International News in February 2008
Show all of 2008
Update: 10th Festival of Pacific Arts
Preparations are well under way for the region’s largest traditional and contemporary cultural event, the Festival of Pacific Arts. more >
J. Mark Schuster, urban studies and planning professor, 57
J. Mark Schuster PhD '79, a professor of urban studies and planning, an expert on arts funding policies and respected leader of First Night and other Boston cultural events, died Feb. 25 of complications from melanoma. He was 57. more >
North Korea Welcomes New York Philharmonic
The North Koreans opened the door to some 400 people, the largest contingent of Americans to visit this isolated, totalitarian state since the Korean War ended in 1953. The group includes musicians, orchestra staff, television production crews and 80 journalists, as well as patrons who paid $100,000 a couple. more >
Artist-in-residence program in Denmark 2009
To promote creative exchange between Danish and foreign artists and art institutions, The Danish Arts Council has established an artist-in-residence program in Denmark. The program makes it possible to invite artists from abroad to stay and work in Denmark for extended periods. more >
Blanchett to chair culture forum
Actress Cate Blanchett will chair a discussion group on the theme 'Towards a Creative Australia' at the 2020 national summit planned for April. more >
Culture as a recognisable brand
International cultural projects help build an image of Poland as a country that is open, modern and with huge cultural potential. more >
Let Scotland’s creativity flourish and be nourished
We've had charters for the arts, national cultural strategies and sons and daughters of both. We're on our seventh arts minister in nine years, and with each new incumbent comes a new tweak of the portfolio. more >
Ministry of Culture To Finance About 1000 Projects For Developing Art Sphere in Georgia
The Minister of Culture has stated that Georgia's priority projects should be development of theater, support of traditional international festivals and competitions, creation of a library network and integration of national minorities into theGeorgian culture. more >
Portuguese creative industries and their challenges
Creative Industries are growing in importance in Portugal, but still face many obstacles.
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Almost nothing offered for arts and culture
Arts and culture have never been a priority for the Harper government but with yesterday's federal budget the sector seems to have achieved a new level of non-recognition. more >
Australia: a nation at risk
Why is culture important? Is it because the cement of social cohesion, like friendship, is the bond of common experiences? more >
Grant to encourage more arts interest
A TEAM dedicated to encouraging people into the arts has been announced in Merthyr Tydfil – with hundreds of thousands of pounds put aside to do it. more >
Increasing the budget is not enough
In the first televised presidential debate on Feb. 24, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidates talked about allotting more money to arts and culture -- one candidate talked about raising the budget for arts and culture to 4 percent of the government budget, while the other wanted to raise it to 5 percent. more >
Museum opening hours to be extended
Museums and cultural institutions will have their weekend and evening opening hours extended as part of new measures to increase public access to the arts announced today. more >
Arts budget needs creative thinking
Would more money really bring better arts and culture? Not necessarily. more >
Contradictions between Parliament Heads and Commission on Cultural Issues
25.02.08, Azerbaijan, A bill on Creative People and Cultural Unions that would introduce government financing of creative people and cultural unions has met with controversy in the Azerbaijani parliament.
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Culture policy coming soon
The Ministry of Culture is looking to release a comprehensive cultural policy in a matter of months. more >
Czechs open European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008
The official opening of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 in the Czech Republic today took place in Prague's Archa theatre that has actively joined the programme which is aimed at promoting mutual understanding and better co-existence of people of various cultures. more >
Policy discussion on Culture, Creativity and the Lisbon Agenda
At a forum on European cultural policy, and the contribution of culture and creativity to economic growth, many were suprised when the public debate revolved around the public funding of the arts; a telltale sign that the current engagement of the EU with culture does not mean the arts sector can lower its guard and will have to continue defending the specificity of the arts. more >
Prof Speaks On Isolation of Artists
In a lecture entitled 'Cultural Planning and The Creative City', Ann Markusen has criticised big institutional investments and praised local, decentralized, 'organic' initiatives. more >
Arts job boost for young people
Young people will be offered the chance to break into the arts and media with government-backed apprenticeships. more >
China's cultural input generally inadequate
According to the Bureau of the National Secretary of Culture, China's culture investment is insufficient; and cultural facilities are backward, especially in rural areas. Public cultural input is seriously inadequate. more >
New body will change how arts are funded in Scotland
Support of the arts through state-funded grants could become a thing of the past when Scotland's new culture body, Creative Scotland, comes into being next year. more >
Culture vultures: Rudd razor gang targets capital's top institutions
The government's 2 per cent efficiency dividend has slashed the budgets of national cultural institutions. more >
Greek minister: Greek-Sino relationship enters golden period
The relationship between Greece and China has entered a golden period, Greek Culture Minister Michalis Liapis said in an interview with Xinhua Saturday before he embarks on a four-day visit to China.
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New body to sustain the nation's creative mind
Scotland's Minister for Culture, Linda Fabiani, outlines key points of her address to the Scottish Arts Council's conference 'Scotland: Creative Nation'. more >
Showbiz kids not approved by protection committees
In 2006, only four requests were made for authorisation for youths to work in show-business, despite this official permission being compulsory by law. more >
The problem with privately funded museums
Adrian Ellis, AEA Consulting, on large-scale change in the institutional ecology of art. more >
The Role of Culture in Europe
Narcy Calamatta, vice-president of the European Council of Artists, reports on the European Commission's public hearing ‘The Role of Culture in Europe’. more >
The state is tuning its cultural apparatus for the revolution
Recent developments and current strategies of Venezuela's cultural policies. more >
The transforming power of culture
Policymakers perceive the arts and culture as mere cosmetics, overlooking the fact that they could be a driving force for development. more >
UK Seeks to Prevent Foreigner Tax From Affecting Art Assets
The UK government is seeking to protect art investments from the potential side effects of a tax on non-domiciled residents. more >
A cultural hand to hand: Spain and Cuba
After announcing the first Cuba–Spain Cultural Day, the first meeting between executives from both sides agreed on actions for exchange between the two nations. more >
Culture minister wants more funding for contemporary arts
Culture Minister Claudia Schmied has called for more money for film and other contemporary arts in Austria. more >
Iraq wants renewal of culture accord
Iraq's Deputy Minister of Culture Jaber al-Jaberi has called for renewal of a previous cultural agreement between Tehran and Baghdad. more >
Taiwan's arts sector needs a home
A fire on Feb. 11 burned the Cloud Gate Dance Theater's painstaking efforts to the ground and, at the same time, exposed the government's indifference to arts and culture. more >
Awake, aware and online
Speaking about the role of mass media in today's society, Gil offered a refreshing perspective on Internet rights, copyright and digital culture. more >
Axed arts plan was attracting an extra £2m
The cultural co-ordinator scheme, aimed at increasing children's participation in artistic activities that was controversially axed last year by the Scottish Government, was attracting at least £2m in extra funding for youth arts. more >
Culture is the best reply to war
An interview with Swiss ambassador Francois Barras about pro Helvetia's intercultural dialogue exchange program with Lebanon. more >
Hope stirs in culture sector over Minister’s actions
Akintayo Abodunrin appraises the new developmental initiatives in the culture sub-sector and the cautious optimism the actions of Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, is eliciting among stakeholders. more >
Time to Review National Cultural Policy
Looking at the issues raised at the National Cultural Indaba in 2006 and at some developments in 2007, it is clear that another review of the national cultural policy is now very necessary. more >
Turning creative in a digital world
Arts grants and prizes contribute to promoting and supporting new media arts, though they remain scarce. more >
Arts projects given £8m worth of inspiration
The Scottish Arts Council unveiled an £8 million lottery pot yesterday to fund 'inspiring' arts projects across Scotland. more >
Private copying royalty system in focus
Confrontation over the private copying royalty system has been intensifying between copyright holders on one side and appliance makers and consumers on the other. more >
Youth needs to look up to a higher plane
Schoolchildren can easily have a cultural life. We just have to drop fees and charges.
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'Culture' plans branded naive
Plans for the inclusion of more cultural activities in schools have been greeted with scepticism. more >
Cruel Britannia
Governments do not make culture; artists and entrepreneurs do. more >
Cultural diversity - an obstacle to the EU single market?
It is not acceptable that that the UNESCO convention has been poorly implemented in EU legislation up to now. more >
Cultural Initiative Support launched
The cultural Initiatives Support Programme has been launched in Accra as a first call for proposal for activities and initiatives that enhance Ghana’s cultural sector. The programme is a three-year initiative under which the European Union has provided Ghana with a €2m grant to support the cultural sector. more >
Cultural tourism to be used in war on poverty
The development of cultural tourism will be emphasised as part of the Government’s poverty eradication programme. more >
EU Proposes Extending Artists' Copyrights to 95 Years
European Union musicians may earn royalties for 95 years as in the U.S., up from 50 years, under a plan to avoid cutting off income for artists as they retire. more >
First person singular: Art can thrive without the Arts Council
Two recent musical events have persuaded Ivan Hewett that it is possible for the arts to go it alone. more >
Muse Vibes
It has now become known that the National Arts Council has received about 200 applications for financial support from Namibian artists in four different art disciplines. more >
National Endowment for the Arts budget cuts should be met with outrage, not complacency
Barely two months after signing off on a $20 million increase in the NEA's budget -- the largest in the endowment's history -- our nation's chief executive quickly shifted into fiscal reverse. more >
Papatola: Art is vital, well worth the price of a gumball
We live in a culture that is ever dumber. This sobering assessment comes from no less an authority than Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. more >
Code bolsters Indigenous artist protection
Aboriginal artists will have more commercial protection with the finalisation of a National Code of Conduct on Indigenous Art. more >
Arts Council to be supported
The Ministry calls on corporate organisations, business communities, NGOs and the public at large to assist the Fiji Arts Council in reviving the art industry. more >
Canadian authors get over $9 million for library lending of their books
The more libraries in which an author's eligible titles are found, the larger the payment, to a maximum of $2,681. more >
Cultural Policy Debate Keeps Growing
More than a year after the outbreak of the so-called "e-mail war", the debate on cultural policy has not died down in Cuba. And although the issue is not addressed in the national media, the discussion continues, and is spreading to embrace other aspects of life in this socialist island nation. more >
Cultural Policy Research Award 2008: official launch in Venice of its 5th edition
Designed to stimulate academic and applied cultural policy research and to explore, through comparative cross-national research, issues at stake in contemporary Europe, and possibly anticipate new cultural
policy orientations, the CPRA has also the ambition to contribute to the process of creating an
"infrastructure", a network of scholars who are competent in doing comparative research projects in
cultural policy.
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Cultural capital
London's art scene has boomed over the past eight years – but opinion is divided about how much credit Ken Livingstone can take. more >
Culture ministry reveal plans
The Minister for Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski has unveiled the main line of activities of his ministry. more >
A Tight Grip Can Choke Creativity
The meaning of 'fair use' is being forgotten as copyright holders try to tighten their grip.
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Arts council plans Boyden follow-up
Arts Council England is to undertake its most comprehensive assessment of the theatre sector since Peter Boyden’s landmark investigation into regional producing venues and the ensuing Theatre Review in 2001. more >
Cultural Policy: South Africa
The latest instalment in Power of Culture's series 'cultural policies of non-western countries'. more >
Equity launches online survey on funding after ACE cuts cause outrage
Equity has launched an online survey to discover the industry's views on whether the arts funding system should be changed. more >
Fable of the cultural elite
In an international survey for a research project, Oxford sociologists John Goldthorpe and Tak Wing Chan have found that the fabled cultural elite is just that: a fable. more >
Free Trade and Culture Book Review
Garry Neil reviews the book by Peter van den Bossche, 'Free Trade and Culture: A Study of Relevant WTO Rules and Constraints on National Cultural Policy Measures'. more >
Give peace a chance
A policy document drafted recently makes recommendations on public support of music and looks at the structure of the Ministry of Culture, which is 'overloaded' by its multiple functions of promoting arts, culture, sports and gender issues. more >
Great Art for the Greatest Numbers
An interview with Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, on US cultural policy. more >
Here, kids - have some nice culture, says new minister of fun Andy Burnham
In his first interview since he was propelled into his 'dream job', new head of the 'Ministry of Fun', Andy Burnham, explains how he intends to make high-quality culture part of the school curriculum more >
How to bring Milan, Davos and Los Angeles to London
A £200 million national film centre. A permanent home for fashion shows in London. Funding for avant-garde film projects. A Davos-style arts and finance conference. These are among a range of commitments to the arts being set out by the Government next week. more >
Mass Dismissals in Bulgarian Ministries
Round 200 state employees from Ministry of Culture will be dismissed on account of optimizing the system. more >
Museums Throw Open Their Doors to the Disabled
The Venezuelan Culture Ministry has launched a programme, 'Creating Without Limits', to draw in people with a disability to take part in the creative and artistic enjoyment that museums have to offer. more >
Protecting the public from provocative art is misguided
Fear has caused art's 'gatekeepers' (producers, presenters and administrators ) to do something that they shouldn't - warning you about 'dangerous' art. more >
Similar ends, varied means - the big three’s manifestoes reviewed
The three main parties contesting the upcoming general elections have outlined their intentions in cultural policy - from increasing funding for arts supporting culture to improving the image of Pakistan.
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The government cannot create culture
Art moves in mysterious ways and no government initiative, no matter how well-intentioned, can kick-start a new Renaissance. more >
Workshop on arts, environment
A workshop is scheduled as part of the Green Arts initiative, a program that combines the creativity of the arts with knowledge of environmental sciences to create a better understanding of our environment and promote a more sustainable community. more >
Teddy Francis clears the air!
Director of Culture Teddy Francis says that news that his job was in jeopardy came as a surprise to him when he returned to St Lucia from Trinidad this week. more >
Tories proposing Lottery reforms
The Tories plan a reform of the National Lottery which they say would end political interference, and ensure an extra £182m a year for good causes. more >
Malcolm Chisolm on arts policies
I am astonished by the patronising and dismissive attitude displayed by the culture minister in last week's Sunday Herald to the legacy she inherited from her predecessors. more >
Union Boards Back Deal to End Writers’ Strike
An end to Hollywood’s long and bitter writers’ strike appears all but assured, as the governing boards of the unions representing 12,000 movie and television writers on Sunday unanimously approved a tentative three-year deal with production companies. more >
Arts, culture not an elitist pursuit: report
Many Canadians who read as a hobby are the same people attending concerts, visiting art galleries, watching the latest flicks and participating in cultural activities in general, according to a new report. more >
Creative Local Communities: Cultural Vitality and Human Rights
The UNESCO Observatory on Multi-disciplinary Research in the Arts has released a call for papers for Vol 1, Issue 2 of its e-journal. more >
Cuba and Ecuador Penned Cultural Agreement
Cuba and Ecuador have signed a cultural collaboration agreement that will enhance the exchange among arts teachers and students from both countries and will encourage the training of cultural promoters. more >
Nicolas Sarkozy's gold retirement for rock dinosaurs
Sir Cliff Richard and other ageing British artists may be heading for a more comfortable retirement, thanks to Nicolas Sarkozy and his friendship with the dinosaurs of the early French rock era. more >
White House Proposals for Culture Funding 2009
The White House's 2009 budget request includes rises in funding for a variety of cultural insitutions, but an effective decline in funding to the National Endowment for the Arts. more >
Americans for the Arts Responds to President’s FY09 Budget
President Bush has proposed a $16.3 million cut for FY 2009 for the National Endowment for the Arts. more >
Classical music is a big hit on the London Underground
Steadily and, if not secretly, then certainly stealthily, London Underground is rolling out a compulsory classical diet. And it's joining a growing group of local authorities, transport companies and even supermarkets across the country. more >
National Meeting to Aid Bulgaria Rural Areas
A meeting is being held to to coordinate and enhance the participation of the cultural community clubs in the application of the National Program for Development of Rural Areas for 2007-2013. more >
A $22-billion problem
The price tag of IP theft is extraordinarily high for Canadian businesses. Conservative estimates put its annual cost in the $22-billion range. more >
Arts governance: survey shows report is off beam
Governance of arts boards has been somewhat overlooked in recent studies of organisation and board governance. more >
British Council team meets VS
British Council of India on Friday indicated its willingness to hand over to the State government all the books and facilities at its library here. more >
Funding cuts close business arts scheme
The Arts Council has slashed its grant to Arts & Business, the independent consultancy that helps arts organisations find business sponsors.
more >
Japanese Language and Cultural Exchange Center to be set up
Deputy Prime Minister, Pham Gia Khiem has given a approval for the set up of a Japanese language training and cultural exchange center in the capital of Hanoi. more >
Participation experiments aim to build arts fan base
The problem with some arts events is they treat audiences as if they don't exist at all. more >
Song and dance about the arts
THE economic potential of Australia's artists, performers, filmmakers, designers and architects will never be realised until the wider community appreciates its culture, according to the chief executive of the Australia Council for the Arts. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >