International News in 2004
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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.
January 2004
Bright year for Cuban theatre
The performing arts continue to gain momentum in Cuba; with attendence numbers on the rise and programming reaching further afield. more >
The rush-hour revelations of an underground museum
New York City's subway system has many benefits. While getting millions of people where they need to go each day with a minimum of logistical fuss and environmental muss, it also serves as a great humanising, socialising force. more >
French arts workers occupy cultural embassy in Rome
About 40 French performers and arts technicians have invaded the Villa Medicis - home of the French cultural organisation, the Academie de France - to protest against changes to their unemployment system which take effect this year. more >
Kenyan to head writers' forum
Kenyan actress Mumbi Kaigwa has been elected president of the worldwide organisation, Women Playwrights International 2003-2006. more >
Morocco, Iran to organise cultural days
Morocco and Iran intend to organise cultural days to exchange experiences in educational and cultural realms, Moroccan higher education and scientific research minister, Khalid Alioua has announced. more >
Demarco in talks to win art festival funding
Scottish arts impresario, Richard Demarco, is in talks with a commercial sponsor in a bid to win £40,000 in backing for a major addition to Edinburgh’s festival line-up in 2004. more >
Cubans celebrate revolution victory with cultural activities
Cubans have celebrated the 45th anniversary of their revolution with cultural activities throughout the nation. more >
Shortage of theatres sparks crisis in South Indian film industry
The South Indian film industry is facing a crisis of sorts, but an unusual one. It is not a question of insufficient revenue, rather, insufficient theatres to screen all the movies being released. more >
Local theatre in the doldrums
An academic recently gave a no-holds-barred analysis of government efforts to raise theatre standards among activists in Malaysia. more >
Art and more contained within
The Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival can't decide if it's an art event, or a carnival. more >
Arts marketing conference extends its reach
The National Arts Marketing Project; an American program created to assist domestic arts groups build new audiences and generate innovative revenue streams for their organisations; is back for its third year, with an increasingly global focus. more >
State of the arts in Europe
The EU has released the final report of a study jointly undertaken by Interarts, Spain, and EFAH, Belgium. A survey of 31 European countries has revealed the state of the arts, particularly levels of cultural cooperation, in key cultural areas. more >
International artist run centres to unite at 'Infest'
In acknowledgement of the influential role of artist driven organisations, the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres has announced Infest; an international event designed to strengthen the presence of artist run centres within the cultural ecology. more >
Musical crossroads to converge again in Africa
The 5th Interregional Music Crossroads Festival will take place in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, for the second year running from 22-25 January 2004. more >
European film summit
In a perfect Festival warm-up, and a networking opportunity not to be missed, this year’s 'Berlinale' kicks off again with the European Film Summit on 4 February. more >
Germany gives US$1.2M to equip Ivory Coast artists
In a generous move, the German Chamber of Trade has offered its sister Chamber in the Ivory Coast a fully equipped trades centre to assist local craftspeople; valued at over US$1 million dollars. more >
Cultural activities a highlight of Trinidad birthday
Trinidad village residents recently celebrated their 490th anniversary with a blaze of culture. more >
UNESCO praises heritage restoration efforts in Cuba
UNESCO’s Assistant Director General for Culture, Mounir Bouchenaki, has praised recent restoration and extension projects of the combined town planners of Cuba. more >
Centres for Thai wisdom to be set up
Twenty learning centres will be established next year across Thailand as part of the government’s plan to boost local knowledge through educational reform. more >
Artists from US, Europe and Latin America paint murals in Cuba
Artists from Mexico, Cuba, the United States, Argentina, Great Britain and Spain will join their creative forces in Santiago de Cuba during the 6th "InterNos" International Mural Painting Gathering. more >
New Malaysian arts and cultural centre opens
Malaysian royalty dropped by last week to open a new arts and cultural centre for the country in Lebuh Pantai. more >
Indian state bans US author's book
Authorities have banned a US-based author's book on a 17th century Indian warrior king after a hard line Hindu group vandalised an institute where the professor did his research, saying the book insulted the ruler. more >
Revolutionary plans for Namibian artists
A much needed health-pension scheme and a business cooperative for all artists are two of the progressive steps the Oruuano Artists Union are implementing this year as part of its ongoing activities on behalf of a growing number of members countrywide. more >
Joint choir gearing up to make debut
The newly formed 100 member MCA-Gerakan choir will shortly give its debut performance at the joint Penang MCA-Gerakan Chinese New Year open house. more >
Sweden and Israel in furious diplomatic row over art scandal
A spat between Israel and Sweden over a controversial Stockholm art exhibit showing a Palestinian suicide bomber turned into a full-scale diplomatic row when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stepped into the fray. more >
Resource wins in Goodison recommendations
Sir Nicholas Goodison’s much-anticipated review on incentives aimed to help museums, galleries and libraries with heritage acquisitions has been released. Resource : the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries will play a central role, if the recommendations in the report are adopted. more >
Iran, Italy to cooperate in renovation of museum
Iran and Italy have signed an agreement to cooperate in drawing up a plan aimed at reinforcing the 'Iran-Bastan' Museum's structure and to implement a renovation scheme. more >
UNESCO call upon inter-cultural talk in Cuba
During a visit to Cuba, UNESCO General Assistant director Mounir Bouchenaki called for a meeting aiming for people to respect the multi-culture of nations. more >
Artists are doing it for themselves
Last year the Belgian government changed the rules that govern how artists working in the country can make social security payments. As expected, there are pros and cons to the new arrangements. more >
Muslims ordered out of Mosque authorities want as carpet museum
Azeri authorities have given Muslims in Baku until the end of January to leave a 1000 year old Mosque they want to turn into a carpet museum. more >
Archives congress to break new ground
The major event of the global archiving community; the International Congress on Archives; will be held in Vienna this August. Participants will have their eyes focused on the future, with 'state of the art' firmly on the agenda. more >
£60m to spend but being in charge of arts council is a near impossible job
Much of the SAC's extra money, not from the Scottish Executive's coffers, is dependent on the National Lottery, a game that is falling in popularity every year. The rest of its fund comes from a government which only deems the arts to be worth less than 1% of the entire Scottish multi-billion-pound budget. (Pay for full text). more >
Clore Leadership Programme looks for first fellows
The Clore Duffield Foundation has opened applications to the first Clore Leadership Programme – an initiative designed to produce the next generation of arts leadership. more >
French Artists On Cultural ‘Field Trip’ In Senegal
Fifteen French artists are discovering new ground thanks to a cultural exchange project with Senegalese artists. more >
Moroccan Ministerial Visit to Spain Sparks Cultural Dialogue
Morrocan Deputy Minister to Spain, Mrs Nouzha Chekrouni, has honed in on bilateral cultural initiatives on a recent visit to Barcelona. more >
Pilot artists for Taiwan-UK exchange programme revealed
The six artists who will christen the pioneering Taiwan-UK International Artist Fellowship Programme 2004 have been announced. more >
Hong Kong to host arts marketing conference
Affirming its status as the gateway between China and the international arts arena, Hong Kong is to host a conference on marketing the arts to Chinese speaking territories. more >
Festival of song returns to Cuba after 18 year hiatus
The Varaderos International Song Festival will return to Cuba after an 18-year absence, it was announced by Alexis Vázquez, Vice President of the Cuban Music Institute. more >
Pinar del Rio To Preserve Music Heritage With New Centre
In an effort to preserve Pinar del Rio’s music heritage a music information centre has been created in the province – the first of its kind in Cuba. more >
Science, technology and the arts
Artists, writers, journalists, art critics, curators and philosophers are being urged to join space scientists, engineers and technologists at a conference in The Netherlands in May. more >
Ireland’s cultural Presidency
Ireland has commenced the Presidency of the EU with a strong cultural focus including visits by Irish artists and performers to a number of European cities. more >
The Fine Art of the Space Age
After the space shuttle Columbia exploded on February 1, 2003, NASA asked New York artist Barbara Ernst Prey to paint a memorial for the seven astronauts who died on board. more >
Interview: 40 Years Late, Kenya Now Has a Cultural Policy
The Kenya government has in the past been accused of neglecting culture and relegating it to the bottom of its priorities. However, there have been some positive and welcome trends by the new government and the public is largely optimistic that something tangible is finally being done to address the failures of the past. more >
Musicians, Journalists Join Great Trek to UK
Zimbabwe's music and media industries have not been spared by the country's worsening economic crisis, with several journalists and musicians joining the trek to the United Kingdom in search of greener pastures. more >
'Superman' Awarded Chilean Honour
North American actor Christopher Reeve has been awarded the Chilean Order of Bernardo O'Higgins for his support to Chilean artists who stood in opposition to Augusto Pinochet. more >
Agencies Unite to Lead Cultural Congress
The Interarts Foundation, in collaboration with other leading cultural agencies, is organising an International Congress on Cultural Rights and Human Development to coincide with the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona this August. more >
$5 Billion Set for Distribution
The newly formed Zimbabwe Culture Fund reminded all artists willing to benefit from a $5 billion fund to be distributed must soon start preparing project proposals. more >
New Round Of Seminars Highlight European Funding
Official UK Cultural Contact Point EUCLID, is offering a comprehensive seminar programme for the arts and cultural sector on European funding opportunities in nine major cities across the UK during March and April 2004. more >
SAC director calls for broader funding of arts
The Scottish Arts Council is making a concerted bid for broader funding for the arts, its director, Graham Berry, said yesterday. more >
Namibian Film Regulatory Body Up And Running
Despite some teething problems, the Namibian Film Commission is now administratively capable to serve and develop the fledgling local film industry. more >
Nigerian Musicians On A Summit
Never in recent times has there been a such a gathering of Nigerian artistes; both old and young, under one roof. more >
February 2004
International Literary Festival explores identity
The Kuala Lumpur International Literary Festival will take place from July 29 to August 1, and is now calling for papers from writers the world over. more >
Poetry in Motion: Mexico City Subway Aims to 'Elevate Culture' by Lending Books to Riders
At nearly two dozen subway stations in Mexico City, officials have begun handing out 1.5 million free books, a novel experiment aimed at promoting literacy and maybe even cutting down on crime. more >
Asia Pacific Arts and Cultural Practice Explored in New On-line Journal
The first Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management was recently launched in Australia. more >
World Intellectual Property Organisation Revisits Standards
Companies, inventors, academics and users of the intellectual property system will benefit from a decision last week by member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation to revise certain standards. more >
Free Legal Downloads For $6 A Month. The Artists Get Paid. We Explain How...
Imagine a world where music and movies could be freely exchanged online, where artists are recompensed and the labels don't lose a cent, and where 12-year old girls need not fear harboring an MP3 of their favorite TV show theme tune on their PC. more >
Arts Groups Look to Congress to Ease Cultural Exchanges
While global commerce may be borderless, international artistic collaborations such as Alladeen, a multimedia production touring the U.S. in which artists from New York, London, and India peer into our 'global soul', are becoming increasingly difficult and rare. more >
Aosdána General Assembly
Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland, held its 21st General Assembly at Dublin Castle on Thursday 5 February. Six new members were elected to the exclusive organisation, bringing the total membership to 199 artists. more >
Culture to flourish in Scottish centres
Lottery money has enabled the Scottish Arts Council to fund four outstanding cultural opportunities in Glasgow, Kirkintilloch, Dumfries and West Lothian. more >
Ethiopia: Campaign Launched to Preserve National Heritage
The Ethiopian government has warned that the nations historical and cultural artefacts were continuing to be plundered, and has called for greater protection of its antiquities. more >
Museums And Galleries Month Names Sponsor
The Campaign for Museums has announced that Eurostar will be the principal sponsor for the 2004 Museums and Galleries Month. more >
Australia To Host International Conference of Artist Residencies
Australia’s two largest capital cities will play host to the 'Res Artis International Conference' of artist residencies this August. more >
First Cuban School For Band Musicians Inaugurated
Cuba has inaugurated a novel program to facilitate people's access to culture by opening the nation's first music school for musicians of municipal concert bands. more >
Publishers Seek Privatisation Of Paper Mills
The Nigerian Publishers Association, the umbrella body for all publishers in the country, has called on the Federal Government to immediately revive or expedite action on the planned privatisation of the country's paper mills. more >
Sikh Cyber Museum: An Online Recorder Of Sikh History
In a novel way to record 300 years of Anglo-Sikh relations and Sikh history under one roof, the Council of Gurdwaras in Birmingham has designed an online cyber museum which houses all this and much more. more >
Cuba To Host First World Literacy Congress In 2005
Cuba is organizing the first World Literacy Congress to assist UNESCO in its fight against illiteracy, to be held parallel to Pedagogy 2005 - a biennial meeting on the challenges of education that gathers world specialists. more >
Lights Off! Kerala Film Industry On Strike
There were no lights, no camera, and certainly no action as the long ailing Kerala film industry went on strike Thursday. more >
Steps Afoot to Restore, Protect Rock Art Sites
The National Monuments Council is to take urgent action to restore Namibia's main rock art sites at the Spitzkoppe, Brandberg and Twyfelfontein. more >
Brazilian Carnival to Highlight South Africa's 10 Yrs of Freedom
A hundred young dancers and musicians from around South Africa are heading to Brazil to represent the country at an annual carnival there. more >
Support Arts Sector: Undenge
Zimbabwe trade and economic consultant Dr Samuel Undenge has called upon Zimbabweans to support and promote the arts industry because it has the potential to create wealth for the country. more >
Nomad Music Festival Held In Mauritania
The first international festival of nomad music recently opened in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, bringing together musicians from a dozen countries. more >
China Blocks Vagina Monologue
China's first performance of The Vagina Monologues, based on the book of the same name, has been cancelled because of Government pressure. more >
Museum Exhibit Focuses On Geishas
Curators at the Peabody Essex Museum hope art and artifacts from the world of geishas will refute misconceptions of them as wanton women and reveal their importance to the culture of Japan. more >
Vice Minister Wants Cultural Industries in Angola
The Angolan Vice Minister of Culture, Andre Mingas, recently defended the creation of an industry of culture-related undertakings in the country. more >
Interarts Founder Dies In Barcelona
Eduard Delgado, Director and Founder of the Interarts Foundation for International Cultural Cooperation died last week in Barcelona. more >
Libeskind To Design Salvador Dali Museum For Prague
Renowned American architect Daniel Libeskind - creator of the master plan for replacing the World Trade Center in New York - has agreed to design a Salvador Dali museum in Czech capital, Prague. more >
Public Art A Tough Sell In Hong Kong
In a city historically driven by the frantic pursuit of money, art has had little place in peoples' lives. Hong Kong now hopes to change that. more >
Pictures Engraved On Rocks Are Disappearing
Over two thousand century old pictures engraved on rocks in the Tchitunduhulo region of Angola are disappearing due to erosion of the soil and rocks. more >
Virtual Reality Brings Past To Life
A team at the University of Geneva have been using sophisticated 3D computer modelling technology to bring historical monuments to life. more >
Performing Arts Research Coalition Shows Audiences Value Performing Arts
The Performing Arts Research Coalition, a three-year audience-research project being conducted by five national service organisations, has released the second of three reports on the culture-going habits of citizens in selected cities across America. more >
Kinnock To Succeed Kennedy As Head Of British Council
Neil Kinnock has been appointed head of the British Council, it was announced yesterday. more >
Brazilian Community Presents Its Culture At Carnival
Around 2,000 people, among Brazilian and Angolan citizens, recently participated in the first edition of the Carnival of Foreign Communities, representing the culture of Brazil and others. more >
U.S. Silences Cuban Beat
Over the past few months, the State Department has cracked down on Cuban visitors - specifically artists - seeking to enter the United States. more >
Spanish Artists Protest Israeli Wall
Spanish artists, association and media representatives announced they will travel to the West Bank to demand the dismantling of the Israeli wall being built to isolate Palestinians. more >
Italian Librarians Oppose 'Obliteration' of Culture
The Italian cities of Milan and Parma will be rocked by massive resistance to an initiative that sends out the message 'pay for culture.' more >
High-Tech Future For National Museum
A five-year commitment by the Finnish government to restore and modernise the National Museum of Namibia is on the way to becoming a reality. more >
Ambassador's Visit Highlights US Cultural Assistance In Tangier
On his first trip to Tangier, the new American ambassador in Rabat has christened the latest projects to benefit from the ‘Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation’. more >
The Dying Monsters Of Kitsch
For over half a century, they dominated the skyline of India's cinema-crazy southern cities, dwarfing the buildings and the traffic below. more >
'Museum Without walls' Displays Egypt's Glories
Experiencing the glories of Egypt, both ancient and modern, will become a lot easier, thanks to a groundbreaking joint effort of the Egyptian government and a Toronto-based team of Web designers. more >
Festivals Earn Over £200m For Capital
Festivals and events are now worth more than £200 million to Edinburgh’s economy, according to new research. more >
A Price For The Country's Heritage
The National Monuments Council has introduced entrance fees for two of its monument sites, to aid their sustainable management. more >
Young Films To The Cuban Screens
Young Cuban filmmakers have a space to show their work and mingle with international peers - at a gathering organised by the Cuban Cinema Institute. more >
France Offers To Loan Art Stolen From Jews During Holocaust
France has proposed loaning to the Israel Museum hundreds of works of art stolen from Jews during the Holocaust. more >
Central Desert Gallery Continues Namitjira's Legacy
A new art centre featuring the works of artists from Central Desert region has opened in Alice Springs, Australia. more >
EFAH Report on 'Culture 2000'
Eureka EU News has reported preliminary findings of the evaluation by EFAH (European Forum for the Arts and Heritage) of the Culture 2000 framework. more >
REVERBERATIONS; Help for the Old and Safe, Neglect for the New and Challenging
John Rockwell Reverberations column assesses recent talk at Harvard University by National Endowment for Arts chairman Dana Gioia, who is seeking to build consensus to create 'win-win' programs that will bridge cultural divides; supports project to tour Shakespeare plays to cities, schools and military bases, but maintains that Gioia needs to find way to help artists create masterpieces of tomorrow. more >
Brunei-UK Ties Dynamic, Says British Curator
Artistic relations between Brunei and the United Kingdom are dynamic and look as much to the future as to the past. more >
March 2004
The road to riches?
Richard Florida's 'Creative Class' ideas have been widely embraced in America. But there's a backlash, and he is taking political hits from the right and the left. more >
Arts data a few keystrokes away
Life just got a little easier for arts scholars, journalists and authors with the launch today of a free online performing arts database. Called AusStage, the website is an index of live arts events in Australia. more >
Tax Disaster Puts British Film Industry In Peril, Says Malkovich
The Hollywood actor and director John Malkovich spoke of his fears for the British film industry yesterday, following the Government's decision to abruptly close a £1 billion tax loophole which almost killed off his latest work. more >
Digital Inspiration Comes to Uganda's Art Scene
While Uganda is not lacking in artists educated both locally and abroad, there is an immense lack of resources for artistic work that utilises digital tools. However, this obtrusive deficiency is about to become a thing of the past. more >
Ruling Rejects Licensing Fees
A 11-year court battle over the right to make photocopies of court judgments ended in a landmark victory yesterday for libraries, researchers in all fields and those seeking inexpensive access to justice. more >
Television Prepares Documentary On Angolan Music
The state-run Angola Public Television is preparing a 12-chapter documentary on the history of the Angolan urban music, comprising information on musicians life and reports of country's music. more >
Time to wake the Sleeping Lady: How to make culture financially viable
One of the more prominent news items last year was the announcement by the Société Nautique de Genève, the yacht club defending the America's Cup, that Valencia was chosen to host the 2007 Cup. What was most striking was not the choice of venue, but to what extent Valencia had planned their bid. more >
Nicaragua Launched First Cultural Atlas And Guide
A Cultural Atlas and Guide, the first of its kind in Nicaragua and one of the most complete in Latin America was launched in Nicaragua, confirmed Nicaraguan Culture Institute director Napoleon Chow. more >
Abuja To Host Arts And Culture Expo
A workshop and exposition on art and culture will hold next month in Abuja - aimed at providing a strong platform for public discourse of vital issues affecting the sector in West Africa. more >
Portuguese Community Meeting On Culture Discusses Cooperation
The Portuguese Speaking Community International Meeting on Culture and Development is exploring a forum for a permanent cultural consultation. more >
Library Council Launched
The National Council for Library and Information Services has finally been launched, eight years after the idea was first mooted. more >
Forum Urges Cultural Infusion in Development
The United Nations Forum for Arts and Culture has appealed to the Nigerian Government to prioritise culture in the formulation of national developmental policies. more >
Whitney Museum Presents Less Controversial Biennial Show
In New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art is presenting its 72nd Biennial show of contemporary art, long known as the most controversial art exhibition in the United States. more >
Switzerland Is A Nation Of Museum Lovers
Half the Swiss population visits a museum at least once a month, according to a survey. more >
International Electroacoustic Music Festival to Open in Cuba
Sponsored by the National Music Center and the Laboratory of Electroacoustic Music, the 10th International Electroacoustic Music Festival Spring in Havana 2004 will take place March 15 through 21. more >
Pudong Art Centre To Open
Pudong's Oriental Art Centre opens to the public this autumn after 2 1/2 years of construction. more >
Greeks Put Stop To 'Elgin Marbles' Museum
The new Greek government has stopped work on a £700 million museum being built to house the Elgin Marbles and legal action has begun against those who authorised the project. more >
Arts Council's Left Stumped As Quinn Quits Job
The dramatic decision by the director of the Arts Council Ireland, Patricia Quinn, to quit her job came completely out of the blue and left board members stunned, it emerged yesterday. more >
Essence of the City:Exploring San Francisco's secrets, one project at a time
The Bureau of Urban Secrets sets out to hook artists up with the city in direct and concrete ways. A lot of artists say, "I paint the city," but they tend to project onto the city rather than work with the city that they've got. more >
U.S. Indecency Bills Draw Fire
Lobbyists representing recording artists and broadcasters have a new No. 1 priority - defeating a provision in the indecency bills passed last week by the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee and the House. more >
Kurdish Artists Push For Political Goals
For years, many Kurdish artists dedicated their talents to fueling Kurdish resistance to Saddam Hussein, and documenting his atrocities. more >
United Against Piracy
The Performing Musician Association of Nigeria, in collaboration with Musician Union of Ghana have joined forces against piracy. more >
International Art Festival To Be Held In Anhui
The Sixth China International Folk Art Festival will be held in Huangshan City in east China's Anhui Province during the country's week-long national day period this year which begins from October 1. more >
Indian Entertainment Industry Grows 15 Per Cent In 2003
India's entertainment industry has grown 15 per cent in 2003 and seems poised for massive growth over the next few years. more >
Seminar-Trainings for Culture Policy Is Over
Azerbaijan Cultural Association 'Simurg' has hosted a seminar-training within the frames of the project 'Assistance to building the new cultural policy'. more >
WIPO Lays Building Blocks For Protection of Traditional Knowledge
A key committee of the World Intellectual Property Organisation has met to discuss concrete steps for accelerated international work on protection of traditional knowledge and folklore. more >
All Of Bogota A Stage
Colombia´s capital, Bogota, will become a huge stage March 26 through April 11, with more than 500 shows from 185 theatre groups, 140 of them from that country. more >
Filmmakers Cry Foul
The Ghana Video Producers' Association has appealed to it's Government to consider restricting the importation of films, particularly Nigerian product. more >
Quebec On Course ‘To Shine Among The Best’
Prime Minister of Quebec, Mr Jean Charest has made public the governmental reference document he hopes will pave the way for a positive and productive reaffirmation of Quebecois identity. more >
Artists Suffer As Copyright Act Gathers Dust
Four years ago Zimbabwean lawmakers drafted what they thought was a noble legislation that would protect artists' rights on their works and curb the rampant piracy that has been a cancer to local art. more >
Sweden Beats US As Most 'Creative' Nation
US competitiveness might be in danger from a lack of tolerance and unwelcoming immigration policies, while some European countries are getting better at attracting creative talent, shows a new study. more >
Programme To Reconnect Young Jamaicans With Their Heritage Launched
An innovative Jamaican Birthright Internship Programme, aimed at reconnecting overseas-based young Jamaicans with their heritage, is receiving praises from Jamaicans living in Toronto. more >
Authors' Rights Organisation Gets Training Centre
A considerable facelift is expected for Africa's intellectual property sector following confirmation of the construction of a regional training centre for the Organisation of African Intellectual Property. more >
Arts: It's only business as usual
The Paul Martin Liberal government's 2004-2005 budget is a steady-as-she-goes document for the Canadian culture sector. And while this may make the bean counters happy, it's making the sector itself unhappy. more >
Iran Mullahs To Set Up Art Centre In Iraq
Head of Iran's Islamic Culture and Communications Organisation, Mahmoud Mohammadi Araqi, has announced that Iran is ready to set up a cultural and arts centre in Baghdad. more >
Reopening of Iraq's National Museum in a year
Iraqi Culture Minister Mufid al-Jazairi says Iraqis should first have a chance to view the archeological treasures held by a reopened National Museum before they are sent abroad. more >
NYC artists still faring poorly
Despite huge infusions of crisis-aid funding from both public and private sources following the events of 9/11, a new study finds that artists, including performing artists in New York are still suffering great economic misfortunes with very little end in sight. more >
Museums Join Forces
Three contemporary art museums in three major American cities - New York, Los Angeles and Chicago - are teaming up to commission, buy and exhibit the work of emerging young artists. more >
Shanghai Invites International Designing For Urban Sculptures
The oriental metropolis of Shanghai is seeking bids internationally to design sculptures for major public places. more >
Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Introduces Monthly Concert Series
To promote greater appreciation of the country's culture and art forms, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, has introduced a monthly concert series, aptly called 'An Evening at Louise', in honour of cultural icon, Louise Bennett-Coverly. more >
Museum Opens With Masterpieces Saved From The Nazis
Vienna, a city already rich with some 160 museums, gets a new one dedicated to masterpieces of European art that were rescued from the Nazis and kept in warehouses in the tiny principality of Liechtenstein until now. more >
Work From Ashes Of 11 September Wins Major Art Award
An artist whose work was made from dust collected from the streets of Manhattan in the wake of the terror attacks of 11 September scooped the first award last night of one of the biggest prizes in the arts world. more >
Rwanda's Genocide Museum Gives Victims A Face
Rwanda is rushing to complete a $2.5 million genocide museum in time to host next month's memorial ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the 1994 mass slaughter. more >
New Rule Issued To Bolster Movie Industry
China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television is speeding up the draft of a movie promotion law as the first effort to create legislation for its movie industry. more >
April 2004
Growing Arts And Educational Ties With Norway
The Namibia Association of Norway - Namas - will be celebrating its 25th anniversary of continuous of cultural and educational support with the people of the country next year. more >
Nama Awards Raise Artists' Status
The Nama Awards have raised the status and standing of Zimbabwe artists in the public eye, at home and abroad. more >
Greedy Developers Strip South Africa of Historic Gems
More than 40 protected buildings have been illegally torn down across South Africa in the past two years - and heritage watchdogs are largely powerless to stop it. more >
Getty Trust and World Monuments Fund team up for Iraq conservation
Two of the world’s most powerful conservation bodies have joined forces to help Iraq restore its cultural heritage. more >
Does dance need celebrity?
Victoria Beckham is being courted by English National Ballet to be its public face. Lyndsey Winship asks if - and how - she could help more >
Lula To Open Amazonian Art Exhibit in Beijing
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will open an Amazonian art exhibit in the Forbidden City of Beijing during his visit to China late May. more >
'FSTV' Set to Revolutionise Satellite TV Broadcasting
The near monopolistic hold foreign cable television companies have on the satellite television sector in Nigeria's is under threat, as the nation's first indigenous satellite television company makes its debut. more >
Cambodians Turn Weapons Into Art
At the Peace of Art Project Cambodia studio, 23 university art students are learning how to transform weapons of war into messages of peace. more >
Angolan Culture Ministry Wants Theatre Arts Improved
Angolan Vice Minister of Culture, André Mingas has encourgaed proactive development of theatre arts at both provincial and national levels. more >
China's First Film Law Ready To Make Debut
China's first-ever film promotion law should be drafted by May, and the final version is expected to be implemented next year, indicate media reports. more >
Arts Centre Blazes New Trail
The Shanghai Orient Arts Centre is breaking the mould, inviting public bids for its management and operation. more >
Archeologists Mourn Plunder Of Iraq's Treasures
The crime is low-tech and bloodless, but it is slowly robbing humanity of the roots of its own existence. more >
Art Accompanies And Signifies The Aftermath Of Apartheid
The Nelson Mandela Bridge, opened last summer at the celebration of the hero's 85th birthday, symbolises the unity this country is striving to achieve. more >
Final Curtain Looms For Scottish Opera Staff
Scottish Opera is considering axing a third of its staff in a desperate bid to avert financial meltdown. more >
Cuban And Foreign intellectuals Set To Meet On African and Afro-Latin American Culture
Cuban and foreign intellectuals will meet this month in the city of Santiago de Cuba to discuss African and Afro-Cuban culture on the Island. more >
Iranian Films To be Screened In Italy
Two Iranian films will be screened in Milan, Italy, to collect financial assistance for the reconstruction of Iran's Bam quake-leveled city. more >
Nairobi To Host Cultural Show
Nairobi is about to play host to the largest cultural show in East Africa in recent times. more >
Central Europe's First Holocaust Museum Set To Open In Budapest
The first Holocaust museum in Central Europe is set to open in Budapest - on the 60th anniversary of the day Hungary's pro-Nazi regime started rounding up Jews to confine them in ghettos. more >
Harare International Festival Of The Arts Set to Introduce Youth Zone
The Harare International Festival Of The Arts is set to introduce a place where the youths can gather and revel in the unique mood of arts. more >
American Indian Curator Hopes To Tell All Sides Of Mission Story
Andrew Galvan stands on the steps of the old adobe building and sees a relic of a colonial crusade that wreaked havoc on his ancestors. more >
Free Trade Agreement To 'Reduce Cultural Voice'
Australia's cultural voice would be reduced to a whisper if the proposed free trade agreement with the United States went ahead, a federal government committee was told. more >
New Zealand Musical Voice Heard Around The World
The success of SOUNZ, the Centre for New Zealand Music, would seem to suggest that New Zealand notes are all the global rage. more >
Art Under The Microsope To Feature At World Cancer Congress
Transformations in Science and Art - the monumental cross media art work by English artists Denise Wyllie and Clare O’Hagan, is to be featured at The 7th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, August 2004 in Copenhagan. more >
Kano Establishes Mobile Court To Preserve Culture, Beliefs
The Kano State government has established a mobile court to bring to justice people involved in the proliferation of entertainment which has tendencies against the norms of the state. more >
Tunisia Gets First Private Television Station
'The Hannibal Channel', Tunisia's first private television station, will start broadcasting by next October. more >
NEA Announces Writing Program For Troops
At a poets' conference in New Hampshire last spring, the chairman of The National Endowment for the Arts found himself discussing an event that couldn't have seemed further away: The U.S. led invasion of Iraq. more >
Ministry Of Culture Works For Book Act
The Angolan Ministry of Culture is working for the enforcement of a bill regulating the promotion, protection and distribution of books in the country. more >
Cultural Revolution Museum To Bring Back Memories Of Unusual Past
China’s first museum dedicated to the 'cultural revolution' will bring back vivid memories of those unusual times. The museum is scheduled to open later this year in Dayi County, Sichuan Province. more >
London To Become 'Film Friendly'
London is to be made more 'film friendly' in a bid to have more movies made in the city. more >
Alliance Francaise Director Advocates Cultural Exchange Among Nations
The Director of Alliance Francaise, Ilorin, Kwara State, Mrs. Joyce S. Ayinmodu, has called for more cultural exchanges between countries, particularly Nigeria and France. more >
Am I Fired, Darling? Opera Staff Warned Over Language
Employees at a major British opera company have been banned from calling each other 'darling' in a bid to bring the theatre world into line with Government guidelines on sex discrimination. more >
Berlin Plans Globe Theatre Replica
Berlin has taken the first steps in building a replica of the original Globe Theatre, at which many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed. more >
Scrutiny Of Scots' Access To Arts
A 'once in a generation' review of the arts, which makes widening access to arts and culture a cornerstone of public policy, has been announced by Scotland's Culture Minister. more >
Major Institutions Applaud Changes As Long Overdue
The leaders of Scotland’s major arts institutions have lined up to praise the Executive’s cultural rethink as long overdue, and have rallied behind the man to lead it. more >
Che Guevara Studies Centre To Open In Havana
A new centre dedicated to the life and work of Ernesto Che Guevara will open in Havana on June 14, the 76th anniversary of his birth, his daughter Aleida recently announced. more >
Heritage Malta Defends Language Museum Project
Heritage Malta's language museum in Vittoriosa is not intended to be another dead museum but one alive and buzzing with activity. more >
Artistes From Across India To 'Dance For Peace'
An artistic expression of the message for world peace will unfold in the supple moves and gestures of dancers from across India on World Dance Day, April 29. more >
Orang Asli Museum To Preserve Their Heritage
An Orang Asli Special Arts Museum will be built to house all items relating to their culture, arts and heritage in the Paya Indah Wetlands at a cost of RM4 million. more >
Museum Holds Japanese Internment Memories
Hundreds of former detainees and their descendants traveled to the Manzanar National Historic Site in California for the opening of a National Park Service museum that preserves a bitter memory for many Japanese Americans. more >
Musicians Cry Foul Over HIFA
As the Harare International Festival of the Arts swings into action, some Zimbabwean musicians feel robbed of the limelight. more >
Don't Stint The Arts
Having only been in the in his new job for '35 minutes', James Boyle, the iconoclastic and now ex-chairman of the Scottish Arts Council, has a simple task - to give culture a fair crack of the whip. more >
National Museum of Korea Moves
The National Museum of Korea, located inside the Gyeongbok Palace in downtown Seoul, is currently moving its artifacts to a new and permanent home. more >
Folk Art Festival For Hyderabad
The Indian Department of Culture is organising a month-long folk art festival at Ravindra Bharathi from May 1, to celebrate the rich folk art tradition of the State. more >
Circus Settles HIV Lawsuit
Cirque du Soleil has agreed to pay $US600,000 to settle a lawsuit by an HIV-positive gymnast who the circus fired as a health risk to other performers. more >
Boost For Arts In Capital Planned
Creative London, a new programme for the capital's arts industries, launched today with an ambitious brief to raise their cash value by a third to £32bn within 10 years. more >
Cuba Launches Fourth TV Channel
Cuba has inaugurated its fourth nationwide TV channel, whose programming will be aimed at boosting the Cuban people´s education and culture. more >
Senate Warmly Welcomes Arthur Miller
Playwright Arthur Miller, who a half-century ago refused to cooperate with the House's anti-communist campaign, got a warmer reception in the Senate when he returned Wednesday to again defend the rights of fellow writers. more >
Urban Institute Releases Study On Effective Philanthropy
A new study from the Urban Institute finds that many grantmaking foundations are not engaging in practices that, according to their own standards, are important for effectiveness and that attitudes on performance vary greatly across the field. more >
May 2004
Arts Agency 'Should Leave London'
Arts Council England should move from London and set up its headquarters in the regions as a 'symbolic statement' of commitment to projects outside the capital, according to a leading independent think-tank. more >
Africa's Cultures Prepare For World Forum At Bamako
Representatives from African nations recently met at Bamako, Mali, to lay the groundwork for their involvement in the upcoming World Culture Forum in Brazil. more >
Terrorism Casts Shadow Over Art
Terrorism is casting a dark shadow over art galleries that want to bring in famous masterpieces from overseas. Insurance costs to cover the risk of terrorism are pushing up the cost of borrowing art objects from prestigious museums abroad. more >
Creating Art Hub Easier Said Than Done
With preparations under way to host the 2005 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting next fall and the upcoming Busan Film Festival, it is little wonder that Korea's biggest port city has pushed art to the sidelines. more >
Culture Ministry Proposes Hall Of Fame
Nigerian Minister of Arts, Culture and Tourism, Ambassador Frank Ogbewu, has said his ministry will soon open a hall of fame to reward creative and gifted artists for their works, in order to encourage them and boost their talents. more >
Scottish Opera Plan Puts Future In Doubt
The sad and tangled saga of Scottish Opera took another twist yesterday. The company - providing few details - confirmed that it aims to spend more than a third of any future budget on education and 'outreach' programmes. more >
Theatres Worth £2.6bn To Economy, Says Report
There may be plenty of sceptics who look askance at the £121.3m in public money spent on UK theatre each year. But that figure starts to look surprisingly good value when, as a recently published report suggests, theatre is worth an annual £2.6bn to the economy. more >
Nigeria Celebrates International Dance Day
Last week, the National Association of Theatre Arts Practitioners and the Dance Guild of Nigeria, alongside their counterparts all over the world, marked International Dance Day. more >
A World That Starts With Art
The idea proposed by Helen Vendler at the United States 33rd Annual Jefferson Lecture - the National Endowment for the Humanities' blowout, honorary Big Thinker speech - is deceptively radical. more >
European Union To Continue To Aid Cinematographic Activity
The European Union will continue aid Angolan authorities in the area of cinematographic activity, the head of the European Commission to the country, Glauco Galzuola, has assured. more >
Due South
Why is the Southern Hemisphere always looking north? The South Project, commencing this July, aims to answer that, and other, questions, in a unique series of events designed to unite the cultural energies of Southern Hemisphere nations. more >
No More Funds For National Theatre
The Netherlands government has suspended funding the improvement of the National Theatre complex as the government's body sinks deeper into monetary row and operational disaster. more >
City Rethinks Art Policy
Melbourne City Council has moved to withdraw support for political art, after this week's row over anti-Israeli artwork in a major city street. more >
Scottish Opera Shake-Up Could Bring Executive £6.4m Bill
The Scottish Executive could pay up to £6.4 million for the restructuring costs of Scottish Opera. The figure would include paying off the £4.5 million advance that the company has received from the Scottish Arts Council, sources said. more >
Arts Programmes Hailed For Improving Lives Of Residents
Innovative arts projects are playing a major role in tackling anti-social behaviour and in regenerating communities in Edinburgh, a new report has revealed. more >
After Just One Month, Curtain Falls On Savoy Opera
It was a hugely audacious scheme: to launch a third opera house in London's West End, without a penny of public subsidy and with the most expensive seat in the house at the piffling sum (by operatic standards) of £49.50. more >
Images Of US Abuse Of Iraqi Prisoners Seeping Into Baghdad's Art Scene
The alabaster sculpture on display at a Baghdad gallery bears a striking resemblance to some of the shocking photographs that emerged last week of Iraqi prisoners abused by their American guards at the Abu Ghraib prison. more >
Internet Is Changing The Way Performing Artists Manage Their Careers
Let's say you're a small theatre company and you want to tour the Southwest on a shoestring budget, or you want to find theatres in rural New England that are interested in experimental dance. more >
Entries Invited For Children's Art Festival
The Confederation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations of India has invited entries from children aged between six and twelve for the festival of Asian Children's Art to be held in Japan. more >
West End Seeks The Sound Of Black Music
Black artists are at the cutting edge of the music industry in Britain, but the West End has yet to play host to a show which celebrates their music. more >
Independent Artists To Change Face Of Chinese Cities
The Eastern German Bauhaus architects who designed Beijing's no. 798 electronics factory in 1950 may have never imagined their work would become a citadel for China's independent artists half a century later. more >
Festival Of Irish Culture And Art Underway In China
A festival of Irish culture and art is underway in China. The event was opened last night by Irish Arts and Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue. more >
Funding Of Arts 'Only Fractional'
Scotland spends less than a half per cent of its public funding on the arts, a survey has revealed. more >
Malaysia's Cultural Palace Looks To Instill Love Of The Arts
Malaysian authorities have given the country's premiere performing arts centre two years to instill an appreciation of the arts among the public. more >
Councils Help Give Scotland's Arts More Cash Than Rest Of UK
Arts spending in Scotland accounts for less than half of 1 per cent of all public expenditure in the country, a major University of Glasgow survey has found. more >
Funding: A Hard Act To Follow
Today's Australian Federal budget is an important one for the arts. It won't have the headline-grabbing impact of recent budgets that gave large funding boosts to the major performing arts companies and to the visual arts and crafts. more >
Study Issues A Call To Arms On Arts Funds
The Massachusetts cultural sector is losing its lustre as a tourist destination, and it is in danger of losing ground as a cultural hub as well, according to a Boston Foundation study that is due out today. more >
Look forward to some cultural exchange
With the ongoing global fracas where colonisation, racism, intolerance and cultural mis-exchange are grabbing headlines, it is worth noting that perhaps our next generation is working towards something better. more >
Work Begins On Dubai’s First Theatre And Art Centre
Construction of Dubai's first fully equipped theatre and art centre has started at the Mall of the Emirates on Shaikh Zayed Road. more >
Arts Workers' Strike Threatens To Disrupt Cannes Festival
With celebrities jetting into Cannes for the start of the world-famous film festival this week, the French government is embroiled in last-minute negotiations to try to head off threats by striking arts workers to disrupt the event. more >
Stars sign up to fill Scotland's art 'void'
Leading lights of the Scottish arts world have launched an unprecedented attack on Jack McConnell’s cultural strategy, accusing the First Minister of allowing the nation’s creative spirit to 'wither'. more >
Audiovisual experts tuned to cultural diversity at Barcelona Forum
Representatives of the 98 audiovisual authorities in the world, together with operators, producers and experts, will meet at Barcelona Forum 2004 to discuss the role that regulators can play in fostering cultural diversity. more >
‘Oceania’ exhibition celebrates Italian-Quebec cultural partnership
Cultural representatives from Italy and Montreal have opened a new exhibition entitled 'Oceania', that celebrates cultural collaboration between the two countries. more >
New study surveys creative industries in Vienna
A major cultural research institute in Austria has published a comprehensive study into the economic potential of creative industries in Vienna. more >
Agency for young artists formed
An agency for Southern African young artists has been formed in a bid to facilitate formal working relationships and the exchange of ideas between and among the youngsters in the region. more >
Irish playwright wins copyright court case
Award-winning Irish playwright Ms Marie Jones has successfully defended her authorship of one of the most successful Irish dramas of recent years, 'Stones In His Pockets.' more >
Need for popularising Indian fine arts stressed
The need for popularising fine arts of Indian origin that have lost their identity has been underlined at a recent arts function in the country. more >
Curators call for efforts to protect heritage
Nearly 200 curators from home and abroad participating in a forum this week in Beijing, appealed for the world museum circle to make more efforts to preserve intangible heritage from the threat of cultural homogenisation. more >
Arts world tells politicians to back off
The arts world’s loss of trust in the Executive brought calls yesterday for a return to the kind of arm’s-length policy seen before ministers set out to make their mark on the sector. more >
Pittsburgh to hold first arts convention
For the first time, professional associations representing the performing arts around the United States will hold a convention next month to learn from each other and promote the arts. more >
Co-operation On Artistic Training Reinforced
Angola and Cuba might soon co-operate in the setting up of a sub-system on artistic training, the Angolan Vice-minister of Culture, Andre Mingas recently affirmed in Havana. more >
PMAN and Nigerian Copyright Commission at each other's throat
Recently, a group that claimed to be fighting for the interest of Nigerian musicians picketed the office of the Nigerian Copyrights Commission in a manner that left much to be desired. more >
'Fahrenheit 9/11' Wins Top Prize at Cannes
American filmmaker Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' a scathing indictment of White House actions after the Sept. 11 attacks, won the top prize Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. more >
Macao Museum participates in International Museum Day in Beijing, Canton and Hong Kong
To celebrate the International Museum Day, the Macao Museum has organised a series of activities and has participated in celebrations held in Beijing, Canton and Hong Kong. more >
Scottish Opera row focuses arts anger
The Holyrood executive is being accused of philistinism by artists because of its apparent lack of strategy for the country's culture more >
Republicans lure the arts to politics and protests
Could it be that President Bush has made politics cool again for the arts in New York? Nothing in recent memory has stirred the far corners of this world like the prospect of the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 and of the crowds that will visit to protest or support it. more >
British Council launches new website for creative exports
Artists in the UK considering an international market for their work can now consult a one-stop-shop website designed to serve the creative industries. more >
Keep culture in mind during election: arts groups
Canadian arts and culture groups are calling on Canadians to keep culture and heritage on the minds of politicians during the current federal election campaign. more >
Censorship 'threatens future musicians'
The censorship of music with controversial content is a threat to the future of music around the world, a top African singer has warned. more >
Pension fund for artists
A new for-profit company has formed in New York that will create a first-of-its-kind pension fund for artists. more >
€475m docks scheme will include arts centre
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority yesterday announced plans for a €475 million scheme to redevelop a pivotal site in the Grand Canal Docks, including an 'iconic' 2,000-seat performing arts centre. more >
New lease of life for classics of Wales’ literary past
A new Welsh project is harnessing the power of the Internet to breathe new life into literary classics. more >
'Sponsors will desert arts over opera tragedy'
The downgrading of Scottish Opera could trigger a disastrous slump in private sponsorship of the arts, draining the nation’s flagship companies of millions of pounds in revenue, business leaders said last night. more >
Lack of information threatens new Culture Commission
Scotland's new Culture Commission may not have enough information to carry out its work properly, leading academics have warned. more >
Gaelic culture at risk of dying out, says N.S. culture group
The Gaelic language that permeates Cape Breton culture is dying, says a report about the state of Nova Scotia's Scottish Gaelic culture released Monday. more >
Euro Film 2004 brings Europe's film culture to Addis Ababa
Euro Film 2004 is the fourth contemporary European Film Festival of its kind in Addis Ababa. This year's European Film Festival celebrates the expansion of the European Union with the accession of ten new member states, making a total of 25 states in the Union. more >
Ethiopian grand art exhibition for US, Canada
An extraordinary exhibition of pictures portraying Ethiopia and art works of Ethiopian artists, are to be displayed in more than 10 states in the US and Canada. more >
June 2004
Legislative panel backs Aboriginal TV budget
The Executive Yuan's Council of Indigenous Peoples yesterday received approval from the Legislative Yuan for its budget on program planning and personnel training for an Aboriginal television channel. more >
Home movies to generate $20 Billion
President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday said the movie industry will soon earn more revenue for the country than the oil sector and urged relevant agencies and the private sector to pay greater attention to the development of the industry. more >
Schools ready to spin Kiwi rock
Kiwi music will be rocking into intermediate and secondary schools as part of a package of new arts resources for teachers. more >
Bahrain to build US$26.32 million opera house
Bahrain is set to have a 10 million Bahrain dinar (RM100 million) opera house in five years as part of an ambitious plan to boost arts and culture in the tiny island kingdom. more >
NGOs tackle threats to cultural diversity
The third International Meeting of Cultural Professional Organisations kicked off its four-day run in western Seoul yesterday, tackling the issue of how to cope with threats to cultural diversity. more >
Iraqi intellectuals outline a new cultural policy for Iraq
Respect for cultural diversity, promotion of creativity and participation of all in cultural life, and the safeguarding cultural heritage form the three pillars of an Appeal adopted yesterday by participants at the First Cultural Forum for Iraq, organized by UNESCO on May 26 and 27 at Headquarters. more >
Cultural Exemption in FTA Urged
The Third International Meeting of Cultural Professional Organisations ended Friday in Seoul with participants reiterating their stance on the need to protect cultural products from international trade agreements. more >
A feast of culture
An art carnival tagged the 'All Nigerian Festival' is being packaged by Uche Ejims, a Nigerian who resides in France. The event, in collaboration with the French Cultural Centre, Lagos, will be held in October 2004 in Paris, France. more >
Uniting through the arts
On Wednesday hundreds of visual and performing artists will gather in Washington for the four-day 2004 International VSA arts Festival. What makes this festival unique is that the artists all have disabilities. What quickly becomes apparent is how little that matters. more >
Film chamber's plea to CM for saving film industry
The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to extend relief to the 'ailing film industry for its survival.' more >
NEA to nurture critics in the arts
The National Endowment for the Arts will establish three Arts Journalism Institutes, focusing on improving arts criticism in theater, dance, classical music and opera. more >
Opera jobs go in funding overhaul
Almost half of the Scottish Opera company is to be made redundant under radical restructuring, it has been announced. more >
Ministry announces blueprint for reviving creative arts
The government plans to spend about 1.7 trillion won (US$1.46 billion) by 2008 to revitalise cultural arts in South Korea, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Tuesday. more >
Film industry headed for another crisis
The Malayalam film industry is moving towards yet another crisis with the entire industry deciding to stop exhibition and production of films from June 25. more >
PUSD backs plan for arts education
The Pasadena Unified School District's Board of Education has put its weight behind a plan designed to bring arts education into every classroom in the district. more >
Arts groups call on politicians to speak up on culture
Two of the four major political parties have been mostly silent about their cultural platforms so far in the federal election campaign, leaving arts groups feeling frustrated and overlooked. more >
$5m arts windfall bypassed council
Members of the music community have attacked the federal Government for bypassing its own arts funding body in awarding a $5 million grant to classical recording outfit the Melba Foundation. more >
China and Norway renew cultural agreement
China and Norway have extended an agreement on cultural cooperation. The new agreement was signed during a ceremony at the Norwegian Parliament, in connection with the visit to Norway by the Chairman of the Chinese People's Congress, Wu Bangguo. more >
Musical heritage of Moore Town Maroons recognised
Jamaica has taken its place among the 28 countries to be honoured with the 'Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity' by UNESCO, for the musical heritage of the Moore Town Maroons in Portland. more >
NEA Program Helps Iraq Soldiers Write
At first, Jeff Jennings' e-mails home from Afghanistan were short, matter-of-fact accounts just to let his wife know he was safe. But soon Jennings, a major with the 10th Mountain Division, began sending more descriptive e-mails, packed with his feelings on the war, death, hardship in the desert and survival. more >
New copyright grants artists greater license
An alternative copyright that allows authors and artists to give away their work while retaining some commercial rights is being adapted for use across Europe and beyond. more >
So what impact will art centres at Ground Zero have (if any)?
So what's next? Now that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has made its choices for the cultural institutions at the World Trader Center site, what will be the likely impact on the social and artistic fabric of Lower Manhattan and New York City? more >
Consultant wants stolen artefacts repartriated
Nigerian tourism consultant, Dr. Mubo Eniola, has said that the cultural tourism policy of the nation should focus on efforts at repatriating the nation's stolen works of arts and crafts from other parts of the world more >
BBC to Open Content Floodgates
The British Broadcasting Corporation's Creative Archive, one of the most ambitious free digital content projects to date, is set to launch this fall with thousands of three-minute clips of nature programming. more >
Film people meet over screen quota
Members of the South Korean film industry on Wednesday held what is sure to be the first of many emergency meetings to discuss response to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s decision to change the current quota system protecting domestic films. more >
Norway's first immigrant newspaper published
Norway's first multicultural newspaper, Utrop, was published nationwide on Tuesday. The paper has an initial circulation of 5000, and its journalists come from all over the world. more >
INCD announces new leadership
The International Network for Cultural Diversity held its first democratic election in May and is pleased to announce the newly elected Steering Committee for the organisation. more >
State arts agencies too weak
A new study published by the RAND Corporation, a not-for-profit research organisation, is taking US state arts agencies to task for failing to be forward-thinking in their visions and politically astute in their operations, and for failing to become financially insulated from the vagaries of the economy and state budgeting. more >
The Louvre heads south
For several years, museums around the world have been bonding in new ways. In addition to obvious things, like lending artworks and organising joint exhibitions, some have begun buying art together and others are embarking on cultural exchanges. more >
Recipients of 2004 Pew Fellowships in the Arts announced
The Pew Fellowships in the Arts, a program funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, has named twelve artists as the recipients of its 2004 fellowships. more >
Scotland joins celebration of French music and culture
Scotland is joining in a worldwide celebration of French music and culture on Monday with a series of events featuring more than 90 performers. more >
Soft financing causes arts groups to make hard choices
The Oakland Ballet has canceled its 2004 fall season. The Nebraska Repertory Theater will perform 'Lend Me a Tenor' instead of a newer, more experimental play. The Santa Fe Opera has sold land. Arts organisations are scrambling to keep themselves afloat. more >
Two Koreas to jointly host int'l cultural event
South and North Korea will jointly host an international cultural forum in September to promote exchanges between North Korea and the rest of the world, officials said Sunday. more >
Large Foreign Participation in Digital Art Exhibition in Cuba
The 6th International Digital Art Exhibition and Colloquium will take place in Havana June 21 through 27, with many works by Cuban and foreign artists from 30 countries, including Mexico, Chile and Brazil. more >
Executives of Culture meet in Abuja
The Chief Executives of Culture of the Federation recently held a two day meeting in Abuja to discuss key cultural issues. more >
More space for culture, arts sought
Civic groups and town planning experts want more space for arts and cultural activities in the city. more >
New cultural policy group in Europe
The European Cultural Foundation has launched a new initiative in the field of cultural policy training and education. more >
$86M vision to advance culture
Americans for the Arts, the Washington, D.C.-based not-for-profit advocacy group, is pressing ahead with a lawsuit against the National City Bank of Indiana, the bank responsible for managing an $86 million gift from Ruth Lilly, the pharmaceutical heiress. more >
Arts on the table
Involved arts supporters can brush up on what may be the most conspicuously absent subject of the pending federal election by clicking on the Alliance for Arts and Culture's Web site (www.allianceforarts.com). more >
Form-fillers need not apply
Scandalous mismanagement of lottery-funded capital projects; senior arts positions unfilled for months on end; an increasing number of top cultural jobs filled by candidates from overseas: it all adds up to a crisis in the way arts are run in the UK. more >
Bid to preserve heritage on internet
Proposed new EU-wide moves to ensure all cultural internet sites meet high standards are to be discussed today. more >
A measure of the arts in America
Arts-related businesses make up 4.3 percent of all the companies in the United States, and employ almost 3 million people, according to the most detailed account yet of their economic impact. more >
28th session of World Heritage Committee kicked off in Suzhou
The 28th session of the World Heritage Committee kicked off in Suzhou yesterday, with over 800 participants, including 500 representatives, observers, specialists and delegates from over 140 countries, and 200 local and oversees journalists, present. more >
Incentive scheme to grow film industry
The South African film industry is set for a boom, following the introduction of an incentive scheme to foreign and local filmmakers. more >
July 2004
Grants for Welsh museums
The Art Fund has given several substantial grants to museums and galleries in Wales, totalling over £26,000, it was announced today. more >
Deputy Culture Minister advises authors on copyrights
Angolan Deputy Culture Minister, André Mingas, has advised national authors, especially composers of carnival groups, to legally register their artistic works in order to secure the copyrights. more >
Survey: charitable giving grows in 2003
The robustness of American philanthropy is often viewed as a key measure of the economy's overall strength. more >
ITPAN meets on African cinema
Preparations are in top gear for the 4th Lagos International Forum on Motion Picture, Cinema and Video in Africa, organised by the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria, ITPAN. more >
Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre to be officially opened Friday
The Birmingham-based Afro Caribbean Resource Centre, and New Style Radio, officially opened its new £2.5 million Millennium centre less than a week ago, but already, it is moving to start working on a major expansion programme. more >
Unesco sets seal on Liverpool's renaissance
Liverpool, long regarded as the ugly sister to its wealthier neighbour Manchester, was yesterday named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, meeting in Suzhou, China. more >
China to ax World Heritage candidate sites
Half of the 100-plus properties on China's preparatory list for World Heritage sites will be canceled in about five to ten years, said Director Shan Jixiang of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, at the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee. more >
New programme to promote artists from outside Bangalore
The Director of the Kannada and Culture Department has announced a new programme titled 'Thingala Sogadu' that will give artists from outside Bangalore to exhibit their works for art lovers in Bangalore. more >
Celebrating the Korean-American experience
Dr. Trina Nahm-Mijo, one of 38 contributors to a new book 'Yobo: Korean-American Writing in Hawaii', gave a short performance celebrating the 100th anniversary of Korean immigration to the United States this past weekend at Seoul Selection in Seoul. more >
Art crucial to society
Barbados Minister of Social Transformation, Hamilton Lashley, has called for secure funding for the country's arts and cultural sector. more >
Culture link ties Beijing and Paris
Culture is playing a significant role in the all-round strategic partnership between China and France as the two countries seek to enrich and extend their relationship, senior leaders from the two countries said at closing ceremonies of the China Culture Year in France on Friday. more >
Authorities set up own arts review
Scotland's councils today announced they were setting up their own culture review after being excluded from the Scottish Executive’s official one. more >
Music scholarships will improve arts education
Scholarships for England’s brightest musical talents are to be created as part of the Government’s drive to improve its arts education record. more >
Shanghai covets a big role on Asia's cultural stage
The city's investment in premium performance and exhibition spaces has given Shanghai not only a blush of self confidence but also a cockiness in its rivalry with Beijing. more >
Pakistan’s first culture policy by September
Pakistan is likely to have its first cultural policy, aimed at promoting tourism, in place by September. The last policy document was made when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was prime minister, but it was never formally announced. more >
Confusion on rights for Aboriginal art
New funding contracts for remote Aboriginal art centres carry a first-time recognition by the Australian Government of special Aboriginal intellectual property rights. more >
Forum on China's art industry scheduled for November
A forum on the development of China's art industry and an exhibition of Chinese and foreign art galleries will be held here in November, sources with the Chinese Ministry of Culture said Saturday. more >
Voice of tradition for new arts body
The Scots traditional singer who moved some to tears at the opening of the Scottish parliament will shortly be appointed as the final member of the Cultural Commission. more >
'Exiled' art from apartheid era comes home
Thanks to the foresight of a junior Australian diplomat 30 years ago, South Africa is to regain an invaluable part of its artistic legacy. more >
Next WSIS called 'crucial event' by Tunisian leader
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali called the World Summit on the Information Society to be hosted by Tunisia next year 'an event of crucial importance that confirms Tunisia’s influence and the respect and support with which its initiatives are met on the international scene.' more >
Cuban and Venezuelan Culture Ministers attend Fire Festival
Cuban and Venezuelan Culture Ministers exchanged views on cultural policies in both countries Thursday with participants at the 24th Caribbean 'Fire Festival' in Santiago. more >
Study: arts generate many businesses
It seems self-evident to say that your local theatre company, dance troupe, and symphony help keep people employed. more >
'Significant progress' towards target of bilingual nation
The Assembly Government is making 'significant progress' towards its goal of a bilingual Wales, Culture Minister Alun Pugh said yesterday. more >
Website cheering for world heritage bidding launched
In another effort to boost Macao's bidding for World Cultural Heritage, an official website on cultural heritage protection has been set up and gone into trial operations. more >
On the fast track to transformation
Closing the cultural chasms which exist everyday in South Africa is a huge challenge for the National Arts Festival, which caters, unlike some of its festival offspring, for all South Africans. more >
Projects concern plight of migrant workers
UNESCO's 'Together with Migrants' project is raising awareness of the plight of migrant workers through cultural events. more >
Pacific Arts Festival - 2004
The Festival of Pacific Arts has been held every four years since 1972. It is well-established and recognised as a premier event and instrument for regional relations and the preservation of the Pacific’s cultural heritage. more >
UN warns of ethnic diversity timebomb
It is, the United Nations Development Programme says, one of the most urgent issues affecting international stability and human development in the 21st century -the claims for recognition by diverse ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. more >
Kingdom to open up for cultural tourism
Cultural tourism will be the focus of a massive restructuring of the Kingdom’s cultural and antiquities sector and the cornerstone of the national tourism policy, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, said in Barcelona yesterday. more >
Along the silk road, China begins to guard its heritage
With China's economy expanding and tourism growing even faster, insiders and outsiders worry that China will not take the time and trouble, or have the resources and expertise, to preserve its rich cultural heritage. Much has already been lost. more >
Arts boosted by business partnership
Business investment in the arts across the North West has soared in the last year under the guidance of a dedicated partnership project, it was revealed today. more >
Chancellor puts 'tight squeeze' on arts
Arts Council England has warned that the level of arts funding set out in Gordon Brown's spending review will create a difficult few years for arts organisations more >
Encyclopaedia Aethiopica published
The first volume of an encyclopaedia that covers a large scope of subjects on Ethiopia's culture, language and general data has been published. more >
Frustrated artists take their fight to parliament
A member of a Namibian Parliamentary select standing committee has expressed shock and dismay at the state of Namibian arts and culture development, after hearing the plight of artists who appeared before the committee. more >
New web site 'Culture in the Caribbean' launched to promote the region´s rich heritage
A new web site has been launched on culture in the Caribbean created by Cuban artists and intellectuals and foreigners interested in the region´s roots and traditions. more >
Grants will help researchers study the arts
Who participates in the arts? Where do they come from? What practices by cultural groups to expand audiences actually work? These are some of the questions that will be consuming researchers at the University of Chicago's Cultural Policy Centre for some time. more >
Museums should be 'business like'
Museums and galleries should become more 'business-like' in their quest for funding and fundraising, say MPs. more >
Arts community optimistic over Liza Frulla appointment as heritage minister
Quebec MP and former broadcaster Liza Frulla says it's the 'dream of a lifetime' to be the new minister of Canadian heritage, and she's already getting top marks from the arts and entertainment community. more >
A new pension fund for struggling artists
Members of the art investment world have produced a scheme intended to assure artists some long-term financial stability while making money for investors. more >
For French immigrants, a museum isn't enough
After 15 years of soul-searching, France has decided to create a Museum of Immigration. Why now? more >
Archival materials heading for home
The National Archives of Namibia and libraries are set to get a welcome boost when Namibian records and published material will be repatriated from the country's former colonial master, South Africa, in September this year. more >
Singapore wants to double arts and media
The Singapore government wants to double the size of the country's media, design and arts industries to 6 percent of the economy by 2012, a minister said Saturday. more >
Davies slams Executive's arts 'ignorance'
One of Scotland’s most respected creative figures has launched a scathing attack on the Scottish Executive’s policy on the arts. more >
Newcastle Gateshead the big winner in £20m grants for culture
Nearly £20m of National Lottery money is to be spent on cultural events in cities and towns across the UK. The largest single grant of £2.75m has gone to Newcastle and Gateshead for, among other things, a river festival and a celebration of cultural buildings. more >
Barcelona tries cultural forum to encourage urban renewal
The city's Forum 2004, a summerlong cultural-intellectual fiesta, has successfully turned a dilapidated industrial zone into a desirable place to live and work. more >
Seoul hosts UNESCO International Forum
UNESCO and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO will hold an international forum entitled '21st Century Dialogues,' from tomorrow to Wednesday in Seoul, marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean commission's foundation. more >
Piece by piece, Cambodia's unique archaeological heritage up for grabs
At a bustling market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's heritage is being sold off, piece by piece: ancient beads are snapped up at two for a dollar, while 15 dollars secures a 3,500-year-old stone tool. more >
Panel may rule on museum remains
An advisory panel could be set up to adjudicate in cases where museums refuse to repatriate human remains to their country of origin. more >
Literature, arts prosper in Shenzhen
The cultural sector in Shenzhen has witnessed dramatic changes since the fourth assembly of local literary and art circles in 1993, according to Shenzhen Daily. more >
Norway gives K2.7bn to Arts Council of Zambia
Norway has donated K2.7 billion to National Arts Council of Zambia (NACZ) as support towards Zambia’s cultural development to strengthen the citizenry’s beliefs in their own identity, creativity and values. more >
We must do more to protect cultural property in wartime
Last year’s invasion of Iraq provoked much discussion over international law issues. But one matter that did not get much attention was the role of international law in the protection of cultural property. more >
Lack of training prejudices African artists
Director-general of the Market of African Shows and Arts, Thomas Manou Yablaih, has suggested lack of training, financing and adequate structures for artists are preventing opportunities for African works. more >
NYC divvies CIG funding
The New York City fiscal year 2005 budget includes a partial breakdown of the $101.15 million going to the city's Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), 33 arts facilities funded by the city government. more >
Rich Olympic cultural agenda
The entire city will be a celebration — this is the motto for the cultural events that the Municipality of Athens has planned for the duration of the Olympics and Paralympics, aiming at strengthening the festive spirit in the city centre. more >
Jakarta hub to become 'true centre for the arts'
After a long debate, the Jakarta Arts Council has reached an agreement with the city administration to review an ongoing master plan to develop Taman Ismail Marzuki arts centre complex, Cikini, Central Jakarta. more >
August 2004
Museums must find other sources of revenue
South African Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan has called for museums to explore alternative sources of funding. more >
Frank Gehry's mideast peace plan
In the Middle East, a building is never just a building, just as a national boundary is never just a boundary and a religious shrine is never just a tourist attraction. Frank Gehry is finding this out the hard way, as his design for the new Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance draws fire. more >
Quango bonfire 'could hit arts'
Political interference could harm arts and culture in Wales if Rhodri Morgan presses ahead with his 'bonfire of the quangos', claim the Welsh Conservatives. more >
Just who works for the new creative class?
It was cultural critic Meaghan Morris, I think, who observed that for all the talk of inner-city 'edginess' and bohemia, we are reaching the point where for many of those privileged enough to now live, work, and play almost exclusively in our inner cities, it is difficult to imagine a more homogenous, less diverse lifestyle. more >
Pak, Indian artists join up to showcase Punjab culture
With a smile on their faces and a warm welcome from their hosts, a 25-member delegation from the National College of Arts in Lahore crossed the Wagah checkpost earlier this week to play their bit in strengthening ties with India. more >
Young Japanese-Americans honor ethnic roots
Young Japanese-Americans, perhaps bolstered by the new cool factor of anime and karaoke and other things Japanese, are joining the fight against the 'extinction' of their cultural heritage. more >
Reorganising support for culture in Germany
New data, revised legislation and enhanced funding support are all part of German efforts to revitalise and reshape the national cultural landscape, according to the latest edition of the Compendium Newsletter from Cultural Policies in Europe. more >
Tehran to host National Congress on Museums in 3rd Millennium
The Iranian Secretary of the congress has announced the National Regional Congress and Exhibition on Museums in the 3rd Millennium, to be held in Tehran from August 10-12. more >
Artists' squat to become cultural venue
An illegal Parisian artists' squat is to be transformed into an official and permanent cultural centre, designed as a counterpoint to more traditional galleries like the Louvre, at a cost of up to €7m. more >
Cultural properties institute preserves sounds of yesterday
Back about 35 or 40 years ago during Korea's postwar recovery period when the nation was rushing toward modernisation and industrialisation, scholars of folklore and ethnology began to realise that the country was in danger or losing its traditional cultural heritage. more >
Cultural attachés gather in Tehran
Iran’s Cultural attachés have gathered for the fifth time at the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation in Tehran. more >
Needed: a Ministry of Culture
There should be a new and separate Ministry of Culture with a stronger relationship to all other government ministries, as well as a wider mandate than exists at present, as a vital element in Trinidad-Tobago's puch for developed country status by the year 2020. more >
Theatre - Zimbabwe's last free speech?
In world terms, the theatrical scene in Zimbabwe is so small as to be almost insignificant - but it reflects a society that has, for all the wrong reasons, grabbed the news headlines internationally. more >
Artists urged to restore cultural 'richness'
'The richness of our culture has been eroded and it is upon artists to restore it,' said Botswana Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Daniel Kwelagobe at a workshop organised by the Vision 2016 Council. more >
Ceiling falls on 'cultural olympics'
They studied the London Millennium Dome as an example of how not do things but, as more bits of ceiling fell off its emblematic Blue Triangle building, the organisers of Barcelona's "cultural olympics" were piling up their own list of woes yesterday. more >
Indian artists to give 13 concerts during days of Indian culture in Russia
During the Days of Indian Culture in Russia Indian artists will give 13 concerts, Nina Ranjan, Indian Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, has revealed. more >
MUSE spearheading 'cultural' revolution
A cultural revolution is going on in the coal city of Enugu. There is a conscious effort now to revive, the cutural, literary and artistic life of the former intellectual city of the East of Nigeria. more >
Collectors hand cultural relics to the Russian Culture Ministry
Russian and foreign private collectors have handed over cultural relics to the Russian Culture and Mass Communications Ministry. more >
Fringe director blasts arts council
The director of the Edinburgh Fringe has accused the Scottish Arts Council of ignoring the festival, which this year received £25,000 in funding, compared with the £1.1m given to the Edinburgh international festival. more >
China prepares for French culture year
Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili Friday urged Chinese ministries and local governments to prepare well for the upcoming French culture year in China. more >
New museum captures diversity of American Indians
After more than 15 years of planning, raising money, and construction, the National Museum of the American Indian is set to open next month. more >
Minister calls for bolstering of Iran-Afghanistan cultural ties
Iran Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Ahmad Masjed Jamei, has called for bolstering of Iran-Afghanistan cultural and art relations. more >
President calls for commitment to promote Pakistan’s culture
President Pervez Musharraf urged Pakistan on its Independence Day to promote and protect its culture, to improve country’s image internationally and develop harmony internally. more >
Urban renewal through the arts
Engineers and urban planners were once seen as the creators of great cities. They imposed shape and order on the burgeoning population centres of the industrial age. But the cities of the knowledge era need new experts with new tools. more >
Tourists queue for culture in Switzerland
Switzerland has become a cultural destination, attracting tourists with a growing selection of exhibitions, concerts and festivals. more >
Sport and the arts 'can help health and self-confidence'
Taking part in sport and the arts can have a positive impact on nearly every aspect of life, according to new research. A Scottish Executive-funded study has found that participation in cultural activities can improve health and education, boost self-confidence and even reduce crime. more >
Department for Culture abolition plans
Proposals by the Conservative Party to abolish two government departments if it returns to power, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport a likely target, have come under fire from the National Campaign for the Arts. more >
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture calls for public policy
Teresa Tio, executive director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, said the local government urgently needs to develop a clear public policy on cultural matters, which could serve as the basis for creating an industry of culture to advance the island’s economic development. more >
The importance of excellence
Of what should an arts policy consist? Since 1997, the Scottish Office, the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Arts Council have spent countless hours on a bewildering variety of cultural-strategy documents in order to find out. more >
World Culture Open due in Seoul
This fall, amidst all the Olympic hype the world will once again be treated to another borderless global festival - the World Culture Open, a multi national non-profit, non-governmental organisation to promote the value of cultural diversity, more >
S Korea, Hong Kong to Sign Cultural Accord with Hong Kong
The South Korean government will conclude a memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation with China's Hong Kong special administrative region, officials at the Foreign Ministry said Monday. more >
Minister Of Culture to meet with artists, composers
Angolan Minister of Culture, Boaventura Cardoso, is meeting today in Luanda with members of the National Union of Artist and Composers to discuss the development of arts in the country and aid to artists. more >
All-Armenian Festival will be held biannually
The all-Armenian One Nation - One Culture festival will be held biannually, Lilit Asatryan, Armenian deputy minister of culture and youth has announced. more >
South Africa and UK join forces in arts and culture
The South African and British governments have agreed that a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to consolidating the two country's partnership in arts and culture will soon be signed. more >
Namibian artists receive training
More than 200 rural musical performers and dancers are to benefit from an exchange programme effort between the Oruuano Artists Union and Finnish artists. more >
Broadcast treaty battle rages on
An international treaty to give broadcasters the right to control who may record, transmit, or distribute their signals is reaching a crucial stage of negotiation by the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva. more >
Heritage month to focus on Gauteng's cultural capacity
Gauteng's Heritage Month celebrations are set to focus on unearthing and promoting the province's cultural capacity. A government statement said the approach the province had adopted would help it meet its mandate of creating jobs and fighting poverty through arts and culture. more >
Convention approved on intangible cultural heritage
China's top legislature on Saturday voted to approve UNESCO's convention on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. more >
Goverment will not come to aid of Irish film industry
Irish Arts minister John O’Donoghue has ruled out any special measures to revive the Irish film industry, currently experiencing a worrying decline in major production projects. more >
Infrastructural reform in tourism, cultural heritage a priority
The Deputy Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organisation has prioritised the strengthening and reform of infrastructures in tourism and the cultural heritage sector. more >
September 2004
Intangible aspects of culture deserve to be protected: study
Legislation covering the protection of the country's resources should be amended to include "intangible heritage", an important aspect often overlooked, say the authors of a new research paper in South Africa. more >
Glasgow puts its art into tourist pitch
Glasgow yesterday launched the second part of a £1.5 million re-branding campaign which sees the emphasis switch from high street fashion to highbrow art in a bid to lure more tourists. more >
EU urges Turkey to expand cultural rights for its Kurds
The European Union official in charge of enlargement says Turkey has made a start in granting cultural rights to its Kurdish minority, but says it must go further. more >
Endowment Chairman coaxes funds for the arts
Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, is working to make friends in Congress. more >
The Australian Research Council funding model condemns art schools to a bleak future
Given the emphasis on corporatising universities and commercialising research, today's art schools face a bleak and unpredictable future. more >
EU to double aid for European film industry
EU culture chief, Viviane Reding has revealed plans to double EU financial assistance for the European film and audio-visual industry. more >
New Armenian cultural portal created
Presentation of a new cultural portal containing information on Armenia's culture took place in Yerevan on September 8. more >
Cultural exchanges down since Sept. 11
A new study, "Cultural Diplomacy: Recommendations and Research," concludes that U.S. cultural diplomacy - the notion that by exporting American artists, we burnish our image around the world - has become a neglected facet of foreign and domestic policy. more >
Imbizos address cultural gap in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga officials are brainstorming ways to boost art, culture and sport in the South African province. more >
An Olympic track for cultural hurdlers
Ambitious plans are underway for a kind of cultural Olympics. The World Culture Open is considered by its organisers to be "a combination of the Olympics and the Nobel Peace Prize" that encourages and provides money for arts groups that emphasise cultural understanding. more >
Decline and fall and fall and fall
The recent NEA report on the decline of reading in America is a flawed document. Its methodology isn't clear, and the premise - that people aren't reading literature any more reveals a narrow perspective. more >
Malta’s second cultural renaissance
Malta is passing through a cultural renaissance since joining the European Union, just as had happened after independence 40 years ago, the country's Culture and Tourism Minister, Francis Zammit Dimech said. more >
Performing arts may be included in school studies
A number of Dubai schools may adopt new performing arts curricula to encourage "creativity and innovation" if a leading UK educationalist has his way. more >
Money for the arts...is it just a pantomime?
It was supposed to be the multi-million-pound refurbishment that would catapult the Capital’s best-known theatre into the 21st century. more >
Proposal to convert Kuala Lumpur into regional arts centre
The Malaysian Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry has an ambitious plan to convert its bustling federal capital city into a centre for the arts in the region. more >
Karen Kain appointed new Canada Council chief
Karen Kain, one of the most celebrated ballerinas in Canadian history, will be the new chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, the federal government announced Thursday. more >
PANSA issues statement concerning National Arts Council
The Performing Arts Network of South Africa has issued a media statement regarding the disciplinary action taken by the Executive Committee against three senior staff members of the National Arts Council. more >
Funding the arts gives £72m boost to Scottish economy
The funding of art and culture in Scotland has a beneficial economic impact on the rest of society, a new report has found. Every job in the arts community supports nearly another whole job elsewhere in the economy, the study by the Scottish Economic Policy Network revealed. more >
Process of registering Bakhtiari traditions on UNESCO’s cultural heritage list begins
A UNESCO committee compiling data for the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity list is currently holding discussions on the traditional costumes, dance, and music of the Bakhtiari ethnic group of Iran. more >
MP wants cultural policy in place
A Zambian Member of Parliament has criticised his Government's failure to implement a National Cultural Policy. more >
Culture coup - Arts World Summit for Newcastle
Tyneside has landed a huge culture coup with a massive global arts conference being hosted in the North East. more >
179 programs to launch Chinese 'French Culture Year'
Some 179 programs for 'French Culture Year' will begin in China next month, showing Chinese audiences a new and creative France. more >
John Smith's widow tops list for arts post
The name of Baroness Smith, widow of the late Labour leader John Smith, has emerged as a candidate to chair the Scottish Arts Council. more >
Cultural tourism potential under analysis
Luanda will shortly hold a workshop on Cultural Tourism to discuss ideas for the future, analyse potential, challenges and perspectives for development. more >
Art to get more recognition in schools
The promotion of arts as a subject in Namibian schools has officially been recognised and endorsed as a priority, a milestone achievement for the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture. more >
Minister pledges support to artists
Pallo Jordan, national Arts and Culture Minister, wants South Africans to rediscover their roots. Speaking at an arts and culture imbizo in northern KwaZulu-Natal, he said the government will do all it can to provide infrastructural support to artists in their creative efforts. more >
New Centre for Creative Arts up and running
Anyone passing the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo's Moto Azabu in recent months may well have wondered about the flag reading "RBR - New Centre for Creative Arts" flying from the building opposite. That, and the steady flow of visitors - every age, color, race and creed. more >
SA, Namibia, Netherlands mend cultural ways
History was recorded last night when South Africa, the Netherlands and Namibia engaged in a cultural restitution exercise aimed at restoring pride between the two former colonies. more >
Theatre and arts centre is set to open next year
A missing piece in Dubai's quest to become a cultural hub may soon be found with the creation of the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre. more >
Assembly seeks cultural centre for Ebonyi
The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has unanimously passed a motion urging the state governor to establish a cultural centre in the capital. more >
Shanghai's artists seek more freedom
Shanghai is raising the stakes in its battle to be seen as China's cultural centre, but artists and writers say the financial capital will not be able to create a thriving cultural scene the same way it builds infrastructure - by merely spending vast sums of money and mobilising government officials. more >
Arts sponsorship hits record high
Despite a poor economy and Sars, Singapore's arts scene received its highest sponsorship ever last year. A record $77.7 million in cash and kind was handed to the arts, two and a half times that of 2002. more >
Groups accuse U.S. of imposing book ban
A group of organisations representing publishers and authors sued the federal government Monday, saying it is blocking the works of authors in countries such as Cuba, Iran and Sudan from reaching the United States. more >
Fund arts, not just buildings: Opera chief
Deriding the politically safe notion of "false egalitarianism" in arts funding, Canadian Opera Company General Director Richard Bradshaw called Monday for more and better public and private funding to create an environment in which the arts can thrive. more >
October 2004
Seoul pledges support for Iraq's cultural heritage restoration
South Korean Culture Minister Chung Dong-chae said on Friday the government would consider providing support for Iraq's project to restore its world-famous cultural assets damaged by the war. more >
Russia, Finland launch culture forum
The 5th Russian-Finnish Culture Forum was launched in Finland's Turku today. Deepening cultural relations between the two countries is a principal goal, said Finland's Culture Minister in an opening address. more >
South Caucasian Culture analysed in Moscow
A plan of cooperation for 2004-2005 has been adopted at the 4th Conference of European Culture Ministers in Moscow. more >
Cultural policy to preserve heritage
The Pakistan government is finalizing its new cultural policy with a view to preserving the national heritage. more >
What price culture?
The promotion of culture does not occupy a very high position in the priority list of the government, according to Hafizur Rahman in his comments on culture and policy in Pakistan. more >
Americans for the Arts launches citizens initiative for arts advocacy
Americans for the Arts has announced a major new initiative to involve people in advocacy for the arts. more >
Culture club dreams of an un-museum
As part of Toronto's ongoing downtown redevelopment, a new $200 million cultural centre is being planned for the waterfront, and organizers hope that it will become the go-to place for Toronto's history and heritage. But don't you dare call it a museum. more >
Arts group to use Lilly funds for advocacy initiative
After nearly two years of debate over how to spend a $120 million gift from pharmaceutical heiress Ruth Lilly, Americans for the Arts has decided to spend a small slice of it to start a citizens' movement for the arts. more >
Arts chief in challenge to new minister
Scotland's new culture minister was challenged yesterday to move quickly to restore confidence in the arts sector, by supporting "arts for arts’ sake". more >
Support for arts, culture creates better cities: design expert
Flying in prominent musicians, hosting major art exhibits and simply cleaning the soot off downtown buildings can all help a city become a design capital, according to one of the experts invited to speak at a Montreal symposium on how to build a creative, well-designed city. more >
Cultural body gets cold shoulder from pollies
Who listens to the Australia Council these days? Not politicians, it seems. The council's role in helping set the nation's cultural funding framework seems to have been reduced in recent years, and if the federal election policies of the Liberal and Labor parties are any indication, this situation is not about to change. more >
Arts world a victim of government neglect
Canada prides itself on its willingness to pay high taxes to support a considerable social safety net, but according to some in the arts industry, the country has a long way to go to approximate the level of arts support appropriate for a developed nation. more >
Advisory board for culture ministry
As part of the effort to de-saffronise the culture ministry, Indian Union Minister, Mr S. Jaipal Reddy, has constituted a central advisory body to take decisions on different issues. more >
So just who is running the arts?
Culture minister Patricia Ferguson will have to work with agenda-setters such as the Cultural Commission’s James Boyle and Glasgow City Council’s Bridget McConnell to salvage the arts from the chaos caused by her predecessor. more >
Ghana pledges support for culture trust fund
Ghana President, John Agyekum Kufour, has approved a request by the National Commission on Culture for the establishment of a Culture Trust Fund to recognise the creative potential of Ghanaians. more >
Arts bodies oppose 'takeover'
The Welsh Assembly Government has been warned it faces opposition if it tries to absorb Wales' major arts bodies. more >
Quiet achievements count more than media noise
Australia Council CEO, Jennifer Bott, comments that media interest in the arts, and in the Australia Council, focuses on the funding of big-ticket items - the major companies - or on smaller grants to individual artists whose work is controversial or quirky. more >
Council to promote culture and arts
The Malaysian Government has set up the Culture and Arts Council to promote the development of arts and culture among the people. more >
China spells out five-point policy to preserve folk, ethnic culture
China has launched a new project to protect folk and ethnic culture this year, and plans to establish a matured preservation system by 2020. more >
Proposal to convert Kuala Lumpur into regional arts centre
The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry has an ambitious plan to convert the bustling federal capital city into a centre for the arts in the region. more >
Culture ministers: media to promote cultural diversity
Mass media based on modern technology is an important way to promote cultural diversity, say cultural ministers attending the 7th Annual Ministerial Meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy in Shanghai. more >
Capital relishes world City of Literature status
An annual festival of Scottish writing, a drive to improve reading skills among children and a tourism boost worth £4.3 million are among the early benefits from Edinburgh’s new status as the first world City of Literature more >
We need a grand plan for culture
As the Minister for Culture prepares to lay out her plans for the coming years, there are calls in Trinidad-Tobago for broad cultural reform that adequately addresses the needs of the nation. more >
London arts boss criticises MPs
The Australian with the job of relaunching Britain's national arts centre in two years' time has criticised politicians for their lack of interest in live music and theatre. more >
New cultural programmes to promote Sindh
Sindh Culture and Tourism Department is working on a series of cultural events, including local music programmes, literary conferences, cultural dramas and documentaries, to revive and promote the culture and traditions of the city. more >
The art of business in Sweden
Art clubs have long been a fixture in Swedish corporations but as Dagens Nyheter has discovered, culture as health promotion is the big new thing in Swedish cultural policy. more >
Singapore, India to further cooperation in arts
Singapore and India have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in arts, heritage and library, Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts reports. more >
Culture Minister suggests select heritage privatisation
Russian Minister of Culture Alexander Sokolov, has suggested compiling a clear-cut list of cultural heritage that can be privatised, as distinguished from that which cannot. more >
Grantsmakers group hears of the need for coherent cultural policy
Bill Ivey, who has been chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, director of the Country Music Foundation and board chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, said Monday that he thinks the nation's nonprofit cultural sector has gotten too big for the resources available. more >
Portrait of the artist as low-income Canadian
Close to one-half of Canada's artists live in just three cities - Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal. And while the number of artists across Canada has increased by almost 30 per cent in the last decade, they're earning on average 26 per cent less than other workers in the labour force, a study released yesterday shows. more >
Virtual tools preserve heritage
The Co-operative Research Centre for Interaction Design at Australia's Queensland University of Technology has initiated a new project called Digitial Songlines that utilises video game technology to create software in order to build virtual heritage sites of cultural significance to indigenous Australians. more >
Vandalism threatens South Korea's cultural heritage
The destruction of ancient cultural heritage in war-ridden countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan is well documented. South Korea, however, is also facing such problems, with experts warning that decades of near-obsession with economic development have meant little protection for the country's irreplaceable relics. more >
Curtain falls on cultural ties with Eastern Europe
Switzerland’s arts council has played an important role in helping to rebuild cultural life in several former Soviet bloc countries since the fall of the Iron Curtain. But as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic prepare to join the European Union on May 1, their Swiss partner is facing cutbacks. more >
Richard Florida's High-class Glasses
What does Richard Florida know about art and culture? Not a thing, he explicitly admits, but there is value in the models, if not the outcomes. more >
Arts Council of Wales launch online events database
The Arts Council of Wales have launched a new events database to accompany the arts database on their website. They are now looking for contributions from Welsh artists and organisations. more >
Nonprofit group votes on leaders and the arts
Leading national nonprofit organisation for advancing the arts in America, Americans for the Arts, has released a congressional ‘arts report card’ as part of a major new initiative to involve more people in advocacy for the arts and arts education. more >
Call for charter to protect the rights of artists
The establishment of a charter to protect the rights of working artists in Scotland is to be promoted by the Scottish Arts Council. more >
'Culture is key industry for next generation', say Korean officials
The Korea Culture and Contents Agency, a sub-organisation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, believes that the potential of the entertainment industry is so huge that it looks set to become a key industry of the next generation. more >
What does arts community want from review?
The traditional arts must play a bigger part in Scotland's cultural life, according to an influential submission to the commission charged with drawing up a blueprint for the future of the country's arts. more >
Unesco's 'blue berets' to rescue cultural treasures
The United Nations yesterday announced the creation of a new kind of rapid reaction force to step in wherever art treasures are threatened by war or natural disaster. more >
Racism prevails in arts community, says NAC
The South African arts community is still dominated by covert racism and exclusion, the National Arts Council said in Johannesburg on Thursday. more >
Local-option tax arts-funding initiatives on ballots nationwide
Who would have thought the poor, underappreciated penny would play a role in next week's election? Yet in the metropolitan area of Denver, it does. Voters, for the first time in a decade, must decide whether to reauthorize the 0.01% retail sales tax that funds the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District, a program that has distributed more than $400 million to arts and science groups since 1988. more >
Russian and Arab cultures in dialogue
Representatives from two key Russian and Arab organisations have met to accelerate discussions on the cultural relationship between the two spheres. more >
Funding arts gets creative
Arts Council director Mary Cloake talks about public funding for the arts industry like an economist. more >
November 2004
Conference on education for cultural heritage development opens
Vice President of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has called for a comprehensive programme plan of action for education in cultural heritage development in Africa. more >
Swiss arts play on cultural diversity
The Arts Council of Switzerland, Pro Helvetia, is launching a new programme to play up the country’s cultural diversity. The two-year project, which goes by the name of swixx, will show how different cultural identities influence the arts. more >
Festival for disabled artists on the cards
The South African Department of Culture and Youth will host a visual performing arts festival for artists with disabilities, in line with the recognition of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Creators Day and African Decade of People with Disabilities. more >
WIPO and UNEP launch joint publication on benefit sharing
The World Intellectual Property Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme have launched a joint study that explores the role of intellectual property rights and sharing benefits from the use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. more >
Arts Council fears sport will hijack cash
The arts are at risk of losing funding to sport and should brace themselves for lean times ahead, Sir Christopher Frayling, the chairman of Arts Council England, warned yesterday. more >
Arts council say cabinet must have dedicated culture minister
The Scottish Arts Council called yesterday for Scotland to have a dedicated minister for culture in the cabinet and said children should spend their first year in school indulging their creative side. more >
Edo State hosts culture, tourism summit
The Edo State Government played host to the National Council on Culture and Tourism, the highest policy generating body dealing with all matters relating to culture and tourism in the country last week. more >
Scottish arts groups submit ideas for future
The commission set up to review cultural provision across Scotland yesterday delivered its interim report to the Holyrood parliament. more >
U.S. official's visit to Iran called cultural 'outreach'
James Billington, the librarian of Congress, is in Iran this week on the first visit by a notable U.S. government official to that country in 18 years, administration officials said. more >
Luck and brass
The launch of the national lottery 10 years ago brought an unprecedented level of spending on the arts. More than £2bn has been given to British museums, theatres, artists and musicians. Has this cash transformed the cultural life of the country? Or is it, as some believe, an enormous waste? more >
Cultural groups rally for cause
The arts are not expendable. That's the message behind the Campaign for Culture, an effort to leverage grass-roots support to encourage political candidates to take cultural groups - and their need for government funding - more seriously. more >
Deaf 'lose out' at arts attractions
A survey of arts attractions in Scotland, including the National Galleries of Scotland and Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, has found that few are fully prepared for deaf and hard of hearing customers. more >
$2bn boost for the arts
Some 148 groups and individuals - comprising established and upcoming artists - will receive nearly $600 million in grants from the Zimbabwe Culture Fund Trust. more >
When artists talk . . . does anyone listen?
Though the 2004 US election turned mainly on cultural issues, as distinct from matters of economics or public policy, the vast majority of those who think of themselves as cultural professionals found themselves firmly on the losing side. more >
Hewitt takes sabbatical to campaign for ACE’s future
Arts Council England has announced that it will release its chief executive Peter Hewitt on a fact-finding mission in an attempt to secure long-term funding and devise a future strategy for the organisation. more >
Mixed results on local-option measures around the nation
Following one of the bitterest elections in the nation's history - one in which voters not only chose a president but pondered whether to publicly fund cultural initiatives - Americans for the Arts has released a comprehensive analysis of what transpired at the polls and what the impact on culture will be. more >
An exhibition of Angolan culture in Louisiana
The Angolan community in Baton-Rouge, Louisiana, has held its annual international exposition on Angolan culture, called Expo2004. more >
Cultural heritage to be safeguarded
Pakistan Federal Minister for Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Ajmal Khan, has announced that his Government and UNESCO will make joint efforts to save the cultural heritage of Pakistan. more >
France strengthens cultural ties to Dubai
The French Institute Alliance Française is determined to strengthen cultural ties between French-speaking residents and the multicultural community in which it is rooted. more >
National forum on cultural heritage, culture and the arts
The Malta Tourism and Culture Ministry is to hold an annual national forum to address the important issue of the strategic plan for cultural heritage and will be open to sector-wide participation of those involved. more >
Chinese minister calls for enhanced cultural cooperation in Asia
Speaking at the opening of the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum, Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng urged Asian countries and regions to step up cultural exchange and cooperation. more >
UNESCO reports on status of artists in 52 countries
The UNESCO World Observatory on the Social Status of the Artist has published data on employment regimes, statutes, legislation and social benefit systems for artists in 52 different countries around the world. more >
Ethnic minority music conference
Musicians from ethnic minorities who are struggling to find work and access information about the industry will be able to receive help and advice at a special conference this month. more >
Intangible Cultural Heritage to Be Listed
A three-day International Symposium on the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage started on Tuesday in Beijing. more >
Disabled Artists Show Their Mettle
The Department of Culture and Youth organised a Visual and Performing Arts Festival for artists with disabilities on November 13 at Boipuso Hall in Gaborone. The event was meant to showcase the cultural and artistic productivity of people with disabilities. more >
Enhanced cultural cooperation in Asia
The three-day Asia Cultural Cooperation Forum wrapped up Wednesday afternoon, with participants agreeing that enhanced cultural exchanges and cooperation among Asian countries and regions would bring about social harmony and economic development. more >
2004 Election Report: How the Arts Fared
Americans for the Arts has released their analysis of the 2004 US election, determining that a return of a Republican to the White House and increased Republican majorities in Congress apparently will have little to no effect on arts funding and its management in Washington. more >
High standards set for British museums
A scheme to ensure that high standards are maintained in the UK's museums was launched on Thursday. more >
New Arts Complex Helps Turn Gritty Newcastle from Coal Center to Creative Hub
The coal industry in Britain is clinically dead. And Newcastle, once the industry's gritty hub, has been forced not only to import coal but also to reinvent itself. more >
Shenzhen emphasises cultural development
Shenzhen, the southern economic dynamo, is increasing investment in the young city's cultural sector. more >
Brazilian foreign minister stands for cultural cooperation with Russia
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim announced that Brazil and Russia share a common interest toward the development of mutual ties in the sphere of culture and arts. more >
Official calls for cultural sector opening wider
The International Cultural Industry Fair Shenzhen has wound up, with a consensus that China's burgeoning cultural industry needs an edge. more >
Russia and Chile establish cultural ties
Roszarubezhtsentr and Chilean organisation of compatriots, the Pushkin Cultural Corporation, have established a cultural co-operation agreement. more >
Welsh creative industries to benefit from £7m investment fund
Welsh musicians, film directors and computer game makers will today receive a £7m funding boost through a new investment fund for creative industries in Wales. more >
December 2004
Finer Points of the Millennium Arts Centre
The newly-opened Wales Millennium Centre claims to be “the most vibrant arts development in Europe today“. more >
Seattle Arts make $1 billion
A recent study found that the Seattle region's arts and heritage organisations generated more than $1 billion for the state's economy, from ticket purchases to hotel stays to shopping and dining out. more >
Transformation in arts failed, says Mosala
Transformation in arts and culture has failed, says South Africa's department of arts and culture director-general, Itumeleng Mosala. more >
Funds boost Australian audience figures
Five years after receiving a $70 million injection of government funds, the nation's major performing arts companies are attracting bigger audiences, staging more new work, touring more regularly and, by and large, staying out of the red. more >
PACA opens fifth biennial
The Pan African circle of artists PACA, last week kicked off a month-long series of exhibitions, which they called Africa Heritage 2004. more >
Harare Biennale to Have a Strong Curatorial Presence
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe will host the Harare Biennale 2004, a thematic exhibition with a strong curatorial presence in keeping with the importance of curators in Biennales the world over. more >
Visual arts has government's support
The Barbados Government has pledged its continued support for the development of the visual arts across the region. more >
Film Body 'Needs R192m' to Do Its Job
The National Film and Video Foundation says it needs R192m to put SA's film industry on a par with international standards and improve the quality of local feature films and documentaries. more >
Scottish Opera's music director resigns amid acrimony
Sir Richard Armstrong resigned as music director yesterday from the turmoil-racked Scottish Opera. more >
To Stretch City's Budget for the Arts, Chicago Turns to EBay
With the city facing a $220 million budget deficit and civic arts financing slowly drying up, Lois Weisberg, commissioner of cultural affairs in Chicago, is trying out another new idea: an online auction on eBay. more >
Plan to Return Artworks to SA
The National Heritage Council is to demand the return of priceless South African artworks and archival documents which are being stored in several overseas museums. more >
Promised Arts Effort Trimmed
A new program proposed by the President has been cut from an $18 million request to $2 million in Congress. more >
President hails art critics group
President Chen Shui-bian hailed the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) as one of Taiwan's best friends on Thursday because the UNESCO affiliate has braved Beijing's opposition to hold its world congress in Taiwan. more >
Ejaz for promoting art, literature
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Muhammad Ejaz-ul-Haq has underscored the need for promoting art and literature alongside science and technology in Pakistan. more >
Arts council gives City of Literature cash boost
The Scottish Arts Council has approved an additional £50,000 in funding for Edinburgh’s City of Literature project. more >
Union Forges Ahead With Arts Programmes
ORUUANO Artists Union is to act as facilitator for a soon-to-be-established UNESCO-spearheaded multi-purpose arts and culture cooperative in Namibia. more >
Sixty-two key questions on running the arts
The Scottish Cultural Commission released a list of 62 questions yesterday for people seeking a say in how the arts are run. more >
Arts funding improves in Florida
After years of political and economic depredation, things are looking up for the arts - especially in South Florida. more >
Saatchi claims Tate rejected £200m collection
An unmade bed and a pickled shark may appear too good to refuse, but Charles Saatchi has said that his rival at the Tate, Sir Nicholas Serota, turned down the gift of his entire £200m art collection last year. more >
Stretching the canvas: Osian's to build arts school
It’s a novel effort in the realm of the arts. Osian’s, India’s first art auction house, is working towards building an arts and cinema university in the country. more >
Industry unites to counter nation’s ‘mediocre’ theatre
Leading figures in the UK theatre industry have joined together in an initiative, spearheaded by Equity and Directors’ Guild of Great Britain and backed by Arts Council England, that aims to create at least one ensemble company in every major town or city nationwide. more >
Culture can be profitable, argues Caribbean academic
Make arts and culture a profitable industry. That was the call of cultural researcher at UWI, Lester Efebo Wilkinson, made in his feature address at the opening ceremony of the Secondary Schools Drama Association 40th Anniversary Festival and Sixth Caribbean Secondary School Festival in Trinidad. more >
Arts body hands out £1m culture cash
The Scottish Arts Council yesterday awarded close to £1 million to arts projects it said were boosting the 'cultural fabric' of Scotland. more >
Funding body's big-bang strategy
The Australia Council plans to be more aggressive in picking winners, by strategically funding arts projects it feels are important. more >
Australia Council's makeover 'step backwards'
Key elements of the Australia Council's structural makeover have been greeted with anger and bemusement. more >
Culture integral to Olympic bid
Chris Smith MP, the new chair of London's Cultural Consortium, is determined that art and culture will not get lost in the sporting fever surrounding London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic games. more >
Artists upset over proposed changes to Canada Council grants
Canadian visual artists are worried about a proposed change to the Canada Council's grant program. Their concern focuses on the fact that not all artists create works for display in galleries. more >
Swiss culture lashes out at Senate punishment
Cultural authorities are appalled that the Senate wants to cut the budget of the Arts Council of Switzerland over a controversial Swiss exhibition in Paris. more >
Arts Council Wales to be run by Assembly
Arts Council Wales will exist in little more than name alone following a decision by the Welsh Assembly to hand over most of its important work to the legislature’s civil servants. more >
Heritage Fund could lose £15m a year in Lottery bill shake-up
UK Heritage Lottery Fund executives are warning that changes to the funding system included in a forthcoming Lottery bill, could see the body’s income reduced by as much as £15 million a year - affecting the amount of money available in capital grants for theatres. more >
Theatres suffer in arts budget
National museums and galleries celebrated but theatres were despondent yesterday as the Government announced a tough spending round for the arts. more >
Minister dissolves National Arts Council
South African Minister of Arts and Culture, Pallo Jordan, has dissolved the board of the National Arts Council, effective December 14. more >
National Commission on Culture launches website
The National Commission on Culture on Tuesday launched a website aimed at providing knowledge on Ghana's culture and cultural heritage. more >
We all get singed when a quango burns
'The decision of politicians in Wales to become overlords of the nation’s arts is a warning to us all.' more >
Clouds clear as cash comes
The sense of dread engulfing Canada's arts community is about to be lifted - for now. more >
Heritage minister announces $200M extension to arts fund
The federal government gave Canadian arts groups 'a bit of a Christmas gift' Wednesday: Heritage Minister Liza Frulla announced a one-year, $192-million extension of the federal government's Tomorrow Starts Today arts funding program. more >
Japanese museums revitalised
Japanese museum goers are being treated to two major openings, as Osaka’s National Museum of Art relocates and Nagasaki plans to open a new art museum in April 2005. more >
Visiting Arts Director steps down
After ten years as the Director of UK organisation, Visiting Arts, Terry Sandell will be stepping down from the board in 2005, while former Rockefeller Foundation President, Gordon Conway, will become Chair. more >
Theatres are left reeling by funding ‘breach of faith’
'We knew it would be bad but not that bad' was the response from the performing arts to the news that government funding of Arts Council England is to be frozen at £412 million for the next three years - a cut of £30 million in real terms when inflation is taken into consideration. more >
Namibian Arts Minister reflects on year.
John Mutorwa, the Namibian Minister for Basic Education, Sport and Culture has said that the implementation of the Education and the National Art Gallery acts, and the promulgation of the National Heritage Act, were some of the major achievements of the Ministry for 2004. more >
UNESCO funds human rights films
UNESCO has selected eight proposals for film productions for its new project promoting human rights and tolerance. more >
Holloway tipped for arts council job
Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Edinburgh, will be interviewed to head the Scottish Arts Council. His pitch will include a strong defence of the SAC, which many insiders believe will be scrapped or restructured as a result of the ongoing review of cultural policy. more >
U.K. contrast shows pitiful state of arts funding
So the UK is holdings its arts budget steady for a couple of years. And the US is increasing its arts spending. Except when you see how far behind in spending on the arts the US, the situation is pretty bleak. more >
Axed art boss accused of lying to the High Court
Arts Ministry authorities have accused the fired acting head of the National Arts Council of lying to the Cape High Court - as well as obtaining certain "prohibited" benefits. more >
Arts Council gets increase in State funding
The Irish Arts Council is getting a 16 percent increase in funding, with some €61 million in funding allocated to the body for 2005. more >
A series of new dams is submerging archaeological sites throughout Iran
Iran’s cultural heritage is facing almost unquantifiable damage from an ambitious programme of dam building. more >
UK Museum 'Renaissance' To Be Extended
Regional and local museums received a boost with the announcement of £17 million new funding for the Renaissance scheme, led by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. more >
Where's the art in that?
A survey of lottery-funded arts centres finds that half a billion has been blown on 'buzz'. more >
"Black day for Swiss culture"
The director of Geneva’s art and history museums has condemned parliament’s decision to cut the Arts Council’s budget because of a controversial exhibition. more >
Arts Council pays price for exhibition
Parliament has cut SFr1 million ($880,000) from the annual budget of the Arts Council of Switzerland to punish it for funding a controversial exhibition in Paris. more >
Arts Council to fund almost 300 bodies next year
The Arts Council yesterday announced increased funding for arts organisations across Ireland for next year, with plans to fund 297 entities, 39 more than 2004. more >
Heritage Minister: Museums crumbling, overcrowded
Canada's national treasures have languished for too long in vaults and run-down museums, says Heritage Minister Liza Frulla. more >
Cultural relics threatened as never before
Cultural relics in China are under critical threat from smugglers, tomb raiders and thieves, warned Shan Jixiang, Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. more >
Ancient central China capital to be restored
The local government will invest nearly 120 million yuan (14.46 million US dollars) to restore a 3,500-year-old ancient ruins in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province. more >
Asia's first China cultural centre opens in Seoul
The world's fourth China cultural centre opened in South Korea Tuesday to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries. more >
Arts Council warns of Northern Ireland shortfall
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has welcomed an additional £15.5 million from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure towards supporting arts facilities in the capital but warned of inadequate resources to meet operational costs across the province. more >
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