International News in 2002
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Arts and culture policy-related news from online news services. Subscribe to our newsletter, ACORNS. To alert us to international news please email us.
March 2002
Arts council changes tune with shift to folk and rock
The Scottish Arts Council has announced that upcoming music funding will focus on traditional music, rock and jazz. A council spokesperson said, 'Lots of areas have not had the resources or the attention paid to them and they will be our priorities for the next five years.' more >
April 2002
NAC announces new panellists
South Africa's National Arts Council has completed its first funding session for 2002, simultaneously announcing and introducing its new Advisory Panellists. more >
Primary schools adopting new way of creative writing
More junior primary school students across the island of Barbados should soon benefit from using an alternative way of writing creatively. The Barbados Government Information Service presents this news feature. more >
May 2002
Guide to arts education opportunities released
The US government's new bipartisan education act, 'No Child Left Behind', includes the arts in the definition of 'core academic subjects'. This could lead to a huge improvement in national education policy. more >
Arts education money slashed in California budget
One year after California's Governor Gray Davis lifted the hearts of arts teachers across the state by showering the California Arts Council with money, he has proposed slashing its budget by more than half. more >
Why arts coverage should be more like sports coverage
Senior Editor Chris Lavin, from the San Diego Union-Tribune, wrote and delivered this speech last week to the national convention of arts service organisations. more >
Lobbyists toast new copyright act
Champagne was flowing freely in room B-340 of the Rayburn House office building on Thursday afternoon as scores of politicos gathered to toast a controversial copyright law. In between raised glasses of bubbly, some of Washington's most influential lobbyists and politicians sung the praises of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and said it had successfully limited piracy and promoted creativity. more >
Readers desert UK libraries
Readers are deserting Britain's libraries, depressed by their shabby decor, peculiar opening hours, and the impossibility of getting hold of a new bestseller. However, more people use the service access the internet and study. more >
Donkeys and elephants inject politics into art
In Washington, a conflict involving the First Amendment is increasingly likely to go to court. It is the latest example of the vexing questions that arise when officials pay for exhibitions and think that they can decide what is appropriate. more >
Former Australia Council chief lands top gig in London
Another Australian has landed a plum British cultural job, with the surprise appointment of Sydney Opera House CEO and former Australia Council boss Michael Lynch as the head of central London's most controversial arts complex, the South Bank Centre. more >
2002-2003 'South African Handbook on Arts and Culture' launched
The second edition of the 'South African Handbook on Arts and Culture' was launched in April, in response to numerous local and international requests for an updated version. more >
Producers unite against American rule
The controversy generated by the US Screen Actors Guild's 'Global Rule One' has been reverberating at Cannes, where producers from five English-speaking countries have joined forces to denounce the guild's attempt to 'impose working conditions on actors beyond the union's jurisdiction'. more >
Canadian Booksellers angered at the expansion of Amazon
Booksellers are calling on Sheila Copps, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, to block the expansion of Amazon.com into the Canadian market, warning their businesses will be devastated if the U.S. online giant sets up a domestic distribution arm. more >
GATS a growing threat to cultural policy
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), one of the agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO), came into force in January 1995. Already, GATS places constraints on the ability of sovereign governments to implement cultural policies and programs. Proposals in a new round of liberalisation talks and the comprehensive negotiating agenda adopted by the WTO, can only bring further restrictions on governmental measures that support domestic cultural expressions and ensure cultural diversity. more >
A tilt toward the third world at the Sao Paulo Biennial
Physically, the Sao Paulo Biennial is the largest celebration of art in the world, exceeding even its better-known counterpart in Venice. But organising such a show has always been a process fraught with controversy and adversity, and the 25th biennial has proven no exception. more >
Free trade regimes kill cultural diversity, says Canadian activist
The wider acceptance of comprehensive free trade regimes may have worked to advance economic benefits in many countries, but it is hardly a welcome sign to the growing number of advocates working to preserve cultural diversity throughout the world. more >
WIPO phonograms and performances treaty is legal
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has announced that its Phonograms and Performances Treaty (WPPT) entered into force on 20 May. more >
UNESCO news
UNESCO will showcase launch the compilation of a new representative list of world cinema this week, and last week celebrated Africa Day. more >
Rescue hope for Afghan treasures
International conservation experts are meeting in Kabul for talks on how to save Afghanistan's cultural heritage. A key item is the feasibility of restoring ruined treasures such as the Bamiyan Buddhas. more >
American arts agencies contend with state budgets
After nearly a decade of robust growth, legislative appropriations for state arts agencies contracted slightly in fiscal year 2002, as both the national economy and state budgets softened, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). more >
Calabash Literary Festival promoted in the Big Apple
Jamaica's 2002 Calabash International Literary Festival, held 24-26 May, enjoyed a special launch in New York earlier in the month. more >
The effect of Globalisation on Geoculture
The Association of the Taxation of financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens (ATTAC) explores the 'geocultural stakes' in modern global activity, based on the premise that 'cultural matters...are quite absent from contemporary strategic debates, including those about the consequences of globalization'. more >
Novels lose out to newspapers
According to research into reading habits, newspapers are more popular than novels among Britons reading for pleasure. more >
US arts community urges government to restore individual fellowships
Six years after the US Congress stripped individual artists of direct support via the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), 'Arts Wire' asked its readership to comment on the impact this continuing lack of recognition has had. more >
June 2002
Libraries growing spanish-language collections
According to a national survey of American librarians, Mexican immigrants are the largest Hispanic population served by libraries, and immigration law, health and 'how-to' titles are the Spanish-language books that register the most demand. more >
Why is arts journalism marginalised in so many publications?
Literary critic Carlin Romano believes that 'until arts journalists and their supporters examine the intellectual issues of their trade as seriously as investigative reporters probe their own dilemmas over protecting sources or going undercover, they'll continue to be enablers of their own marginalisation.' more >
Commerce Follows Artists Into the SoHo of Shanghai
The New York Times is taking an interesting look at community revitalization through the arts in Shanghai. 'The creekside area that has been revitalized is often called Shanghai's SoHo. But as was the case with its namesake in Manhattan, the tug of commercial possibilities may uproot the growing artists' community'. more >
Interim Chief Named at National Museum
The Washington Post reports that Douglas H. Erwin, a paleontologist, has been appointed the interim director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the second most popular museum in the world, more >
Major press strike threatens Norwegian film industry
A virtual all-out journalists' strike in Norway is threatening to undermine the viability of theatrical film releases in the territory. more >
Insurers push booksellers to the margins
Add to the woes of independent booksellers the growing cost of insurance. Insurance premiums have risen sharply this year, and some independents fear this may put them out of business. more >
Entertainment industry survey
A new survey by Pricewaterhouse Coopers says that the worldwide entertainment and media sector is at the beginning of a rally that will see spending of US$1.4 trillion by 2006. more >
Tax laws work against non-profits
Boston Museum of Fine Arts' Director Malcolm Rogers is campaigning against a measure approved by the state's House of Representatives, to eliminate tax deductions for charitable contributions. more >
Federal cuts to arts training boards hit hard
State and territory arts training boards across Australia have had their budgets cut by 40% in the 2002/2003 Federal Budget, leading to some being forced to close up shop and others wondering how they will continue to provide services. more >
Non-profit arts groups generate US$134 billion annually
Non-profit arts groups throughout the US generate at least US$134 billion in economic activity each year, according to a national survey released by an advocacy group. more >
Global search for new Te Papa head
The Museum of New Zealand board is moving quickly to begin an international search for a new Chief Executive, after the shock departure of Dame Cheryll Sotheran. more >
Volunteer research to assist policy decisions
The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries (UK), has commissioned a demographic profile of volunteers throughout the arts sector. Noting that the information regarding volunteers has been scarce, the report aims to build a strategic view of volunteering to assist in future policy decisions. more >
Music industry trouble
The US$14 billion recording industry is struggling through its first sales slump in a decade. It's time to face the music: radio sounds like a broken record, CD prices are heading off the charts, labels are out of tune with the digital age and new acts are failing to strike a chord with listeners. more >
'Funding for Arts Month' at the Foundation Center
During the entire month of June, the US Foundation Center will offer a wide range of arts-related programs, publications, and web-based content and services, to enhance existing resources and develop new ones for particular audiences. more >
Cuban dancer appointed UNESCO ambassador
Cuban ballerina and choreographer Alicia Alonso has been appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her 'outstanding contribution to the development, preservation and popularisation of classical dance' and for her 'devotion to the artform', according to a recent UNESCO news release. more >
Training young musicians a serious business
Are we being serious enough about our youth music in New Zealand? more >
Human Knowledge Held Digitally May Be Lost
'Human Knowledge Held Digitally May Be Lost' reports on a paper presented at a recent UNESCO meeting, which notes that an 'enormous trove of digital information covering all areas of human endeavour could be lost if specific techniques and policies are not developed to conserve it.' more >
Setting Online Works Free Doesn't Please Everyone
In 'Setting Online Works Free Doesn't Please Everyone' the Seattle Times investigates the debate over digital rights and intellectual property, finding that 'It's an uphill battle to convince people that individuals can make their work freely available over the Internet, available for folks to use however they want without any obligations.' more >
Controlling copyright through technology
In 'Controlling Copyright Through Technology: When Elephants Dance' Michael Fraase examines the idea that 'the fusion of the entertainment industry with consumer electronics is creating a breed of giants which is trampling underfoot historically-established guarantees of moral rights and fair use.' more >
Bush announces new member for National Council on the Arts
US President George Bush has announced the nomination of National Gallery of Art Director Earl A. Powell III to serve on the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts. more >
American schools rescuing native language and culture
'The Christian Science Monitor' explores the growing prominence of Native American tribal immersion in schools, focusing on language and culture. more >
US artists oppose war on terror
The organiser of an artists' petition against the US Government's 'war on terror' has said some people were afraid to add their signatures. more >
Movies, TV not to be changed by Sept 11
The President of the Motion Pictures Association of America says the US entertainment industry will not alter movies or television shows to help the war on terrorism. more >
'UK heritage needs £4 billion'
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) estimates that the sum required to put the UK’s heritage 'in good order' over the next 10 years will be nearly GB£4 billion. more >
New York fine art dealer sentenced
Imposing a harsh penalty, a federal judge in New York has sentenced a well-known antiquities dealer to 33 months in prison for dealing in antiquities recently excavated from Egyptian soil. more >
Art Godfather shares his skills
When Fatu Feu'u shocked his family and gave up his nice secure job as chief designer for an Auckland textile company in 1988, he was given a farewell gift he still uses today. more >
Digital divide still growing, according to UN conference
The digital divide still yaws as widely as ever, with billions of people still unconnected to a global society which, on its side, is more and more wired,' commented United Nations' Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently. more >
South African broadcaster makes first film investment
For years, major South African broadcasters have avoided investing in feature films - a move many local producers claim has prevented the rise of a viable local film industry. more >
Our shrinking language tapestry
The headlong rush of progress and development has made the world poorer. Of the roughly 6,000 languages (plus their dialects) spoken around the world, 3,000 or more are classified as endangered, seriously endangered, or dying. more >
Copyright: Decide it in the open
The future of copyright is being decided behind closed doors, by representatives of a nervous industry given decision-making powers by equally nervous governments, eager to wash their hands of responsibility for arbitrating disputes. more >
Irish government's new film policy considered out of place
Ireland is struggling to retain its attraction as a location for film producers, thanks to increasing labour and service costs, growing competition from cheaper foreign locations, and now, a new government arts department that seems oddly unenthusiastic about film. more >
Arts survey shows funding climate favorable
A recently released survey paints an upbeat picture of the arts funding scene in America. 'Arts & Economic Prosperity: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts Organisations and Their Audiences' surveyed the period 1992-2000. more >
Global art show with an agenda
Costing US$11 million and occupying five huge sites, 'Documenta 11' is the biggest, most expensive version yet of this mega-survey of contemporary art, to which, improbably, more than half a million people flock every five years. more >
Alan Parker rallies industry to develop skills strategy
Alan Parker, chairman of UK support body, the Film Council, has called on the film industry to support a major research project that will inform a new and comprehensive skills strategy for the sector. more >
The Middle East's e-War
In 'The Middle East's e-War,' 'Foreign Policy' explores the power of electronic connectedness in the Middle East conflict, noting that: 'Websites are having a broader influence by challenging the hegemony of established media.' more >
The librarian's web dilemma
Libraries in the US are facing two issues: how to protect children from stumbling onto pornography while surfing the web, and how to deal with adults who seek out materials that are inappropriate for children's eyes. more >
A film peers into Tehran
For 14 years, Reza Khatibi was an Iranian living in exile in Paris, but he was not a political refugee. more >
The quest for immortality
The largest exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts ever to tour North America and Canada will open at the National Gallery of Art in Washington on June 30. more >
New operas are booming
US orchestras may be grappling with dwindling audiences and the indifference of the young, but opera companies are doing quite well. more >
Online forum on cultural diversity
The Organisation of American States is inviting participation in the online 'Dialogue and Discussion Forum on Cultural Diversity in the Hemisphere'. The forum is being convened in preparation for the First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Cultural Policy Authorities, to be held July 12-13, in Colombia. more >
A drama for the public theatre's board
Joseph Papp founded the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1954, to bring plays like 'Much Ado About Nothing' to people without charge. more >
UNESCO to add new sites to World Heritage List
UNESCO has announced that up to eleven new sites may be added to its World Heritage List on June 27. more >
WIPO members working towards trademark harmonisation
Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have moved forward in discussions on a comprehensive program to harmonise trademark law internationally. more >
South Africa's black writers explore a free society's tensions
The new South Africa dazzles and disorients, offering young blacks previously unimaginable opportunities, even as AIDS and crime threaten to shatter their dreams. more >
At least in public, Americans endorse books
Are Americans reading more, or do they just want you to think they are? more >
The state of UK museums under review
'Resource', the Council for Museums Archives and Libraries, has announced the release of a new comprehensive report, detailing the state of the UK's museums and galleries. more >
Papers for Culture and Public Action now available
Several papers addressing culture and development have been made available on the World Bank website, in preparation for the 'Culture and Public Action' conference, to be held in Washington, DC, June 30 - July 1. more >
Web Thinkers Warn of Culture Clash
'Web Thinkers Warn of Culture Clash' reports on cautions expressed by leading Internet analysts and developers at the annual Internet Society conference who feel 'The Internet's potential for promoting expression and empowering citizens is under threat from corporate and government policies that clash with the medium's long-standing culture of openness. more >
Why the arts flourish in rural and small communities
'Authentic Passion: an introduction to the arts in rural and small communities,'discusses why arts flourish in rural and small towns in every form because of committed artists and arts activists and how the arts form part of the traditions of those who live there. more >
Cultural Loss in New York
'Cultural Loss In Lower Manhattan' covers Heritage Preservation's publication 'Cataclysm and Challenge: Impact of September 11, 2001, on Our Nation's Cultural Heritage' and focuses on the massive losses of the Five Points archaeological collection. 'Only 18 of about one million unique artifacts documenting the lives of nineteenth-century New Yorkers survived.' more >
NYC Arts budget cut
'After five years of strong budget support from the city of New York, arts groups will have to weather a cut in funds under the municipal budget adopted last week, but the 5 percent reduction agreed to by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the City Council is a vast improvement over the 15 percent cut initially proposed by the mayor, arts groups say, particularly considering that the city has a $5 billion deficit to close and a downtown to rebuild.' more >
Art Museums in a Family Way
The article 'In Family Way', notes a transformation taking place in art museums. 'These temples of contemplation that once catered mostly to adults now offer a full menu of programs aimed at families -- not to mention school groups, singles, teenagers, seniors…' more >
FBI investigates Americas libraries
The American Associated Press has reported that the FBI is visiting libraries nationwide and checking the reading records of people it suspects of having ties to terrorists or plotting an attack, library officials say. more >
Australian Council considers giving up instrument collection
The Australia Council wants to sell a valuable 18th-century Italian cello, currently on loan to young musician Liwei Qin. more >
July 2002
Capitalising on arts
Arts leaders in Sacramento, America have begun to consider the possibility of asking voters to approve a regional bond measure that would create a permanent endowment for the arts. more >
Smoke rises over a new opera sponsor
The violent passions of Bizet's Carmen pale beside the row brewing offstage at Glyndebourne at the news that the opera house has accepted almost GB£200,000 from British American Tobacco to stage its new production. more >
Public support for Korea's cultural industry
The Korean government has considered culture technology a core technology for state development and, subsequently, published a comprehensive plan for developing skillful workers related to the culture industry. The results have been promising. more >
Egypt marks World Refugee Day
'Moments to be free' gives a first hand account of Egypt's Refugee festival. 'The twists and turns that characterise the lives of the tens of thousands of refugees in Egypt was brought into sharp focus... at the American University in Cairo to mark World Refugee Day.' more >
Steps to Art for pre-school education
Americans for the Arts, children's shoe manufacturer Elefanten USA, and recording artist Laurie Berkner have partnered to create Steps to Art(tm), a program to raise funds and awareness for early childhood arts education programs. more >
'Superarchives' to contain scholarly output
'Superarchives' Could Hold All Scholarly Output,' reports on a new effort to create archives linked between higher education institutions that would invite 'professors to upload copies of their research papers, data sets, and other work. The idea is to gather as much of the intellectual output of an institution as possible in an easy-to-search online collection.' more >
Resource further develops cultural diversity initiatives
Resource; the counicl for Museums, Archives and Libraries has recently boosted its Learning and Access Team, with three new appointments. Over the next year, the Team will be spearheading a new programme of projects intended to address some of the fundamental challenges of cultural diversity in the museums, archives and libraries sector. more >
Treasuring African American Memories
A videotaped oral history archive that consists the reminiscences of older, distinguished African-Americans, has been established as part of the National Visionary Leadership Project. more >
Lightning law to privatise 'la bella Italia'
Last month, the Italian parliament passed a bill put forward by the Italian Minister of Economics, Giulio Tremonti, to help reduce the public debt. more >
Photography a Jewish tradition
'Behind a Century of Photos, Was There a Jewish Eye?,' notes that from the early days of photography to the present, a staggering number of influential figures have been Jewish. more >
Churchill Fellowship for public art study
Senior Arts Queensland officer, John Stafford, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust in Australia to study public art programs in the USA. more >
New Head appointed at the Yokohama Museum of Art
The Japanese Art Scene Monitor reports that Koji Yukiyama has been appointed Head of the Yokohama Museum of Art, replacing Tetsuro Kagesato who left in April last year to take up a professorship at Tokyo’s Joshibi University of Art and Design. more >
World Cup a forum for cultural exchange
The Japanese Art Scene Monitor has reported that throughout the duration of the World Cup soccer, many regional governments made the most of opportunities to promote foreign culture amongst local communities. more >
UNESCO to launch Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity
International cultural agency UNESCO has announced that it is to launch a global campaign aimed at encouraging governments and the private sector to develop publishing, music, film, multimedia, crafts, design production and distribution firms in as many countries as possible. more >
WIPO making progress on traditional knowledge
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has reported that the third meeting of its Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), held in June, covered practical measures, as well as broader policy and legal issues concerning the protection of traditional knowledge. more >
WIPO Director General visits Germany
Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr Kamil Idris, met in Berlin recently with officials from Germany’s Federal Government and Parliament, to discuss the promotion of awareness of intellectual property’s critical role in spurring economic growth and cultural development. more >
Reining in expectations at the Lincoln Centre
Bruce Crawford, the new chairman of Lincoln Center, suggested in a recent interview that putting the price tag of US$1.2 billion on the center's ambitious redevelopment was premature and that the project's cost and scope may have to be more modest. more >
Study shows Valley residents crave culture
A recent survey released by 'Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley', notes that its residents crave more culture, but the civic and political support doesn't measure up. more >
Things can only get better for arts in the UK
It's time for Britain's Labour government to announce its support for the arts. But New Labour has never been publicly at ease with the arts. more >
The new world border
'The New World Border' reports that whilst 'International theater festivals have become a staple of summer, foreign artists wishing to perform in the U.S. have never had a tougher time entering the country'. more >
US Opera-Symphony to merge
The boards of the Utah Symphony and the Utah Opera are set to vote this July, on a proposal to merge the two organizations. Two officials address the concerns that linger as key vote approaches. more >
Textiles: a Hands-On Folk Art
'Textiles: A Hands-On Folk Art' notes that 'One of the grand narratives running through the American Museum of Natural History can be found in its textiles.' more >
New York Public Library announces new fellows
The New York Public Library has announced its 15 new fellows for its Center for Scholars and Writers. 'The Center offers a nine-month fellowship that allows researchers and creative writers to work at the library on projects involving the use of its collections.' more >
Digital challenge facing art schools
'More Art Students Create on Digital Canvases' reports on the increase in art students who do their work digitally and the challenge this presents for art schools. more >
Heritage buildings to get pop idol treatment
'Heritage Buildings to Get Pop Idol Treatment' reports that 'A Pop Idol-Style' TV show for historic buildings is to be launched in the UK, to attract support for the restoration and upkeep of crumbling architectural treasures around the country. more >
Iran Bans Dancer From Teaching
A ruling was handed down by an Iranian court earlier this month noting that teaching traditional Iranian dance corrupts the nation's youth. An Iranian-American dancer was banned from leaving Iran for 10 years and from giving dance classes for life. more >
Cannibal culture
'Cannibal Culture' examines cultural ignorance in terms of how, we, as a society are often unaware that works that we are familiar with often borrow, were inspired by, pay homage to, reference, appropriate or downright steal from works that we may or may not know. more >
Art and music are being squeezed out of UK schools
According to a report recently released by Cambridge University academics, art and music are being squeezed out of primary schools throughout the UK through the government's testing regime. more >
Arts organizations searching for funds
'Arts Organizations Searching for Funds' reports on the seemingly that 'crazy times' that many US arts managers are currently facing. The confusion of emotions comes from the fact that many politicians in election years are 'trumpeting' their commitments to the arts, while simultaneously slashing state arts and cultural budgets in a down economy. more >
African-Americans slowly fill orchestra seats
'African-Americans Slowly Fill Orchestra Seats' reports that 'In classical music, black singers and conductors have gradually become more visible over the years. But some concertgoers are asking: Where are the black instrumentalists?' more >
50,000 go to Night of the Museum
The first Night of the Museum on Wednesday attracted more than 50,000 visitors. more >
It was logical to create FilmFour. But what is logical isn't necessarily the answer
David Aukin, former head of film at Channel 4, on how the drive for box-office success proved fatal for FilmFour. more >
Rio's Theatro Municipal Scales Back Season Plans After Budget is Slashed
Rio de Janeiro's most important opera and classical music venue, the Theatro Municipal, has scaled back its plans for the current season, after the new state government cut its R$27 million (US$9.5 million) budget in half. more >
Effect of zero arts funding in the US
The afterwake of Americas FY 2003 budget has left many state arts groups counting zeroes. Thirteen arts groups have been notified that they will receive no state program funding next year, leading some to ask, 'So why not cut everyone's grant and share the pain?' more >
Bollywood film stars in grip of mafia extortion
Bollywood film stars and producers are in the grip of a terrifying extortion campaign unleashed by mafia dons who are threatening to kill them unless they pay huge amounts of money, police have told AFP. more >
Bringing it all home
A new generation of collectors is attempting to repatriate many of the artifacts, and in the process, is driving up the cost of Chinese art worldwide. more >
Deutschland of opportunity
Berlin is like no other city on Earth, in that it spent 50 years divided squarely in two, then attempted to readapt to existing as a single entity. That kind of dichotomy can make or break any attempt at a coherant arts scene. more >
World record auction price for Tolkien book
A remarkable signed first edition of JRR Tolkien's novel 'The Hobbit' has sold for a world record GB£43,000 (NZ$139,973) at auction in London. more >
Brown pledges GB£75m arts boost
Chancellor Gordon Brown has promised to give an extra GB£75m to the arts by 2005/6 in the government's comprehensive spending review. more >
Young Mexican writers bid farewell to magical realism
When Latin American literature began to make inroads outside of Spanish-speaking circles, it was the magical spell of tropical worlds that drew readers from Europe and North America. more >
Bollywood king of Kandahar again
The influence of Bollywood films so feared by the Taliban is indeed spreading through Afghan society. more >
A memorial remembers the hungry
The new Irish Hunger Memorial in New York City has been rivaled as the equivalent of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, an unconventional work of public art that strikes a deep emotional chord. more >
UK Archives under review
Resource; The Council for Museums Archives and Libraries has been invited by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to carry out an in-depth analysis and review of the state of the UK's unique and diverse archives. more >
Effect of zero funding?
As the state of Connecticut declares a budget crisis, some small arts groups are getting the bad news that their state funding has been zeroed out. Some of those left out are award-winning and have been funded for years. more >
Founding Director of South African CCA, passes away
The South African Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) is sad to announce the passing of Adriaan Donker, founding director of the CCA from 1996 through 1998. more >
National Endowment for the Arts recieves funding increase
Following the ongoing debate over funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the USA's House of Representatives has voted to increase the NEA's funding for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 by $10 million, to $126 million. more >
Purchase power collapse
Britain's major museums have slashed their budgets for acquisitions of art. more >
BBC World Service loses 3m listeners
The BBC World Service was listened to by an average of 150 million people last year - 3 million down on the previous 12 months and 5 million below its audience target. more >
BBC a turn-off among black audiences
The BBC has lost the following of black and Asian viewers in the last year despite the director general Greg Dyke's declaration that he was going to end the 'hideously white' ethos of the corporation both behind and in front of the camera. more >
Director named for the new Bard Performing Arts Centre
Jonathan Levi, an arts educator, editor and writer, has been named as the director of the new Bard Performing Arts Center, designed by Frank O. Gehry more >
Boston loses big in Harvard museum fallout
The news that Harvard University has cancelled its plans to build a riverside art museum to be designed by the celebrated architect Renzo Piano isn't surprising. But it's a body blow to the mood of robust expansion in the area. more >
Traditional Knowledge law drafted in Pacific
The Australian Attorney-General's Department (AGD) has reported in its latest newsletter that the Working Group for Legal Experts on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Culture recently met in the New Caledonian city of Noumea, to consider a draft model law on the subject. more >
Technology leaders write to entertainment industry
Technology executives, including Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, Dell Computer's Michael Dell and Intel's Craig Barrett, have said in an open letter to entertainment industry executives that they were not about to create technology that limits computer users ability to copy and play digital media. more >
Instruments insured at a premium
For some musicians the cost of insurance is prohibitively high - in some cases thousands of dollars a year - and they have had to forego the privilege of playing such a rare instrument. more >
Korea scores with film fans
South Korean producer and former chief of the Korean Film Commission's international business department Paul Yi says the relationship between his country's film and sport industries is complex. more >
A British theatre report may reignite racism claims
British theatre is unfairly discriminating against black and Asian administrators, according to a survey by the Independent Theater Council. more >
Museum boom will be followed by bust
'Museum boom will be followed by bust' examines the worldwide growth in the number of new museums, noting that they have become 'valued as much for their contributions to wider agendas for social inclusion and economic regeneration as for their intrinsic worth.' more >
Money for National Endowment of the Arts
The US House of Representatives has voted an increase in the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts. more >
HIV muppet won't appear in US
PBS, responding to several Republican lawmakers' concerns, said Tuesday that it had no intention of introducing an HIV-infected Muppet to American airwaves. more >
CBS network 'fails minorities'
A multi-ethnic coalition has demanded more racial diversity both in front of and behind the cameras at US television network CBS. more >
Media baron puts £50 million Rubens in a new frame
A newspaper owner who last week paid GB£49.5 million for a Rubens painting, making it the world's most expensive work of art, was yesterday scraping together an extra £20,000 because he was unhappy with the frame. more >
UNESCO announces international literacy prize winners
Cultural agency UNESCO has announced that projects and programs in Egypt, Eritrea, Uganda and Pakistan are the winners of its 2002 international literacy prizes, rewarding exceptional work in the fight against illiteracy. more >
The birthplace of Impressionism
Some Parisians are trying to recapture the spirit of bygone days now immortalised in art galleries around the world. more >
George Michael asked to write song for Olympics
LONDON - British pop singer George Michael is considering a request from the Athens Olympic Committee to write a theme song for the 2004 Games, a spokeswoman for the artist said. more >
ICOMOS releases report on cultural heritage in danger
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, has released its second worldwide report on cultural heritage sites which it views as 'in danger'. more >
Plans for African-American Museum advance
Plans are moving ahead for a National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. more >
Cultural diversity or cultural indifference?
Cultural diversity is an orthodoxy commonly preached these days, but is it a policy that deadens art? more >
Brazilians spin: remix music biz
Now, a group of musicians, software engineers, DJs, professors, journalists and computer geeks have decided to 'call for noise' against the current rules of copyright established by the music industry. more >
Mexico's widest-ever release threatened with ban
El Crimen Del Padre Amaro - due to get the widest release ever for a Mexican film, on 300 prints - is provoking controversy ahead of its scheduled local release on August 16th. more >
No joking or singing on flight, Indian movie stars told
Indian movie stars were told not to crack jokes, sing aloud or flex their muscles while flying to Malaysia and Singapore this week, following an incident in which an Indian actress sparked a terror alert at a US airport. more >
Russian call for Hollywood quota
One of the most influential people in Russia's film industry has called for a cap on the number of Hollywood movies allowed to be shown in the country, so local film-makers have a chance to compete. more >
No drama on foreign films
An Australian Film Commission study into foreign film and television drama production here has concluded both local and foreign industries do, and should, work together for mutual benefit. more >
Findings from Arts & Economic Prosperity now available online
Americans for the Arts has recently released the findings from Arts & Economic Prosperity: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts Organizations and Their Audiences, online. more >
Report on UK Tax scheme released
Resource, The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries has recently launched its 2000/02 report for the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme (AIL), which enables taxpayers to offer works of art and important heritage objects into public ownership in lieu of inheritance tax. more >
Culture and development conference in South Africa
The International Network for Cultural Diversity has recently extended its links with South Africa, in planning to hold its third annual conference in Cape Town, and appointing a local to its secretariat. more >
Policy research on community arts: A collective endeavour
'Policy Research on Community Arts: A Collective Endeavor' examines how 'the breadth, depth and value of a broad array of artistic activity evident in many American communities are not easily apparent or grasped. more >
England's AHRB set to become research council
According to a recent British government report, the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), which funds research in these disciplines, should be given full research council status along the lines of those funding science and medical research. more >
China's Great Wall under attack
According to experts China's burgeoning tourism and construction sectors pose a growing threat to the Great Wall, disfiguring swathes of its ancient facade and wrecking its landscapes. more >
Festival of Contemporary Music an American affair
The annual Festival of Contemporary Music under a new director, composer Bright Sheng, capitalized on the presence of musicians studying at the Tanglewood Music Center, and devoted itself entirely to American music for the first time in several decades. more >
Making theatre accessible to the hearing impaired
The relationship of deaf people to the arts is said to be attracting growing interest. In recognition of this Deaf Way II, an international festival and conference on issues involving deaf people and the arts, recently took place in Washington. more >
Urdu website breaks new ground
The launch of BBCUrdu.com is a landmark in online publishing as it is the first news site to use Urdu text, rather than scanned-in images of printed materials. more >
Power of the new in the arts
'Why are we so welcoming of experiment in science and so wary of it in the arts?'Art is communication. Art is a dialogue, not only in our own time, but across time. The responsibility of the artist, in any medium, is to make it new. more >
US to return to UNESCO?
The United States had many good reasons for leaving the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) back in 1984. But now, it seems, there are just as many good reasons for returning to it. more >
How to preserve digital art
Digital technology is so ephemeral that current digital artworks may no longer be viewable 10, 20 or even 200 years from now. A consortium of archives is launching a new project that seeks to document and preserve variable media art, and establish rules for the field. more >
16th Macao International Music Festival
Scheduled for the 16th consecutive year, the upcoming Macao International Music Festival will take place on October 4 - October 23, 2002 offering fourteen different concert programmes. more >
Grant to Stonehenge unlikely to be a Panacea
A grant for a new visitor centre at Stonehenge, may mark the end of decades of wrangling between heritage and highway authorities over what to do about one of the most famous ancient monuments in the world. more >
New York Philharmonic acquires diary of founder
The New York Philharmonic has landed a vast collection of papers and other effects belonging to its founder, the violinist Ureli Corelli Hill, that illuminate the origins of the orchestra. more >
Advocates Band Together To Affect Policy
A recent report released by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that advocates on the state level are having success developing reliable funding for arts and culture. more >
Cultural Policy: The Voice of State Legislators
This report details the results of a structured survey of Maine State Legislators involved in the New Century Community Program, aimed at advancing economic and social development by strengthening arts and cultural resources. more >
Lincoln Centre faces orchestra strike
Just hours before the opening of the Mostly Mozart festival, the Lincoln Center announced the cancellation of 20 of the series' concerts, due to an ongoing labour battle. more >
US Arts festivals reach all time high
This summer the number of arts festivals throughout America has reached an all-time high of about 3,000, drawing an audience estimated at up to 130 million. more >
A preview of Egypt's 14th Festival for Music and Song
Egypt's 14th Festival for Music and Song will be held at the open-air theatre of Cairo's Open House, and promises to deliver powerful decibels and stimulating rhythms. more >
Visa delays give fits to planners of arts festivals
Getting visas for foreign artists to come into the US to perform has become tougher. Visas are delayed, or in some cases denied, sometimes for reasons that are understandable and sometimes for reasons that seem arbitrary. more >
Washington Chamber Symphony Disbands
The Washington Chamber Symphony, which presented a series of venturesome and enormously popular concerts at the Kennedy Center for more than a quarter-century, has voted itself out of existence. more >
Restoration for 'Freedom' Murals at Archives
Two of Americas most historic murals, marking the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are to undergo restoration. more >
August 2002
British Library closed by strike action for first time
The British Library was closed for the first time in its history by a strike on July 29. The 24-hour closure was over the library's refusal to raise a 4% pay award to staff. more >
Reuniting China along artistic lines
The Palace Museum in Taiwan, which holds some of China's great art treasures, has begun to change following the Nationalist Party's fall from power. more >
Increased ethinic diversity for UK museum and library staff
Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, has recently announced the creation of new ethnic-minority traineeships, which are viewed as a step towards addressing the overwhelmingly 'white' profile of museum and gallery staff in the UK. more >
Renowned curator moves to Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art
Japanese Art Scene Monitor has reported that long-time curator at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Michiko Kasahara, has recently moved to the the city's Museum of Contemporary Art. more >
National Museum of the Philippines becomes interactive
A feature article on the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) website details the new software package that has put the National Museum on the map with its sophisticated yet accessible museum management. more >
Sudanese judges visit WIPO
The President of the Supreme Court of Sudan, Jalal Al-Din Mohamed Othman, recently led a delegation of his colleagues to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for talks. more >
UNESCO activating in Asia
UNESCO has recently held an international symposium on the preservation of Afghan cultural heritage in Japan, as well as the Childrens' Performing Arts Festival of East Asia. more >
Egypt damands return of antiquity
The Republic of Egypt has demanded the return of an antiquity acquired in 1963 by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which Egypt says is stolen. more >
Tate gallery provides ultra-modern visual access
London's Tate Modern gallery has launched a new online art resource to help visually impaired people explore key concepts in modern art. more >
Mexico's cultural diplomacy aims to win hearts in U.S.
Over the next two years major Mexican art shows will be at American museums almost without interruption, as part of Mexican President Vicente Fox's desire for closer relations between the United States and Mexico. more >
Rebranding Poland
In August of 2001 Corporate Profiles DDB, Poland's largest advertising agency, won a tender called by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - the brief was to design a recognisable and universally applicable logo representing Poland in the outside world, it was recently unveiled. more >
Illegally exported Roman sculpture returned
The Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) has returned to Italy an ancient Roman sculptural relief it bought in 1985, but which a curator discovered had left Italy without an export permit. more >
Massachusetts Cultural Council faces huge budget cut
The Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that has been fighting proposed cuts for months, learned recently that it is likely to lose $12 million of its current $19 million budget. more >
Augmenting the musical experience with visual aids
The Kansas City Symphony wants music to go beyond sound, as such, the symphony is looking for ways to enhance concerts by creating a visual experience to accompany the musical one. more >
S11 to be marked by musical tribute
The arts will play a prominent role in New York City's September 11 commemoration, which will feature a bagpipe processional, concerts, and historic readings, among other things. more >
UK Museum visits soar after entry fees are scrapped
It has recently been claimed that visitor numbers to Britain's museums have seen a "spectacular" rise as a result of a government policy, last winter, restoring free admission. more >
UK Parents online
Resource, The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries has announced the details of 'Parents Online 2002,' an iniative aimed at bringing families together to gain information on internet learning. more >
Attracting younger audiences to classical music
Festival director and musical evangelist Brian McMaster wants to attract younger audiences to classical music; hence the Usher Hall's series of £5-a-seat concerts. more >
Are politics built into architecture?
This article examines the role of architecture in shaping political conflict. 'Some argue that by designing and constructing Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, the architectural profession has, perhaps unwittingly, contributed to escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.' more >
Museum visits soar after entry fees are scrapped
Since British museums did away with admission fees last winter, average attendance is up by 2.7 million - or 62%. more >
£15m medieval book goes online
One of the UK's most valuable medieval books, the Sherborne Missal, can now be studied safely, easily and in detail thanks to new digitization technology and the Internet. more >
Artists and arts groups share $4.6 million from S11 fund
The New York Foundation for the Arts has recently announced a new fund that will provide $4.6 million in grants to 352 New York artists and 135 New York arts organizations that have suffered since last year's terrorist attack. more >
US Museums reflect upon S11
Museums across the US are hosting a range of events in remembrance of the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. more >
Young musicians granted a respite from war's curses
The Hill Center for Chamber Music provides a desperately needed respite for thousands of classical musicians from war torn areas, giving participants space and time to practice their instruments away from bullets and bombs. more >
The funding dilemma for Britain's music business
The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) funded a research project examining the problems faced by small business in the music industry in accessing finance. more >
A new style of french
Within a couple of decades, a popular slang called Verlan has gained widespread popularity among young people across France - expressing its love-hate relationship with its immigrant community. more >
South African Department split
The Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA) has reported on its role in the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) split which occurred on August 1. more >
UK Portuguese Performing Arts Awards
UK organisations, Visiting Arts and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation have recently launched a new series of awards which will support the creation of new work by Portuguese performing artists in the United Kingdom. more >
Bamiyan Buddha niches at risk
The niches which once housed the Buddhas of Bamiyan will be 'gone within a decade' unless urgent conservation work is undertaken, according to Paul Bucherer, director of the Afghanistan museum in exile in Switzerland. more >
Cleveland playhouse non-profit success
Cleveland Playhouse, with 10,000 seats, is America's second-largest performing arts center, after Manhattan's Lincoln Center. 'It's a rare case of a flourishing nonprofit arts foundation that earns its own keep - taking just a smidgen of government aid and private donations.' more >
Copyrighting carnival
In Trinidad & Tobago, a key cultural tradition is caught by intellectual property laws. Nikhil Gyan, an engineering student, pays the price of learning to adapt. more >
Arts academy to replace LA high school
The Los Angeles Unified School District is abandoning plans for a traditional high school at its former downtown headquarters and instead plans to spend about $20 million more to build a performing and visual arts academy. more >
American Indian art business
The annual Indian Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is becoming an increasingly important event to both Native American artists, individual collectors and museums - 'it has become a great launching for any Native American who wants to get discovered and noticed.' more >
Arts treasures saved from floods
Initial flood damage figures for Dresden's state art collections are starting to emerge - Of the four thousand paintings that were housed in the 'old masters' storage area only 25 large-size paintings received moisture damage. more >
New direction for Salzburg Festival
The new artistic director of the Salzburg Festival Peter Ruzicka, has made some changes to the renowned summer event which are a far cry from the vision of his feisty predecessor, Gerard Mortier. more >
US classical dilemma of diversity
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has at last hired a permanent African-American instrumentalist - Why do African-Americans and Latinos comprise such a paltry percentage of classical musicians? more >
Worldwide call to rebuild the US World Trade Centre
The agency overseeing the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan announced recently that it would conduct a worldwide design competition, to hire as many as five licensed architecture or planning firms to offer new ideas for the site of the World Trade Center. more >
Massachusetts faces cultural drought
Officials at the Massachusetts Cultural Council don't know exactly where the shortages will be; less music, smaller exhibits, or fewer artists teaching students - but with a 62 percent budget cut from $19.1 million to $7.3 million, they do know there will be a cultural drought more >
Underground museum plan for forbidden city
Custodians of the Forbidden City have drawn up secret plans for a three-storey museum under the sprawling palace in central Beijing to display masses of imperial artefacts that have never been shown to the public. more >
Water and woe for the Czechs' cultural gems
While the flood damage is still being quantified and evaluated, fund-raising for recovery has already begun, including pop and classical music benefit concerts around the republic. Unesco has promised aid, but no amounts have been determined. more >
City Opera focuses on ground zero
In considering a move downtown from the Lincoln Center, the New York City Opera is seriously looking at the site of a heavily damaged landmark building south of ground zero, enlisting Merrill Lynch as a financial adviser. more >
Disabled make themselves heard
The Drake Music Project is using music technology to remove physical barriers for disabled people. more >
Egypts buried traesures
In December Egyptologists and museologists will gather in the garden of the Egyptian Museum to celebrate its 100th anniversary. more >
A British protest to U.S. invasion
Equity, the British actors' union, is angry that West End theatres - and now the government supported National Theatre - are giving starring parts to American actors at a time when 80% of its membership is out of work. more >
The looting of Turquoise Mountain
Looting of Afghanistan's cultural treasures has not stopped with the overthrow of the Taliban - it seems to have escalated. more >
Does the Edinburgh Festival make any money?
Everybody knows that there's a whole lot of money swilling around the Edinburgh festival. This is an arts festival, sure, but it's also a trade fair and a tourist attraction. Everyone knows that. So where's all the money going? Who's making any? more >
Ticket scam hits the world's great opera houses
Patrons of the world's great opera houses - including Sydney's - are being stung by an Internet ticketing scam. more >
Importance of arts education in US schools
Americans for the Arts is celebrating National Arts and Humanities Week in October; this year's theme is based on arts education and the need for every child in America to have a comprehensive, high quality education in the arts. more >
New ways of enjoying art
The desire of galleries to make art accessible is subtly altering the way the work itself is presented. Visitors are being invited not just to contemplate, but to engage in a more active experience. Not just to look, but also to learn. more >
A taxing situation
Suspicions that the art market is 'drying up' of art received unexpected support with statistics dropped by Sotheby's this week - The sellers have simply fled. more >
Barcelona celebrates architectural visionary
Barcelona has declared 2002 the Year of Gaudí, with more than 30 exhibitions and related events; including the opening of some buildings that had not been accessible to the public. more >
Not a single, bold idea amid the arts council smokescreen
Scottish Arts Council chairman James Boyle must be well chuffed with the effectiveness of the smokescreen that he blew up a week ago. more >
We just hope the big names will show
With the violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories continuing to escalate, more and more performers are cancelling planned appearances in the country. more >
Frankfurt Ballet Director says he'll leave in 2004
William Forsythe, the American choreographer who has led the Frankfurt Ballet since 1984, announced this week that he would leave the company when his contract expired in 2004. more >
Harare radio station bombed
An independent radio station in Harare has been targeted in a bomb attack. Faith Ndebele, head of the station, refused to speculate on who carried out the bombing, but said it was an attack on free speech. more >
September 2002
UK Archaeological Archives Forum
English Heritage, officially known as the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, has recently announced the foundation of a new Archaeological Forum which aims to open up generations of invaluable research to a wider public. more >
Survivors of atomic warfare given a voice through art
The Japanese Art Scene Monitor has recently reported that the Hiroshima and Nagasaki stations of the national broadcaster NHK have just held the second Pictures of the Atomic Bomb exhibition. more >
The importance of global literacy
UNESCO has reported that International Literacy Day, which will be celebrated on September 8, highlights the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies globally, affirming the centrality of literacy within all struggles for sustainable human development. more >
Afghan heritage is back from the brink
The appropriation of one country's cultural heritage by another often accompanies the desire - or the act - of appropriating its territory, too. Throughout history, 'conoisseurship' has gone hand-in-hand with colonialism and conquest. more >
'Thou shalt worship the arts for what they are'
Over the past six years, the array of major new arts buildings, or extensive, creative renovations of old ones has turned our heads with its brilliance and rapidity. more >
Afghan films roll again on shoestring budget
Afghanistan's independent film companies are back in business on shoestring budgets and with casts as small as eight. more >
Film festival to double up as market
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), beginning in the Capital from October 1, will double up as a market for films for participants to conform to the mandate of the authorities deciding festival venues. more >
The hunt for Bamiyan's third Buddha
There was an international outcry when the Taliban blew up two ancient statues of Buddha last year, but few then imagined that there might be a third statue in the same valley. more >
Arts Council simplifies funding processes
For some arts organisations, it may have seemed harder to win lottery funding from the Arts Council of Wales than to win the lottery itself. more >
Commerce rushes in where art once ruled
Sidewalk artists and New York City's Parks and Recreation Department are still at odds over how commerce around parks should be handled. But now they've got a common enemy: grinning salesmen hawking similar mass-produced pictures of New York landmarks. more >
Poisoned Gods
It seems the Native American Sacred Lands Protection Act is not turning out to be quite the victory anticipated, as Native Americans learn that returned artifacts are too poisoned with pesticides to be used in their rituals. more >
How to build a creative city
The forces that forged classic arts scenes are pushing the edge farther and farther away. Culture today is globalized and decentralized... Now just as culture has become decentralized, so has creativity. more >
London's Royal Opera House may stage musicals
The Royal Opera House could stage musicals, its new artistic director Tony Pappano has said. Noting that he is also considering using 'enhanced sound', or amplification. more >
A crazy plan for the Berlin Philharmonic
Simon Rattle, the new conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, has two 'crazy ideas' for bringing the orchestra into the 21st century via two projects that directly involve the city's youth. more >
How American is Canada?
According to a recent report Canadians are still concerned about the influence of American culture. Although they are confident that the country's culture and identity are stronger now than they were five years ago, a survey has found that they are still concerned about their ability to control domestic affairs from U.S. pressure in the future. more >
Guggenheim for Edinburgh
Edinburgh is lobbying to become the site of another international branch of the Guggenheim museum. It would be the fourth home abroad for the museum, which currently has locations in Venice, Bilbao and Berlin. more >
Royalties for art's sake
In light of how an investor can grow rich on works of art, but artists can sell their work only once and must watch its value soar - Australian artists want a piece of the investor's action. more >
Poet to take over presidency of Guggenheim Foundation
Award-winning poet Edward Hirsch will take the helm of the Guggenheim Foundation, which offers fellowships to artists, scholars and scientists. more >
California Arts Council Faces Big Cut in Funds
California Arts Council officials say the state's new budget, sealed Thursday with Gov. Gray Davis' signature, means their agency's support for artists and arts organizations statewide will drop roughly 40%--from $28 million last year to $16.4 million in the 2002-03 fiscal year. more >
China moves to privatise the art trade
A draft law which circulated at this year’s National People’s Congress (NPC) at the end of April proposed legalising private trade in antiquities for the first time since Communist 'liberation' in 1949. more >
Art venues find funding, and visitors, hard to come by
Arts venues across the US are feeling a 9/11 pinch, as a downturn in tourism affects attendance. Worse, a recession and a bear market in stocks have affected private endowment funds and state budgets. more >
China blocks search engine AltaVista
The Chinese government has blocked access to search engine AltaVista as part of its campaign to prevent citizens from accessing material deemed unsuitable and threatening to the ruling Communist Party. more >
The people's pictures
It became New York's family album, a public scrapbook, a repository for pictures about September 11, in itself perhaps the most photographed event in American history. more >
Publisher attracting latino writers and readers
A bilingual imprint of HarperCollins started last September dedicated solely to the work of Latino authors. Rayo, which means flash of lightning in Spanish, is the first attempt by a major publisher to focus on the Latino market in the United States. more >
Police find stolen art worth millions
Spanish police said yesterday they had cracked the country's biggest art robbery in recent years with the discovery of works by Francisco de Goya, Juan Gris and others in a semi-detached holiday home in the Costa Brava. more >
Egypt boasts free Internet service
It seems globally subscription-free Internet service has pretty much proven itself an unprofitable anachronism - Except in Egypt. In this nation beset by creaky Net connections and outdated circuits, where computers remain a luxury for the vast majority, a free Internet strategy is boosting Internet access. more >
Designer of Tate Modern displays a lack of artful diplomacy over rivals
Jacques Herzog, designer of Britain's most successful art museum, the Tate Modern in London, has launched scathing attacks on two of the Tate's greatest international competitors. more >
More than a pretty building
Participation is at the core of good governance. And it is the participation of prominent Egyptian intellectuals that was recently being sought by Egypt's major research library the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. more >
September fever at Venice Film Festival
In its nearly 60 years of existence the Venice Film Festival has never been free from politics, with this years festival coinciding with the anniversary of September 11 Al-Ahram examines its latest tribute. more >
Greece to honour 25th anniversary of Callas' death
Greece is preparing to honour the memory of the New York-born opera diva Maria Callas, with a series of concerts and exhibitions marking the 25th anniversary of her death. more >
France has fallen behind
In 2000, the ministry of foreign affairs commissioned the sociologist, Alain Quemin, to review the state of visual arts in France. more >
Author on trial over Islam 'insult'
Prize-winning French novelist Michel Houellebecq is to stand trial on Tuesday on charges of making a racial insult and inciting religious hatred. more >
Sculptures in Cemetery Park
The Chilean National Arts Endowment (FONDART) is currently offering fifteen residencies to Chilean artists as part of the Third Sculpture Symposium, to be held in Putaendo, September 13 to October 30. more >
UNESCO welcomes free speech declaration for Afghanistan
International science and cultural agency UNESCO has warmly welcomed a formal recommendation announced earlier this month, to enshrine the principles of free speech and free media in the new Afghan constitution. more >
UNESCO congratulates Japan and welcomes back the US
Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, congratulated Japan earlier this month for its ratification of the 1970 Convention on the Prevention of the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. Meanwhile, he has also welcomed the US back into the UNESCO fold. more >
Linking intangible cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Some 80 ministers of culture and other relevant officials, representing around 100 nations, are currently meeting in Istanbul for what is thought to be the first round-table to discuss possible government action in preserving the world’s intangible cultural heritage, vested in languages, customs, songs, plays, dances, celebrations and craft skills. more >
Bathtime for David statue
Michelangelo's masterpiece, the statue of David, is being given its first wash since 1873 at its Florence gallery. more >
HIV puppet on Sesame Street
The South African version of the children's educational programme Sesame Street has introduced an HIV positive character. more >
Marley's 'No Woman, No Cry' Heads Jamaica Top 40
Bob Marley's 'No Woman, No Cry' was chosen Jamaica's most popular song and the reggae legend placed two others in the top 10 of a favorites' list compiled to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Caribbean nation's independence. more >
French author denies racial hatred
A prize-winning French author on trial for calling Islam 'the dumbest religion' has denied charges of inciting racial hatred. more >
Stellar Benefactor's Late Checks Fray the Nerves of Arts Groups
Alberto W. Vilar, a Cuban-American money manager who in just the last three years distinguished himself as perhaps the world's most lavish benefactor of opera and classical music, has failed to make payments to at least two prominent arts groups in the wake of high-tech stock losses. more >
'Offensive' statue removed
A new sculpture, aimed at commemorating those who jumped to their deaths from the World Trade Center, has been withdrawn from New York's Rockefeller Center. more >
Bibliotheca Alexandrina to be inaugurated in October
The Egyptian Government has announced that the Official Inauguration Ceremony for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina that was postponed from 23 April 2002, due to events in the Middle East, will now take place on 16 October 2002 in Alexandria, Egypt. more >
Filming in Africa: 'Then and Now'
To produce a film in Africa is an act of resistance, according to one Congolese film-maker. 'It is about looking at the world's stories and giving one's opinion about them, capturing and inquiring about collective memory, attracting, entertaining and informing.' more >
A critical look at London's cultural policy
Norman Lebrecht critiques London's mayor for being too heavy-handed with policies intended to encourage the city's cultural and creative development. 'The best a city can do for culture is to foster a climate where it can speak freely and reach millions.' more >
Dancing for African unity
Africa is afflicted by many woes that are threatening to tear it apart. However, a cultural festival held in Rwanda recently showed that the continent’s peoples can unite. more >
Godard and Foster awarded lifetime achievements
Renowned UK architect Norman Foster and French film auteur Jean-Luc Godard are both the recipients of Japan Art Association awards. more >
Planning a homecoming for Indians' remains
Native Haida Indian bones from a collection of the American Museum of Natural History in New York are to be returned to their descendants for burial on the Queen Charlotte Islands. more >
Two for the history books
Lamenting that many American students are illiterate in history, US President Bush recently announced a broad government initiative to invigorate the teaching of American history and culture. more >
Critical acclaim boosts Irish film industry
After languishing in the doldrums for several years, things are beginning to look up for Irish film. more >
Vietnam May Punish Movie Actor
Vietnamese officials debated Friday whether the Vietnamese actor who starred with Mel Gibson in 'We Were Soldiers' is a national traitor and should be punished. more >
Havana to unlock Hemingway papers
The Cuban government has agreed to allow access to a trove of Ernest Hemingway's papers that experts say promises to illuminate the period in which he wrote some of his most significant works. more >
Loaning art to students
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been successfully running a unique loan program for students: 'Instead of keeping its art locked up, MIT lets students take home original works to hang on their dorm room and apartment walls.' more >
Should modern artists be hung?
HIS mass of unruly locks gives Charles Harris a powerful, wild presence. more >
Caribbean seminar for excellence in public television
Opportunities for sharing and critiquing innovative initiatives in the film and video professions in the Caribbean will provided at the UNESCO sponsored 'Second Caribbean Screening and Seminar for excellence in public television', to be held in Kingston, Jamaica from November 2 -4, 2002. more >
Radio brings information to Bamiyan
A small radio station operating from the historical city of Bamiyan in northern Afghanistan is bringing music, news and information to the people of this remote area. UNESCO will help Bamiyan women to prepare programmes for transmission. more >
Goethe papers part of the memory of the world register
The literary estate of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1779-1832) is now officially part of UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. more >
ArteBA 2002
In spite of the never ending derailment of the economy in Argentina, the 11th edition of ArteBA, the contemporary art fair in Buenos Aires, was a very popular and festive, although modest economic, success. more >
Tibetan culture finds digital saviour
Thousands of historical Tibetan books are going digital in an attempt to save Tibet's rich Buddhist-influenced literature. more >
Demarco takes arts proposal to Europe
Plans to create a new cultural centre in Edinburgh will move a step closer tomorrow when Richard Demarco, the arts promoter, meets members of the European parliament to seek backing for a new gallery of contemporary art. more >
UNESCO supports online training project for archivists
Using the Internet for professional training of archivists is the objective of a project that has been recently launched by Association internationale des Archives francophones (AIAF). more >
Tribal features common to India and Mexico
Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Union Minister of State Tribal Affairs in India, has recently visited an exhibition in Delhi depicting the life and customs of the indigenous Huichols Mexicans, and noted that they share many similarities with the tribes of India. more >
Millennium Centre to trawl world for new chief
One of the most prestigious jobs within Wales's arts industry is to be advertised internationally. more >
Spanish producers denounce government funding cut
The president of the Spanish Producers’ Federation (FAPAE) has launched a direct attack on the Spanish government’s film policy, denouncing plans to cut state funding for film by 30%. more >
Sicilian earthquake damage worse than expected
After the violent earthquake which hit Palermo on 6 September, the city is beginning to assess the damage to its historic and artistic heritage. more >
NYC museum is serious about sex
A new museum on New York's Fifth Avenue is promising to put the serious into sex. more >
Portrait of a nation
Is there an American face? more >
Art thieves hit stately home
Art thieves have hit a stately home in Ireland for a fourth time in 27 years, just days after two artworks were recovered from a previous theft at the property. more >
'You can't copyright silence - there's too much of it about'
Last Monday, millionaire producer, arranger and songwriter Mike Batt made an out-of-court settlement with representatives of the late avant-garde composer John Cage, for a rumoured £100,000. more >
Now showing - the essence of Dresden
Despite the recent floods, the magnificent Porcelain Collection in Dresden's Zwinger palace is set to re-open next month. more >
Appeal to Buckingham Palace to return Benin bronze
Professor Ekpo Eyo is calling on Buckingham Palace to return the Benin bronze head which was taken from the Lagos National Museum and presented to The Queen during General Yakubu Gowon’s State visit to London in 1973. more >
Bangkok’s governor tries to turn arts centre into garage
Bangkok’s governor Samak Sundaravej’s plan to turn a sorely needed arts centre into a commercial development has hit some unexpected snags, as artists stage headline-grabbing protests and construction companies refuse to participate in the project. more >
October 2002
UNESCO World Heritage conference addresses mountain hazards
A recent conference held by UNESCO in France addressed the issue of heritage sites located in mountainous regions, and their high risk of being damaged by natural disasters. more >
WIPO launches website in Chinese
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently launched a Chinese language version of its website. more >
Nazi loot claim 'compelling'
The British Museum says there is 'compelling' evidence that four drawings in its collection were looted by Nazis around the time of World War II. more >
Lawmakers Pressure Music Biz on Lyrics
Capitol Hill lawmakers kept up pressure on the record business Tuesday to label music with more detailed parental warnings, saying too many of America's kids are exposed to violent and sexually explicit lyrics. more >
Preserving historic sites at colleges
If approved, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation Program will see historic structures on 'Historically Black' Colleges and University campuses restored to preserve the rich culture they represent. more >
Economist: General skills most important
General knowledge is even more important than specialized knowledge in determining the progress of human cultures, an economist told an Association of American Colleges and Universities forum recently. more >
In Italy, a kinder, gentler fascism
This summer the president of the Italian state broadcasting system, RAI, addressed the national congress of the the right-wing National Alliance. The official, Antonio Baldassarre, announced that it was time to rewrite history. That is, as it is presented on Italian television. more >
Afghan media receives major Italian support
Italy has provided UNESCO with $4.0m to help develop the media in Afghanistan. more >
International Strategy launched by Resource
Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, has developed and published a new strategic plan detailing the organisation's international agenda. more >
Cinema Service boosts investment in Korean film industry
South Korean major Cinema Service is to boost its investment in local film production amidst what appears to be an exodus of venture capital from the industry. more >
Broaden NAFTA's scope
Cultural industries are among the sectors that should be opened up to free trade to avoid future spats between the United States and Canada, according to U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci. more >
Spanish arthouse distributors form industry association
Four of Spain's leading arthouse distributors have formed the Independent Film Distributors' Association (ADICINE) to provide a lobby for their interests in the exhibition of European films in Spain. more >
Anglo-French movies to première
Six short films made as English and French versions of the same scripts are to make their debut at the Dinard film festival in France. more >
Artists Sing Out on Piracy
Record labels and artists were out in force Thursday to reiterate their blunt assessment of digital piracy's effects on their financial well-being at a state government hearing in Sacramento. more >
One visa problem costs a festival two filmmakers
Internationally acclaimed Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami was unable to get a United States visa in time to attend the premiere of his new film at the New York Film Festival, prompting his friend and fellow director Aki Kaurismaki of Finland to boycott the festival in protest. more >
Arts leader calls for a Festival of Scotland
James Boyle, chairman of the Scottish Arts Council, has proposed a Festival of Scotland to celebrate and promote the arts and culture. more >
Develop arts, design and media as 'creative cluster'
The importance of the arts to the economy is receiving worldwide attention, as evidenced by new reports in Singapore. more >
Let's plan to celebrate who we are
Scotland has been a counter-culture since forever. "We've been 'not English' for too long." more >
Alexandria before Alexander
Egyptians have allowed Greece to claim Alexandria as a Graeco-Roman legacy. Writer Jill Kamil goes back three hundred years before the great Mediterranean capital was founded and attempts to set the record straight. more >
Loss of artefacts may diminish role of museums
There is growing concern over the steady loss of priceless materials from Kenya's national museums and archives.The risk of the museums becoming irrelevant research institutions is high as the loss of the artefacts is likely to cause gaps in history and archaeology. more >
Theatre plays commemorate state owned radio anniversary
Two theatre plays have recently presented in Luanda city to commemorate Angola's state owned Radio 27th anniversary. more >
Standa stresses reading culture
A renowned poet, Prof Everett Standa, has urged libraries to make available a variety of books and other reading materials to help improve the reading culture in Kenya. more >
A new shakeup at the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is undergoing a major organisational restructuring. Some worry that the changes are being made while the NEA is still without a permanent chairperson. more >
Decision on new German Minister for Culture imminent
Surprise top contender as Germany’s new State Minister for Culture - former regional Culture Senator Christina Weiss is to meet Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Monday October 7. more >
France struggles to reassert its power
France could become once again the art market world power that it used to be until the 1950s. Or it could miss the boat by remaining mired in the intricacies of the red tape that its legal apparatus so easily generates. more >
Zimbabwe Arts Council increases Nama Prize
THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) director, Titus Chipangura, has recently announced that the prize money for artistes who are to participate in the second National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) has been increased from $20 000 to $100 000. more >
Bulawayo Book Fair a success despite odds
The just ended Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) Bulawayo 2002, defied the prevailing environment - farm invasion, violence and the current political instability- to register a resounding success. more >
Supreme Court to Hear Copyright Challenge
The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will meet on Wednesday to weigh the fate of Mickey Mouse. more >
Galleries buy treasure trove of modern art
More than 230 works by one of the founders of modern art, Joseph Beuys, were unveiled yesterday as the latest acquisition by the National Galleries of Scotland. more >
Met's 'Adam' shatters as pedestal collapses
The 15th-century marble statue of Adam by the Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo recently crashed to the ground at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, scattering its arms, legs and an ornamental tree trunk into dozens of pieces. more >
Resource develops single learning and access framework
A new framework under development hopes to place access and learning at the heart of museum, library and archive policies, according to Resource. more >
Nominees announced for Nordic council's new film prize
The nominees for the inaugural $46,000 (DKR350,000) Nordic Council’s Film Prize, which will be awarded at the council’s 50th anniversary on October 29, include ten new films from Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. more >
Grants depend on location not talent says critic
One of the most persistent mindsets in today's Arts Council is something one might call 'geographical correctness'. more >
New technologies helping to save world heritage
As UNESCO prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, preservationists campaigning to save sites, landscapes and monuments still face serious threats, even though most of the 730 world heritage sites are well managed. more >
Pioneering Internet connection in Afghanistan
One of Afghanistan’s key training institutions for journalists, the AINA Media and Cultural Centre in Kabul, is now able to offer Internet connectivity to its clientele. more >
Hungarian author wins Nobel prize
Hungarian novelist Imre Kertesz, whose works often focus on his experiences in Nazi concentration camps, has been awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize for Literature. more >
Broadening the definition of arts events in Japan
The Japanese Arts Scene Monitor has reported that the Association for Corporate Support of the Arts (Mecenat), the independent body set up to decide whether arts events are worthy of receiving tax-deductible donations, has broadened its definition of an arts event to include media arts such as manga and anime. more >
Resource announces partnership with reading agency
Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries has announced that it will work together with recently established The Reading Agency (TRA) to produce a new web-based dimension to next year’s summer Reading Challenge. more >
Musical Theatre joins International Festivals
One of the world’s oldest and most loved art forms is about to experience its first ever festival, an international one at that. Musical theatre, long associated with large-scale, long-running productions like ‘Cats’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Oliver!’ is set to join the world of festivals. more >
Kurdish musician plays for freedom
Newroz is an Iraqi Kurd. Born in the Behedinan province in the north of Iraq, he grew up defying restrictions and sang openly in the Kurdish language. more >
Publishers and Librarians promote freedom of expression
An international group of librarians and publishers have issued a statement re-asserting the importance of freedom of expression for democracy, creativity and prosperity. more >
The dark secret kept hidden for 50 years
The virtuous image of the Bertelsmann media empire has been destroyed by a devastating historical study into the company's Nazi links that exposes its post-war success as built on a lie. more >
Singapore Pins Hopes on Spiky Arts Center
Theaters with spiky twin domes newly built on Singapore's waterfront are gigantic symbols of the city state's push into the arts. The tiny trade-dependent nation, better known for electronics exports, hopes to turn the arts into a money-making industry and harness creativity to reinvent itself. more >
Cultural institutions put their images online
University of California at Berkeley has opened a new museum. But art lovers don't have to worry about rushing to buy tickets - there are none. more >
NASAA meets in Motown
The 2002 annual meeting of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies will focus on strategies to help arts agencies change and thrive in the 21st century. more >
Singapore boasts new arts hub
Singapore has unveiled a giant arts complex with an extravaganza of music, dance and fireworks, designed to reinvent the affluent island state as an Asian cultural capital. more >
Media and culture centre opens in Kabul
A new centre for media freedom established in the Afghan capital, Kabul, was officially opened last week, and is now home to nine independent publications. more >
Echo chambers, artspeak and attitude
Columnist Russell Smith comments on the disconnect between 'art' and 'non-art' people. Each group has no idea what the other thinks or doesn't think of them, and neither group seems to care. more >
New ambassadors of Afrikaans
With no fewer than 14 Afrikaans music festivals this year, music is once again the cultural weapon of choice, enjoying respect and acclaim from all who brand themselves proudly South African more >
Obasanjo Makes Case for Culture
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned against destroying the country's rich cultural heritage. more >
Challenging the Growth Gurus
The Initiative for Policy Dialogue, at Columbia University, is bringing together economists, political scientists and policy analysts to re-examine the prevailing wisdom about economic development. more >
Muppet team on Afghan mission
Two members of the team behind the Muppets are embarking on a mission to save Afghan children from landmines by creating an elaborate stage-show to take there. more >
Museum for mousing: Cultural institutions put their images online
University of California, Berkeley, has recently opened a museum where there are no exhibits; everything is online. more >
Museums team up to foot the bill and find the space
US Museums are bonding in ways they never have before, driven by the rising cost of acquisitions, escalating operating expenses and a kind of bottom-line common sense vital in today's rocky economy. more >
Poll shows support for Marbles return
British people would strongly back the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece under certain conditions, according to a survey. more >
Java Artist of the Year announced
Online gallery and new media arts organisation Java Museum has announced the winner of its Artist of the Year 2002 award, presented for excellence in creativity - Calin Man from Romania. more >
MSA to host international symposium
The Musicological Society of Australia will co-host the 2004 Symposium of the International Musicological Society (SIMS) in Melbourne, and is now calling for proposals for papers for the event. more >
The next big thing?
It has been argued that England's political conservatives are very wrong to ignore cultural issues. Culture is now a huge earner, overtaking coal, steel and the motor industry. more >
Cuban art is preparing the stage for life after the embargo
After four decades of Cold War sniping, Cuban art, music and theater are gradually setting the stage for reconciliation in a post-embargo era. more >
Supporting the arts pays dividends
The arts and culture are some of the first budgets cut when times get tough. Despite the NEA study that showed the nonprofit arts industry (generates $134 billion in economic activity nationally every year. more >
Birth of a nation
The end of apartheid brought euphoria to South Africa -and a creative slump. But now writers and actors are rediscovering their voices. more >
US burning its cultural bridges
In criticising the American visa delays, one source writes - 'Sometimes we're just dumb.... One of our goals in the war against terrorism is to 'win the hearts and minds' of the 'Arab street.' ...So how do we go about this process of trying to ingratiate ourselves to young Muslims? Why, by insulting their cultural heroes, of course.' more >
Do reviews matter? No. Yes. Maybe. Depends
A survey of more than 25 theater artists, administrators, academics and theatre goers shows that reviewers have a duty to provide information, context and perspective. more >
New technologies helping to save world heritage
UNESCO and the Centre for Design Visualization at the University of California in Berkeley (USA) have organized a series of seven interactive conferences in seven cities around the world. These events will form a virtual congress on the theme, 'World Heritage in the Digital Age'. more >
NEA's battle for cultural identity
Under acting chairman Eileen B. Mason the National Endowment for the Arts has undergone internal changes to pursue four primary goals: artistic creativity and preservation; learning in the arts; public-private partnerships; and a wider geographic influence. more >
Building Rwanda’s First Public Library
A call for help building Rwanda’s first public library in the country’s capital Kigali has recently been addressed by the Ministry of Education of Rwanda to UNESCO. more >
Clouds hang over Bollywood
Bollywood has lost over $30m since the start of this year, according to a survey. more >
Musicians Tackle Hunger
Zimbabwean music maestro Oliver Mtukudzi has joined forces with fellow artists and journalists to obtain food for his starving countrymen. The Music for Food Collective will target the country's districts hit hardest by the food crisis in Matabeleland. more >
Online resource strengthens arts education programs in public housing
Creative Communities, is an arts education, youth development and community building strategy that expands access to high quality, progressive instruction in the arts for children and youth living in public housing communities. more >
Tax break planned for art
A new tax bill proposed to the Finance Ministry in Japan will grant grace periods for inheritance tax payments on private-owned artworks, such as paintings and sculptures, while they are on display at galleries and museums. more >
Museum given funding boost, but is it enough?
Officials at the cash-strapped British Museum have warned that additional government funding will not be enough for the institution's long-term plans. more >
French author cleared of race hate
French writer Michel Houellebecq has been cleared of inciting racial hatred by saying Islam was 'the stupidest religion'. more >
To grandparents, english word trend isn't 'Naisu'
Similar to France's doomed bid to halt the proliferation of English words,the Japanese government has formed a panel to propose measures to stem the foreign word corruption. more >
Craft industry adds value to Jamaican tourism product
Executive Director of the Jamaican Tourism Product Development Company, (TPDCo), Karl Binger, has commented that tourism in Jamaica would not 'reach its full potential, without a vibrant, flourishing craft business, enriching the product offering.' more >
Indian festival of dance at Indian monument
The Indian Ministry for Tourism and Culture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, is presenting a festival of Indian Classical dance at the historic Purana Quila monument. more >
Bigger budget for new culture fund
The arts and culture sector in Wales is receiving another major increase in funding. more >
Global prize plans to put Wales on the visual arts map
The largest single visual arts prize in the world, worth £40,000, was launched in Wales last night. more >
Interview with the new Director of the Tate Modern
The Spaniard Vicente Todoli, who describes himself as an all-round man, takes over as the new director of Tate Modern this month with a 20-year career in museums behind him. more >
Legal group to fight 'retentionist' policies
Arguing that it is they, and not archaeological sites, that are under siege, a group of American collectors has formed a new organisation to defend the interests of private and public collecting. more >
Iraq's precious relics decimated by thieves
Since Iraq's defeat in the Persian Gulf War in 1991, thieves have been stealing anything they can -estimated by experts to total tens of thousands of clay tablets, statuettes, pots, pieces of jewelry -from open or poorly guarded sites throughout the country. more >
London theatres increase security
Two London theatres are increasing security in reaction to the siege by Chechen rebels in Moscow, in which more than 600 theatre-goers are being held hostage. more >
Parisian art moved out of flood's way
Leading Paris museums, including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, are to move thousands of priceless artworks from their basement storerooms because of a feared "superflood" in the French capital this winter. more >
Controversial art once again battles for Turner Prize
Controversial artworks are once again battling for top honours at the Turner Prize, one of the world's most contentiuos art competitions. more >
UNESCO celebrates 30 years of cultural heritage protection
International cultural agency UNESCO is celebrating 30 years since the adoption of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972, a document which now has some 175 signatories and protects around 730 sites across the globe. more >
Difficulties in touring the arts in Asia
Singapore-based producer, Shireen Seow, of Shaksfin Asia, sees the language barrier as only the first of the challenges facing companies wanting to mount Asia-wide tours. more >
Draft Jamaican cultural policy available online
The Jamaican Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture is currently in the process of finalising a new National Cultural Policy, a draft copy is now available online. more >
Music Industry Pushes EU for Anti-Piracy CD Codes
The European Union must make an identity code for compact discs compulsory when it unveils a draft law aimed at combating piracy later this year, industry executives said on Tuesday. more >
INCD declares 'richness of diversity'
The International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD) recently concluded three days of meetings in the South African city of Cape Town, which saw 186 delegates brought together from some 37 countries. more >
Strategy tool for Arts Councils
Brenda Rawson from Silicon Valley organisation Cultural Initiatives will be demonstrating how to use its recently released tool for cultural policy makers, the Great Cities Simulator at the Creative Clusters Summit, England November 20 to 23. more >
First lady honors libraries and museums for outstanding public service
WASHINGTON - First lady Laura Bush honored six libraries and museums on Tuesday for outstanding public service to their communities. more >
A life as simple as Pi for Booker Prize Winner
When he addressed a press conference in London on Tuesday night, Yann Martel made the following declaration: "Let's not kid ourselves. I'm not a pop star, and I'm not a movie star." more >
November 2002
In the business of the arts
If there is one sector that can sell South Africa to the outside world to attract investment and tourism, it's Business and Arts South Africa (Basa). more >
Artistes Against AIDS to hold show
Artistes Against Aids, an organisation working with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to disseminate information on HIV/Aids through theatre and dance, will hold its annual show at the Harare Gardens in mid November. more >
Hospital looking to art
For some, art inspires. For others, it enables creativity within. And for the beholder, it can lift the spirit - all reasons why Mercy Hospital, Iowa, wants to increase its presence in the art scene. more >
Festival - promise of renaissance in culture house
After a lull, the drums of culture will begin to thunder in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital as the 36 states of the federation and Abuja congregate for the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST). more >
Berlin considers merging two opera companies
Legislators in Berlin are reportedly considering merging two of the city’s three opera companies – the Staatsoper and the Deutsche Oper. more >
Modern-day Book of Kells unveiled
The Book of Kells, the greatest surviving medieval manuscript of Gaelic culture, which established a distinctive Celtic art style for the 8th century, has inspired a successor for the new millennium. more >
Art gala opens in Shanghai
Art troupes from more than 20 countries and regions will attend this year's Shanghai International Arts Festival which opened on November 1. more >
Maestro?
Symphony orchestras in both Toronto and Montreal are shopping for music directors, which offers opportunities for exciting renewal - or chaos. more >
Musician Ray Charles Receives Award
Music legend Ray Charles was honored at the 20th annual Media Access Awards for raising awareness about disability issues in the entertainment industry. more >
Author cancels US tour over 'profiling'
A celebrated Canadian author, Rohinton Mistry, has cancelled the second half of his US book tour because of racial profiling at US airports. more >
Afghanistan's archaeological treasures threatened
Afghanistan faces a race against time to save its archaeological treasures experts warn, as rampant theft and smuggling of valuable artefacts continues unabated despite the outbreak of peace. more >
Iraq’s history is our history too
Collectors, curators, lawyers and art patrons, are urging the US government to take historic sites in Iraq into account as the military map out possible scenarios for attack and occupation. more >
Entrepreneurship in museums
'Entertainment' has been simplistically adopted as one means of gaining more visitors, but there is less understanding of the learning experience in museums than is necessary for the pursuit of entrepreneurial approaches to improving the visitor experience. more >
An enduring elitist and his popular museum
At 66, Philippe de Montebello is celebrating his 25th anniversary as Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art — probably the longest tenure by any major American museum director. more >
Beware IT pros, Arts students cometh
Arts students in India are beating out their IT colleagues to gain jobs in the software industry for companies like Infosys, Nike, Titan and Madura Coates. more >
A sculptor works up an exposé of the stars' secrets
A majestic astronomy-based artwork that has been taking shape during the last 26 years at the isolated Chupinas Mesa, New Mexico means that people will one day be able to look 13,000 years into the past or future. more >
Culture strives to keep patrons of the arts in the frame
Arts sponsorship in the UK has fallen to a five-year low, whilst sports sponsorship has shown consistent growth in comparison. more >
$20 million fine for Sotheby's on antitrust charges
The European Commission fined the auction house Sotheby's a hefty 20.4 million euro ($20.1 million; £12 million) for price-fixing and anti-competitive practices on 30 October. Christie's was not fined. more >
Theatre chief warns of arts apartheid
A new cultural apartheid is denying children who go to state schools the chance to enjoy theatre and the arts, according to Nicholas Hytner, the man who will take over as director at the National Theatre next year. more >
Pageant, past and present
How a city was transformed for the opening of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. more >
Art, academia and a battle for billions
Students streaming to class at Lincoln University give little thought to the institution's link to a Main Line legacy of art worth billions - or to the current effort to wrest it from the university's control. more >
National arts agency delays reorganisation
The National Endowment for the Arts announced yesterday that it would halt a staff reorganisation that some arts groups had criticized so that a new chairman could review the plan after taking office. more >
Big business pulls the plug
As corporate sponsorship becomes harder to secure, arts organisations are turning to individual patrons for support. more >
The benefits of blending art into the palette of the curriculum
A five-year experiment in arts education shows how the arts can be successfully integrated with other academic disciplines, say organisers of the Transforming Education Through the Arts Challenge. more >
Art Cologne: A very German affair
This year’s edition of Art Cologne, held from 30 October to 3 November, opened in difficult circumstances. more >
Nova Scotia artists await new council
Nova Scotia will soon have a new council to support the arts, but it won't have a fixed budget. more >
'Frida' Film criticised in Mexico as too 'Hollywood'
Frida Kahlo 'would have walked out,' Mexico's most famous society commentator said in a damning review of Hollywood's take on the cult Mexican painter, to be released in her homeland this month. more >
Show must go on for Moscow siege theatre cast
Shaken but defiant, the cast of the Russian musical 'Nord-Ost' wrapped up on Sunday concerts staged in memory of the 128 people killed after Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theatre during the show last month. more >
Thousands of archaeological objects discovered in 2000
More than 35,000 archaeological artefacts were uncovered in Britain in 2000, leading to the discovery of several important heritage sites, it has been announced. more >
Vanishing works of art: the legacies of the bubble economy
The Japanese Art Scene Monitor has reported that Japan has now reached a stage where it is both possible and necessary to evaluate the effects of the bubble economy, in terms of its arts scene. more >
In down economy, many arts funding options evaporating
Arts groups in America are in a funding crisis. But are the problems temporary, the result of a down economy, or is it something more ominous? more >
Our man returns from Nablus: the historic core has been wrecked
Holy sites in the Holy Land arouse passions. more >
WIPO meets with IP Wales
Officials of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) last week met with members of the IP Wales team - the United Kingdom's first custom-made intellectual property business support initiative - to exchange ideas and explore areas for future co-operation, particularly in the area of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). more >
Hemingway Papers to Be Preserved at Cuba Estate
Communist Cuba agreed on Monday to a U.S.-funded project to preserve thousands of Ernest Hemingway's documents and photographs found decaying at his Havana estate along with stuffed animal heads and rifles wrapped in parcel paper. more >
WIPO summit for China
The People's Republic of China has announced that it will host a WIPO summit on intellectual property, April 24-26, 2003, on the subject of 'Intellectual Property in the Knowledge Economy'. more >
Scottish film production enjoys mini-boom
Swimming against the tide of downbeat news from the UK sector, Scotland is currently experiencing a mini-boom in film and television production. more >
Archaeologists make plea to spare Iraq's treasures
Many ancient archaelogical treasures in Irag lie close to air bases or oil refineries or laboratories that were targeted in the Gulf War and may be targeted again should the U.S. go to war with Iraq. more >
North Korea demands repatriation of works
As part of Japan and North Korea's ongoing effort to normalise diplomatic relations, the two countries signed a joint declaration in September regarding talks on the fate of several hundred artefacts from North Korea acquired during Japan's occupation. more >
South Africa's Theatrical Renaissance
According to South African theatre critics, the end of apartheid marked a creative downturn in the country. more >
Museum sinks hope of marbles deal
Evangelos Venizelos, the Greek minister of culture, came to London this week, looking for the return of the Elgin Marbles in time for the 2004 Olympics. After a polite conversation over tea, the answer was 'no'. more >
Congress Approves Web Radio Royalty Deal
The U.S. Congress approved a deal early Friday morning that would allow small Internet-based radio stations to pay lower royalty rates to the musicians and record labels whose songs they use. more >
Irish Film Board faces sharp budget cuts
Amid a set of sweeping public service cuts announced in pre-budget estimates for 2003, the Irish government is set to reduce the Irish Film Board’s funding by an aggregate 12.5%. more >
Arts community now must scramble to maintain funding levels
Defeated arts advocates may find small consolation in the fact that when you lump everything together, a majority of Wayne and Oakland voters actually said yes to Proposal K, the arts and culture tax. more >
The politics of Taiwan's entertainment industry
In Taiwan, people in the entertainment industry are not very willing to exhibit their political dispositions. They do not want to stir up trouble in this quarrelsome environment filled with political strife and conflicts. more >
Net culture: between the fast lane and the slow
In India there is an emergence of a culture built around the internet. more >
Endowment Fund: the dream remains deferred
The inspiring words of a State Governor saved the day for artists, culture workers and enthusiasts who had expected President Olusegen Obsanjo to use the occasion to launch Nigeria's long overdue National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). more >
Saviour of Unesco?
On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention Koichiro Matsuura, Director General of Unesco, tells of his reform of Unesco and how the US has been returned to membership after nearly 20 years. more >
Dance is Reservoir of Zimbabwe's Culture
Dance is not only about people moving rhythmically to music, it is a performing art that reflects our way of life, the mood of our times and the dynamism of our culture, says the Minister of Education, Sport and Culture, Cde Aenias Chigwedere. more >
Italian archaeological treasures for sale?
An entire archaeological city may go up for sale in Italy, according to confidential government documents made public by a leading environmental group. more >
Eurimages elects new president
Former French Minister of Culture Jacques Toubon was unanimously elected on Tuesday (19 November) as the new president of Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s pan-European fund for co-production, distribution and exhibition. more >
German Doctor Defies Britain to Slice Open Body
A maverick doctor defied British authorities on Wednesday by slicing open a human body before a packed audience and television cameras in the country's first public autopsy since 1830. more >
Net Culture: Between the fast lane and the slow
Nancy Adajania addresses the aesthetic and political questions thrown up by the emergence, in India, of a culture built around the Internet. This culture, she argues, could radically transform our art experience in the future. more >
Indo-Iran cultural conclave to build harmonious spirit in Asia
The upcoming Indo-Iranian cultural conclave is a tribute to the fact that the cultural interaction has made a major contribution to enhancing cultural richness and harmonious spirit in Asia. more >
Diary of an art competition (under occupation)
When a country and its people are not free, how do its artists respond? The sponsor of a competition for Palestinian artists finds work of pain and longing, but is impressed also by the life-affirming individuality of vision that flourishes even in the midst of national trauma. more >
LA Concert Hall to Open in 2003 with Music for All
Los Angeles' stunning new concert hall, designed by master architect Frank Gehry as a 'living room for the city,' will open in October, 2003 with a season of music ranging from classical baroque to hip-hop and Hollywood, officials said on Thursday. more >
Group alarmed over art treasures
Threatened by pollution, poor maintenance and illegal construction, one-third of Italy's world heritage is endangered including such treasures as Pompeii's ancient ruins, says Laegambiente, an environmental group. more >
A critical look at America's art critic journalists
The National Arts Journalism Program in America has produced a new report which provides a comprehensive view of what art critics are like as a group. more >
Universal: Rampant Piracy Jarrs Asian Music Sales
Asian music sales are expected to fall by between 10 percent to 15 percent in 2002 due to rampant piracy and a weak regional economy, an official at Universal Music Group said on Monday. more >
Art Market Opens
A monthly Art market to expose and promote artists and their products, and as well enable them to contribute to the development of tourism recently opened in Accra. more >
A plea for realism: Artists fear BRA's housing plans will force them out
A group of South End artists says the flagship of the Boston Redevelopment Authority's plan to increase studio spaces in the city might displace the very people it aims to serve. more >
Let's make an opera
Access to the arts lies at the heart of the government's culture policy. But has Labour's obsession with outreach gone too far? more >
Equipping artisans with marketing skills
Jua Kali artisans face challenges ranging from unfair competition from imports, lack of market access, lack of appropriate regulations and technology yet the sector contributes about 90 per cent of all new jobs. more >
The film that scared a studio
Graham Greene, a connoisseur of human frailty and compromised principles, might have found the recent controversy swirling around the new film version of his novel 'The Quiet American' a source of bitter amusement. more >
Eifman ballet to present acclaimed repertoire
Boris Eifman, one of the most successful choreographers working today, and his Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg will present their acclaimed creations 'Russian Hamlet,' 'The Karamazovs' and 'Don Quixote' in December at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. more >
Rajasthan drought affects film business
It's a curious result of the drought in Rajasthan, as cinema halls in rural areas find they hardly have any takers. With the rural economy hit hard by the drought, people in villages have little to spend on leisure and entertainment. more >
China assesses co-production potential with South Africa, Australia
The Chinese government is increasing its level of cultural exchanges with South Africa and Australia with a view to the development of potential film co-productions. more >
Arts group challenges S C internet law
A Norwegian artist is looking for women to take plaster moulds of their nipples for his latest project. Jens Hauglin wants to feature 99 impressions of nipples for his work which he plans to call 'The First Meal'. more >
Hungarian Ombudsman says 'Simpsons' is anti-gypsy
An episode of the American television cartoon 'The Simpsons' reinforces Hungarian prejudices against its Roma or gypsy population, a rights official has said. more >
Music, Dance Institution Opens in Harare
The Academy of Music and Dance, an institution moulded along the same lines as the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) in promoting cross-pollination of cultural ideas, will be opened tomorrow in Harare. more >
Late novelist's home could become museum
Intellectuals and friends of the late novelist Ghaleb Halasa urged concerned parties to transform the novelist's home on Main Street in Madaba into a museum displaying his literary works and personal items. more >
'Animal Farm' survives China censors
Director Shang Chengjun worried censors would ban his stage version of 'Animal Farm,' George Orwell's anticommunist satire of a barnyard revolution gone wrong. His anxiety was misplaced - the problem isn't the officials, it's the audience. more >
Romanian art goes on show
Scenes of Qatar and the countryside and castles of Romania went on show last night at Al Dana Club, in an exhibition of art works by Cristina Stuparu, held to mark Romania's National Day on December 1 and to raise funds for an old people's charity in the country. more >
INCD and INCP publish reports on Cape Town meetings
Following its meeting in mid-October, the International Network on Cultural Diversity has published the Cape Town Declaration. Similarly, the International Network on Cultural Policy has published a report noting that cultural ministers agreed to discuss with UNESCO's Director-General the feasibility of UNESCO housing and implementing an International Instrument on Cultural Diversity. more >
Consultants cost ACE £1.3m
Almost £1.3 million has been spent on consultants in the first year of the Arts Council of England's restructuring process, drawing fierce criticism from across the industry. more >
Preserving the memory of the world in perpetuity
Preserving digital information is becoming an increasingly urgent challenge for both libraries and publishers of books and journals, as the amount of digital information is growing quickly and preservation policies and techniques for this format of material remain unsettled. more >
Arts struts through the 'hood
The Centre for an Urban Future has released a report entitled 'The Creative Engine - How Arts & Culture is Fueling Economic Growth - in New York City Neighborhoods.' The report highlights arts and culture as a 'primary component of growth' in NYC neighborhoods over the last decade. more >
Public art controversy in Oregon
City councilors is Bend, Oregon are faced with the keeping art displayed in public places in Oregon is causing controversy for the Bend city councilors as a result of local opposition. more >
Tunisia launches 'City of Culture' project
The 'City of Culture', the most important cultural infrastructure project since Tunisia's independence in 1956, was launched recently. more >
Arts group weighs use of Lilly gift
Americans for the Arts need time to decide what to do with $86 million from the estate of Ruth Lilly, the sole surviving great-granddaughter of pharmaceutical magnate Eli Lilly. more >
ATAG pre-Christmas craft bazaar 2002
Aid to Artisans Ghana (ATAG), a locally based non-governmental organization, held an exhibition and trade fair on handicraft products, at Pavilion X at the International Trade Fair Centre in Accra. more >
Community multimedia centre opened in Kingston
Integrating traditional and new communication and information technologies for development is the aim of a Caribbean regional project that UNESCO recently launched in Kingston, Jamaica. more >
Creativity returns to schools
The integrated arts approach is taking hold at schools across Hawaii, driven by a combination of national issues, academic research and local concerns. more >
Hope restored
An unusual L.A.-based philanthropy group for the arts is aiding endangered historic properties around the globe. more >
The censor and the artist: a murky border
Does using software to remove potentially offensive language, sex and violence from R-rated movies constitute censorship? Or, by allowing viewers to tailor films to their tastes, is it a reasonable concession to consumer choice? more >
Japan gives 280 million for Chinese cultural heritage project
The Japanese government has granted 280 million Yen (about US$ 2.3 million) to China for the initial funding of a cultural heritage protection project. more >
December 2002
Architecture vs contemporary art
What is the relationship between architecture and contemporary art? Is it possible that buildings are not only places where people live, but also something they can enjoy? Artists and architects from China and abroad are presenting their views on topics like these at the on-going 2002 Shanghai Biennale, the fourth ever. more >
They can't wait no more
Performing artistes in the country intensify their battle to reap the positive gains of their creativity now, not later. more >
Stars back school music campaign
Leading classical musicians have called on the government to stop music being 'squeezed out' of school timetables. more >
Artist donates $136 000 to children's home
Victor Mavedzenge, a visual artist and poet, yesterday donated US$136 000 to the Just Children's Home in Harare to meet the children's upkeep. Mavedzenge last month held an exhibition entitled 'Quantum Soup for Oliver' at the Book Cafe. He sought to donate the proceeds to charity. more >
National Gallery of Modern Art
Richard Pankhurst and Stanislaw Chojnacki, two most distinguished scholars on Ethiopian art, seem to agree that there is a need for a National Gallery of Modern Art. The need for a National Gallery of Modern Art raised during the Sixth International Conference on the History of Ethiopian Art by the two distinguished historians needs to be scrutinized by all concerned and particularly by the nation's intellectuals and government officials. more >
State arts resources lacking for schools
Maine is among fewer than a half-dozen states that lack an expert on staff at the Department of Education who specializes in visual and performing arts, despite a mandate of the state's Learning Results program that requires school districts to fully implement visual and performing arts curricula for the graduating class of 2011. more >
Upstart academy rekindles Mexico's musical soul
An upstart Mexico City academy, the House of Mexican Music, is teaching students to sing and play centuries-old songs on traditional instruments, helping to rescue disappearing local genres in the process. more >
To encourage great art, help great artists
Over the last decade, the National Endowment for the Arts has been reduced to supporting mainstream institutions, making grants based more on political considerations than on artistic merit. more >
US-Mexican organisations honored for work in the arts
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities has honored organisations across the United States and Mexico for outstanding programs encouraging young people's creativity. more >
Networking young television producers on HIV/AIDS
A network of South Asian young television producers specializing on HIV/AIDS issues was established last week in a meeting held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was attended by seventeen TV producers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. more >
'Flip' comes in: Whatever happened to 'Ng'?
In the '90s an issue or two came out of the alternative literary magazine, Ng, brainchild of former fledgling writers and artists Mike Maniquiz and Sid Hildawa. Featuring photocopied reproductions of an artist's conceptual work or poet’s calligraphy, the magazine tried to blaze a new trail for the Philippine literary arts. more >
Thai museum catalogues opium dreams and nightmares
First reactions to Thailand's giant new opium museum in the Golden Triangle are confused: pleasant surprise at cool air after the intense tropical heat, but then disorientation, shock, even fear. more >
Taiwan, Tibet top Chinese blacklist
Internet sites on democracy, Tibet and Taiwan were among Web destinations most frequently blocked by the Chinese government, a Harvard study of Chinese online access has revealed. more >
Classical music consumer segmentation study
The final report on the Classical Music Consumer Segmentation Study, an analysis of how Americans relate to classical music and their local orchestras, has been released. more >
A re-awakening
Books are gradually finding their way back to the shelves, but not without the efforts of advocates and campaigners who are seeking a return of the good old culture of reading. more >
Protect Europe's film industry: lauded director
At a press conference following his win at the Polish Film Festival, director Ken Loach called on European countries to protect their film industries. more >
Prize for translators
Greek and international translators may be interested in an award on offer from the Greek Government. more >
Museums for reconciliation and history
Two centrally located museums, the Museum of History and Museum of Art, have opened in Seoul. Within the art museum, a digital unit called Media City is seen as part of a massive government campaign to promote the country’s information technology. more >
Iranian filmmaker assists Afghan cinema's rebirth
This first feature film to be made in Afghanistan since the collapse of the Taliban, is directed by Iranian filmmaking prodigy Samira Makhmalbaf, 22. more >
Egypt recovers stolen art
Ancient works of art are the latest of Africa's antiquities to be returned to their rightful owners. more >
Centenary of Cairo's Egyptian Museum celebrated with fanfare, ambitious plans
For decades now, Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum has needed redefining and modernising. Those who run it say the revolution has begun. more >
Japan's museums receive first report card from evaluation committee
'Japanese Arts Scene Monitor' has reported on the recent evaluation of Japan's four national museums, which were last year re-organised under the umbrella of the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum. more >
Top museums unite to fight Aboriginal claims
Several museums in Europe and the United States have issued a landmark declaration opposing the wholesale repatriation of cultural artefacts seized during imperial rule or by means now considered unethical. more >
Cultural cringe as review eyes arts
Fifteen of the nation's most prominent cultural institutions including the National Gallery, National Museum and National Library are under pressure to justify their existence to the Government. more >
Laying the basis for cultural impoverishment
According to UNESCO, in the 18 years to 1998, annual world trade-related to 'cultural industries' quadrupled from US$95 to US$388 billion. In light of the importance of cultural industries on economic strength, Zimbabwe must move to excel in its cultural work so as not to lose its cultural heritage and resources to those who simply know better how to use them. more >
Arts classes now required at UC
Visual and performing arts classes like dance, choir and music theory were once grouped in as electives with courses in history and other social sciences but, beginning with the Class of 2003, students must have one year of visual and performing-arts coursework if they want to enter the University of California system. more >
Paying for our museums
One year after six London museums, led by the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert, dropped all admission charges, visitor numbers have risen strongly. However, the change was supposed to remove a barrier to knowledge for the worse off. This has not happened. more >
Italy promises loan of Parthenon sculpture
Italian culture minister Giuliano Urbani has promised to return a fragment of the 5th century BC Parthenon to Greece on a long-term loan. more >
A tireless champion of the arts
Shirley Thomson may be leaving her job as director of the Canada Council, but her superlative track record suggests we will hear more from her. more >
N.J. Votes to kill poetry post
State lawmakers have taken a first step today toward abolishing the position of New Jersey poet laureate. The action follows protests over a poem by current poet laureate Amiri Baraka that implies Israel had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. more >
Paintings by Omani children published
A special booklet, 'Omani Children Draw Their Rights', has been jointly published by the Ministry of Social Development, the Omani Society for Fine Arts and the Unicef. more >
'A Beam of Light' illuminates the needs of artists, refugees
A painting exhibition opening today at Dar Al Anda Gallery in Lweibdeh is working to raise funds to help both refugees and Iraqi artists in Jordan. more >
Group is launching new types of licenses
Nonprofit organisation Creative Commons, will soon launch its first projects aimed at promoting creativity and collaboration by developing new forms of copyright while reinvigorating the ever-shrinking sphere of copyright-free works: the public domain. more >
UNESCO displays the therapeutic effect of painting
As part of celebrations of Human Rights Day, the UNESCO Amman office opened the 'Expressions — Paintings as Therapy' exhibition with works created by students with low vision. more >
NEA to give $25 million in grants to 860 projects
The National Endowment for the Arts will announce US$25 million worth of grants today for 860 projects around the country. more >
A severe dearth of museums
One by one, Greece's major archaeological museums are closing down for refurbishment ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games. more >
Creative Scotland Awards short-list announced
Twenty Scottish artists, including Alasdair Gray, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Richard Demarco, have been selected to go through to the final round of the Creative Scotland Awards 2003. more >
Valdemar Bastos to create African orchestra
The Angolan singer Valdemar Bastos is engaged in a project meant to create an African orchestra, integrating musicians from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Cote D'ivoire. more >
Chinese officials study broadway musicals
A team from the Chinese Ministry of Culture comes to Broadway to try to learn its secrets. more >
True definition of Asian art may be long in the making
Over the last five to 10 years there has been a push throughout the region for Asians to take back control of their artistic destinies. This has certainly been the case in Japan. more >
Pepetela a reference for Angolan literature
The 'National Prize of Culture and Arts' in the category of literature was won by the writer, Artur Pestana 'Pepetela' who was the highlight of the ceremony in that category, for his achievements over the past twelve months. more >
Money drying up
Money has been the big arts story of 2002. After a decade of prosperity and expansion, arts institutions found themselves struggling to survive. more >
Doha to get photography museum
A multi-million dollar museum, which will house the globally renowned Spira Collection of some of the rarest photographic equipment such as cameras and accessories as well as antique pictures, will be built in Doha shortly. more >
Institute seeks directory on Nigerian authors
Chairman and Managing Director of Rimax Institute, Chief Livinus I. Okwara, has called for a compilation of Nigerian authors to enable the government know the needs of such authors and respond to them. more >
Cuba focuses on exporting its art
The great Cuban modernists - Wilfredo Lam, Mariano Rodriguez and Amelia Palaez del Casal - long have been internationally recognized. Their work is found in museums worldwide. But increasingly, the island's newer art is getting international attention, with the United States its biggest market. more >
Marcos sculpture defaced in blast
A bomb defaced a giant stone bust of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos on a northern Philippine hillside yesterday, blowing off its eyes and nose. more >
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