International News in July 2002
Show all of 2002
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
Cultural diversity or cultural indifference?
Cultural diversity is an orthodoxy commonly preached these days, but is it a policy that deadens art? 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 >
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 >
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 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 >
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 >
Plans for African-American Museum advance
Plans are moving ahead for a National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. 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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
The birthplace of Impressionism
Some Parisians are trying to recapture the spirit of bygone days now immortalised in art galleries around the world. 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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
Purchase power collapse
Britain's major museums have slashed their budgets for acquisitions of art. 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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
Bollywood king of Kandahar again
The influence of Bollywood films so feared by the Taliban is indeed spreading through Afghan society. 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 >
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 >
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 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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
'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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >