chronicle movie critic Mick LaSalle explains how we’ve been living in a time of fear for 20 years, with a two-decade span of film that’s been reflecting the concerns around us.” – San Francisco Chronicle

This round of money to 588 organizations, part of the government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, “comes under a week after the council awarded £257 million ($333 million) to 1,385 organizations. … For the latest round of funding, institutions are eligible to receive up to £1 million in individual grants.” – Artnet

The James Beard Foundation has halted its annual restaurant awards for at least another year and is in the midst of a messy foundation-wide reckoning. The World’s 50 Best has shifted its focus from restaurant ranking to industry recovery. And Michelin, the most storied name in the restaurant-awards game, announced that it has indefinitely delayed the release of its 2021 guides in America. – Grub Street

Here’s how it works. Individuals and/or organizations can apply for funds, proposing a specific use case and budget for how the funds would be used. Each council member appoints a community member who reviews applications, which helps mitigate the probability that politics is injected into the equation. These community members will assess the applications and award funds. One of the important implicit benefits of that approach is that it engages community members and civic participation. – Forbes

At a Senate hearing on Wednesday in Canberra, officials at first weren’t able to say at all how much of the aid had been distributed to struggling arts organizations. Later, they said that just under $50 million had been allocated, all of it to film and television; meanwhile, those who work in live performance and visual art grow ever more desperate. – The Guardian

“That shocking stability is exposing a long-standing disconnect: Without the college experience, a college education alone seems insufficient. Quietly, higher education was always an excuse to justify the college lifestyle. But the pandemic has revealed that university life is far more embedded in the American idea than anyone thought. America is deeply committed to the dream of attending college. It’s far less interested in the education for which students supposedly attend.” – The Atlantic

“Until its COVID-forced closure in March, the Kimmel was earning 93% of its income,” mainly from touring Broadway shows and rent from its resident groups, “leaving just the small remainder to be made up in donations — an unusually lopsided ratio among nonprofits. Now, though, with ticket sales gone, the Kimmel cannot lean on a list of loyal donors to the extent that some other groups can.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“According to study authors, the creativity toolkits used in the arts and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are actually very similar. Fundamentally, both rely on being open to new ideas, employing divergent thinking, and maintaining a sense of flexibility, they say.” – Fast Company

The history teacher’s lesson “was related to the ongoing trial over the 2015 attack at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which came under fire for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamist extremists killed 12 people, and 14 defendants stand accused of giving the gunmen logistical support.” Protests in support of the teacher erupted across France over the weekend. – NPR

It’s remarkably reminiscent of the NEA Four, for those who lived through that terrible time: A queer artist wants to use their body for their work; gets approval and funding; word is leaked to conservative outlets; said outlets absolutely flip out and condemn the council; council removes funding. All too gross and familiar. “The decision to kill the contract raises worrying questions about the potential government overreach and the possibility of censorship in Australian cultural policy at a time when the financial crisis in the sector is already threatening to shut out marginalised voices for good.” – The Guardian (UK)

One jazz venue: “Our club has £52 left in our business account for the future. … Without change I fear that the future of the arts in this country, especially for those less well off, will be in jeopardy.” – The Guardian (UK)

The new €50 million support for live events in 2021 (as well as funding for music and equipment grants) for next year in Irish venues, announced in this week’s budget, is the first time the commercial entertainment sector has received state support. – Irish Times

“The policy, billed as the Basic Income Pilot for Artists, outlines details including directing almost $6 million in funding to arts organizations, artists, art teachers, and cultural workers, in addition to a Universal Basic Income program. Under the basic income, 130 artists will be selected to receive the [$1,000] monthly stipend for at least six months, beginning in early 2021.” – Artnet

A formal complaint filed with Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority charges that Boris Johnson’s government is insisting that all organizations receiving rescue money from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund promote the Fund on their social media accounts. – The Independent (UK)

Ticketmaster’s exposure to refund claims is uncertain. The company tells its customers that it pays refunds for all canceled shows in about 30 days. But the coronavirus shutdown has dealt a severe economic blow to Ticketmaster and its corporate parent, Live Nation Entertainment; the company reported that its revenue for the second quarter this year dropped 98 percent from the same period in 2019. – The New York Times

“The health care and retirement systems by which performing artists sustain themselves have fallen apart in the pandemic with potentially catastrophic results on both personal and systemic levels. There has to be a better way to do this.” Chris Jones explains how the crisis has come about, why a turf war between unions is making it worse, and why the public should care. – Chicago Tribune