Although attendance at the city’s arts institutions remains down from prepandemic levels — with tourism, hotel occupancy and office attendance yet to fully recover — its cultural ecosystem has been showing signs of inching its way back. - The New York Times
Prior to yesterday’s UK general election, she was shadow cabinet minister for international development and has previously held shadow cabinet roles in housing, foreign and commonwealth affairs, and energy and climate change. - Screen Daily
Increasing protests around elements of corporate sponsorship of the arts – most notably last month, when support from investment firm Baillie Gifford for the Hay, Edinburgh and Borders book festivals ended after pressure from Fossil Free Books – are starting to make the sector look too risky for corporate brands to back. - The Guardian
While each example in the litany of headlines of late is unique, taken together, the drumbeat of bad news raises serious questions about nonprofit governance, and ought to shine a light on government’s increasing reliance on outsourcing vital services to unaccountable entities. - Philadelphia Citizen
"Incoming UK prime minister Keir Starmer will need to appoint a new secretary of state for culture, media and sport (CMS) after shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire lost her seat (in the newly-created district Bristol Central) in the general election." - Screen Daily
As UK Equity summed it up, "We’ll be pressing ... for UK arts funding to reach the European average, ... to make Universal Credit fairer for freelancers, to ensure public subsidy only supports work on decent union terms and to fight for better rights in the video games and TV commercials sector." - Variety
First Minister John Swinney has criticised the “misplaced” targeting of the firm, while Scottish culture secretary Angus Robertson has warned that disinvestment campaigns were posing an “existential threat” to arts organisations at a time when many of them were already in “financial distress.” - The Scotsman (MSN)
Right now, after the chaos of the COVID years and amid a cost of living crisis, many in the sector are feeling like arts funding is at an all-time low… Or is it? - ArtsHub
"The findings … will likely surprise no one as they reflect the 'mixed picture' of the broader economic outlook. So, while there are many more new projects that have been completed or that lie ahead, spending on newly announced projects is lower, amid broader belt-tightening in the arts world." - Artnet
The State Department introduced 11 global music ambassadors who are charged with bridging cultural divides through poetry and melody at a time when the chasm separating Americans from each other and their neighbors abroad seems wider than ever. - Washington Post (MSN)
"Gradually, then all at once, the NDA became enmeshed in every part of our lives. … No one can say how many are signed every day because NDAs often prohibit even the acknowledgment of their existence, but lawyers attest that (it) is now one of the most commonly signed contracts." - The Cut
Our current system of grading reinforces practices set in a time far different from that of the present, with different values and ideas. As knowledge becomes exponentially more important over time, the way we teach it needs to change. - 3 Quarks Daily
The first budget proposal the governor made suggested a 58% cut to California’s state arts programs. Among those cuts is a $10 million reduction from $26 million to $16 million to the California Arts Council (CAC), the state agency that supports local arts infrastructure. - CultureOC
DeSantis said the cause was Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival, which he characterized as being overtly “sexual” and therefore an inappropriate recipient of state funds. While it’s unclear if the Orlando festival was slated to receive any money from the grants, the state of Florida awards money for cultural projects based on a ranked list. - ARTnews
Thangam Debbonaire, 57 — a former professional cellist who danced at raves in her college days and has lines of poetry tattooed on her forearm — was in charge of developing Labour’s election promises on the arts. Those include more art, drama and music classes in schools, and a crackdown on ticket scalping. - The New York Times
