"After Birmingham city council declared itself in effect bankrupt this month, there has been growing speculation about what assets could be sold to help balance its books, with concern for the Library of Birmingham and the city’s main museum and art gallery." - The Guardian
Such systems, sculpted for an industrial society, falter in the face of a postindustrial, information economy. Schools were built for a world before the vast library of human knowledge became instantly accessible at our fingertips, through the computers on our desks and smartphones in our pockets. - The Guardian
"Unlike its streamlined, efficient former self, Google Search is now bloated and overmonetized. It's harder now to find answers that feel authoritative or uncompromised. … Using Google once felt like magic, and now it’s more like rifling through junk mail, dodging scams and generic mailers." - MSN (The Atlantic)
Many of the results show consistency with the last survey in 2019: 97% of Australians engage with the arts, 84% acknowledge positive impacts of arts and creativity, 73% believe that First Nations arts and culture are an important part of Australia’s culture and 61% agree culture and creativity should receive public funding. - Limelight
While U.S. universities charge ever higher tuition in an arms race for the best facilities and research, leading to a soaring student debt crisis, U.K. universities have the opposite problem. They aren’t able to charge enough. They are cutting back on everything from research to teacher salaries to dorm rooms. - The Wall Street Journal
"The Manitoba Arts Council would receive $20 million in funding annually — up from $6 million a year — if the Liberals are elected on Oct. 3, (provincial party leader Douglas Lamont) said." - CBC
In instants on September 11, the floodwaters "destroyed a cradle of Libyan culture" - by neglect and design from authorities who don't care for rebellious poets. - The New York Times
A "best and final offer" before today's meetings may lead to a deal soon, but the writers say this is a management-side leak and that the WGA needs to stay focused and strong. - The Hollywood Reporter
"Puy du Fou has been voted the best amusement park on Earth despite having no rides, just swashbuckling re-enactment shows with fireballs, sword fights, shipwrecks and chariot races that draw millions in France, … despite criticism from some ... that its traditionalist framing of history is spurring rightwing culture wars." - The Guardian
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced additional investments in the arts through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for a combined total of $6.25 million focused on supporting arts and cultural institutions led by diverse artists and groups. - CBS News
Mark Ball and Aaron Wright are eager to recapture that past glory and make new connections with a programme in which established artists, rising stars and rebels rub shoulders, and different, hybrid modes of presentation are celebrated. - The Stage
"Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a budget trailer bill allocating an estimated $11.5 million to small performing arts organizations to help them recover from the pandemic and comply with AB5, the 2019 law requiring more workers to be paid as employees instead of independent contractors." - MSN (San Francisco Chronicle)
Mayor Eric Adams convened the inaugural meeting of the first-ever Live Performance Industry Council, which features a mix of leaders representing the theater, music and dance industries from the city’s arenas, cultural institutions, unions, nonprofit sector and city government. - The Hollywood Reporter
