International News in February 2003
Show all of 2003
Edinburgh gallery buys Titian's 'sexy lady'
For almost 60 years Titian's Venus Rising from the Sea has hung on loan in Scotland's National Gallery. It now belongs there, after it was bought for the nation for more than £11m. more >
Edinburgh gallery buys Titian's 'sexy lady'
For almost 60 years Titian's Venus Rising from the Sea has hung on loan in Scotland's National Gallery. It now belongs there, after it was bought for the nation for more than £11m. more >
Arts board expects to bear brunt
Minnesota artists and arts organisations of all sizes and statures are weighing the potential crush of Governor Tim Pawlenty's budget proposal, which would reduce state arts funding by 22%. more >
Arts groups brace for '04 budget proposal
The state arts agency and the hundreds of groups it supports hope for the best but fear the worst when Governor Mitt Romney unveils his fiscal 2004 budget proposal tomorrow in the face of a budget crisis. more >
Canada boosts film tax credits
Hollywood craft and talent unions were taken aback Wednesday by news that the Canadian government is raising production tax credits from 11% to 16% for foreign producers shooting there. more >
Tourist chief says Scots economy at risk from lack of cash for arts
The tourism chief who masterminded Glasgow's emergence as European City of Culture in 1990, has savaged the Scottish Executive’s cultural policy, warning that a failure to invest in the arts is jeopardising the health of the economy. more >
Beijing to invest 7 billion yuan on museums
China's capital is planning to invest seven billion yuan (854 million US dollars) in building and renovating museums, a vice-mayor of the Beijing Municipal Government said on Wednesday. more >
New city art panel drawn up
A month after New York City's Mayor Bloomberg donated US$10 million to cash-strapped city arts groups, he appointed a new Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission - full of financial heavy hitters like himself. more >
Resource moves to save Titian artwork
Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, has played a key role in saving a Titian masterpiece for Scotland, according to a recent statement from the organisation. more >
Resource will administer PRISM fund
The PRISM Fund, which acquires and conserves objects or collections of industrial or scientific importance, is to be administered by Resource. more >
States, arts at odds
Governors are trying to slash - and in some cases eliminate - arts grants to help cover budget shortfalls. more >
America's arts in crisis
Culture in the United States is in acute crisis as state governments across the country ponder eliminating funding for the arts entirely to help bridge some of the worst budget deficits in decades. more >
UN launches literacy decade
The United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012), with the theme 'Literacy as Freedom', was launched last week at the organisation's headquarters in New York. more >
US State arts agencies threatened with budget cuts
Despite the contribution of the arts to society, education, and the economy; despite the large numbers of people employed in the arts sector and the often low income status of artists - US states including New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington, and California, have drastically cut back the arts in their new budgets. more >
Boyle: Give us the funds for a national theatre
James Boyle, the chairman of the Scottish Arts Council, has urged Lord Watson, the culture minister, to turn on the 'full funding stream' in support of a national theatre. more >
Bush Budget recommends flat funding for NEA
In his FY04 [Financial Year '04] budget, US President George Bush has requested US$117 million for the National Eendowment for the Arts, a small increase for administrative expenses from his FY03 request of $116.489. more >
Critics denounce Nama nominations
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe's Merit Arts Awards (Nama) nominations have been described by critics as uncoordinated, with the whole judging process apparently lacking technical expertise. more >
Danish museum suffers spending crunch
After widespread furor over spending cuts at the Royal Cast Museum, Culture Minister Brian Mikkelsen reluctantly granted the museum funding enough to open 10 hours per week. more >
Government to build country's first geological museum
The Jordanian government has approved a project to build the country's first national geological museum. more >
Govts not doing enough for artists, says Walcott
Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott has slammed regional governments for not recognising the value of artists in Caribbean society. more >
Jury for 2003 National Culture and Arts Prize
The Angolan Ministry of Culture has endorsed the election of the jury for the US$35,000 2003 National Culture and Arts Prize. more >
Mayor trims money for arts but donates own US$10 million
There are times when disgruntled New Yorkers, frustrated by crippling budget cuts, are known to implore the billionaire mayor to open his checkbook and help plug the city's budget gap. Mayor Michael R Bloomberg has done just that, again. more >
National art should not become extinct
A senior research fellow in dance at the Institute of Africa Studies at the University of Ghana, has appealed to the government and financial institutions to support dance ensembles in Ghana, to make the profession worthwhile. more >
Streamlined Arts Council foresees happier days
After a year of debate, the loss of 100 staff and £70,000 spent on a new logo, the Arts Council of England relaunched itself yesterday as Arts Council England - and insisted that it was now one big happy family. more >
City's arts budget being cut in money pinch
New York City has seen its rich cultural offerings seriously diminished by a weak economy, a drop in tourism, city budget cuts and a decline in private contributions following the terrorist attacks. more >
Filmmakers seek protection from US dominance
The World Trade Organisation has started negotiations on trade in services, and the United States, Japan and a handful of other countries are eager to reopen the cultural exception debate. more >
Governor's cutbacks anger arts advocates
Governor James E McGreevey offered sympathy as he doled out bad news, saying his budget would hurt programs he supported. But cuts in spending on the arts and health care left advocates for those programs feeling singled out and abandoned. more >
Recomposing the orchestra
Rather than chopping at groups haphazardly, the whole system of orchestra funding in Canada needs fixing. more >
Cost-cutting Arts Council pays £150,000 to ring the changes
The Arts Council of England has spent almost £150,000 of taxpayers’ money to devise a new logo that arranges its name in a circle rather than in straight lines. more >
Malta Council for Culture and the Arts launches strategy
A commitment to improve standards, create opportunities for artists and develop sustainable relationships with business concerns are among the objectives which the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts has set itself for the next three years. more >
Canadian cultural sector study released
Canada's Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) has announced the release of a new report entitled 'Face of the Future, A Study of Human Resource Issues in Canada's Cultural Sector'. more >
New programs on offer at ACNP
The Hungary-based Arts and Culture Network Program (ACNP) has announced three new funding schemes for 2003 focussed on Central and Eastern Europe. more >
The arts column: where's the beauty in Ken's cultural strategy?
Yesterday morning, at City Hall, Ken Livingstone announced his cultural strategy for London. The heart sinks. more >
Final version of INCD Convention released
The Canada-based International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD) has made available the final version its Convention on Cultural Diversity. more >
INCD offers update on GATS negotiations
The Canada-based International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD) has reported in its latest newsletter that, as expected by many, the US and a number of other nations have lodged significant requests for the inclusion of audiovisual services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). more >
New literacy boost for Afghanistan
UNESCO and the Government of Afghanistan recently launched a major project to boost literacy throughout the troubled nation, which suffers one of the world’s lowest literacy rates. more >
One year in Afghanistan
A year after Taliban, Afghan culture is starting to recover from the ruins left by the regime that will always be remembered as one of the most barbarous in the history of the world. Art, poetry, music, theater and dance are gradually re-emerging after many years of repression and persecution. more >
Arts back on track after a momentous 12 months
It's been a momentous 12 months for the Arts Council of Wales and the recent publication of the annual report for 2001/2 gives a welcome opportunity to reflect on the many changes and achievements. more >
Poet named chief of the NEA
Santa Rosa poet Dana Gioia has been named the ninth Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >