International News in March 2009
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Interview: EU urged to sustain its 'creative industries'
Supporting creative industries through better intellectual property protection and the development of world-class IT infrastructure must become a priority for the EU, at a time when China and India are catching up on research and scientific innovation, Slovenia's Minister for Growth Ziga Turk told EurActiv ahead of the Spring Summit. more >
Arts Quarter Announces Findings From Fund-raising and Revenue Generation Survey
Arts Quarter has announced the findings of its recent Fund-raising and Revenue Generation Survey conducted over January and February 2009. more >
Creative buds can bloom in a recession
There is less money but more working space in hard times, writes Marcus Westbury more >
Getting creative to survive
People in the arts feel the pinch, too, but they can draw on their talent to stay afloat. more >
Scotland cultural policy briefing
Visiting Arts, in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council (SAC), hosted an event for cultural diplomats based in the UK to receive a briefing from members of Scottish Government, SAC and three major Scottish arts organisations. more >
Forum for Creative Europe: highlighting Václav Havel
LabforCulture has the video of Václav Havel's keynote speech from the Forum for Creative Europe, Prague, 26th-27th March, online. The former president of the Czech Republic talks about the importance of culture in our everyday lives and connects creativity, humanity and spirituality. more >
In Washington, entertainment makes its case for funding
The National Endowment for the Arts reported this month that 6% of all artists were unemployed in the fourth quarter of 2008 -- twice the rate of other professional workers -- and that the number of unemployed artists grew to 129,000 last year, from 50,000 in 2007. more >
Lottery grants drop as costs soar
National Lottery grants to sport and heritage projects have dropped by over 50% in a decade while administration costs have soared, figures reveal. more >
North is the poor relation in spending on the arts
Arts funders are propping up a system in which grants are skewed heavily in favour of London's museums and galleries to the exclusion of any other part of the country, figures have revealed. more >
Preparations for cultural event begins
The Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, yesterday chaired a meeting of the organizing committee in charge of preparing for ‘Doha Capital of Arab Culture 2010’, with attendance of the ministry’s Secretary General Mubarak bin Nasser Al Khalifa. more >
Sacred cows asked to cut out the bull at Melbourne International Arts Festival
It's a brave arts festival director who takes on culture's sacred cows - the artists - and challenges them to speak more plainly to their audiences. Melbourne International Arts Festival artistic director Brett Sheehy will do just that. Sheehy, will also urge Australia's funding bodies, arts administrators and board members to stop using a particular form of arts-speak that he describes as "full of obfuscation, abstraction, wooliness and spin". more >
The Cultural Olympiad: sprinting or stalling?
Bold claims are made by its organisers. But is the Cultural Olympiad capable of producing art of any merit? And where is the money coming from? more >
Eve- Repertoires of innovative and creative projects
The European Commission has unveiled its new EVE online platform showcasing the results of EU-funded projects in education, culture and related areas, as well as a new publication presenting 30 best-practice projects in these areas. more >
Are arts and culture still on agenda?
A lot of people, especially artistes, have been wondering whether Zimbabwe has a cultural policy or not. more >
Creative industries – winners from the Austrian tax reform
According to creative wirtschaft austria (cwa), the special interest organisation of the Austrian creative industries, the country’s 30.000 creative businesses will benefit from the new fiscal reform coming into effect in April and bringing tax relief to all jobholders with retroactive effect from January 1st on. more >
Cultural exchange agreement with China
Australia and China have agreed to work more closely on cultural activities such as exhibitions, performing arts, film festivals, media and cultural heritage protection. more >
Obama Stiffs the Arts
The arts world is fuming over Obama's dubiously qualified "arts czar," and a humanities appointee who lacks a college degree. more >
Singapore Lightens Up
The restrictive city-state relaxes some limits on theaters in a bid to become an arts hub. more >
Japan may adopt so-called 'fair use' in secondary use of copyrighted work
The Cultural Affairs Agency on Wednesday asked its advisory body to study a proposal for Japan to adopt the so-called ''fair use'' principle, which allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring the right holder's permission for the promotion of secondary use of such material, agency officials said. more >
Problems Persist, but Arts Advocates See Progress Under Obama
Washington continues to be consumed by economic turmoil, but cultural professionals say they are cautiously optimistic about the future of the arts under President Obama. more >
Copyright infringement faces $29,500 fine
To curb copyright infractions in Vietnam, heavy fines will be imposed said an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.The Chief of the Copyright Agency, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Dr. Vu Manh Chu, said that copyright violations are rampant in all fields, particularly in music, literature, recording, software and broadcasting. more >
Heavy taxes hit art business
The financial meltdown and heavy taxes on works of art imported or sold in India has caused many art galleries to shut down in recent times. more >
Quebec plugs holes left by federal arts cuts
Folks in the province's cultural milieu are pleased to see the Quebec government is set to replace some of the arts funding cut by Ottawa last year. more >
Female authors plea for more Ugandan literature
There is hardly a reading culture in the country. Schools lack books, while libraries are scarce. more >
Cancellations and pay cuts as recession plunges American orchestras into crisis
The recession is taking its toll on the American arts scene. According to the support network Americans for the Arts, 10,000 organisations could fold this year. more >
Elementary students may get more exposure to culture
The government plans to give Taiwan's elementary students more frequent exposure to cultural activities and is seeking funding for the program. more >
Mike Russell: bloodied but only a little bowed
Now Mike Russell is back as a key member of the Scottish government with responsibility for culture, external affairs and the constitution, pontificating with chutzpah as if he has never been away. more >
Antonine Wall receives World Heritage Site status
Two culture ministers toured the Antonine Wall yesterday in recognition of its status as a World Heritage Site.The most northerly frontier of the Roman Empire in Britain, which was built on the orders of Emperor Antoninus Pius nearly 2000 years ago, recently became Scotland's fifth World Heritage Site. It joined others, including St Kilda and Edinburgh's Old Town, in achieving the protected status. more >
Arts world braced for 'hurricane' as recession hits
From art galleries to opera houses, UK cultural organisations face cutbacks or even collapse as private sponsors pull out and government money dries up more >
China provides 20-bln-yuan credit line to help cultural industries
China's Ministry of Culture confirmed here Tuesday that it reached an agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim) to provide no less than a 20-billion-yuan (2.9 billion U.S. dollars) credit line to cultural industries. more >
China to seek return of looted relics through "all necessary means"
China's Ministry of Culture said Thursday the country would resort to "all necessary means" to seek the return of two looted Chinese relics auctioned at Christie's in Paris. more >
Council of Europe cultural events
The Council of Europe “Cultural Event” (CECEL) label recognises exceptional and innovative cultural and artistic projects, which convey strong messages related to the Council of Europe’s mission and values and address key challenges of the European societies of today. Applications should be submitted to the Council of Europe by 30 June. more >
Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Culture bureau holds emergency meeting in Sofia
Council of Europe Director of Culture, Cultural and Natural Heritage, Robert Palmer, met with colleagues, to make proposals on the results of Baku conference, amongst othger things. more >
Cultural cooperation between Egypt and Norway
Egypt and Norway have agreed to initiate cultural cooperation in some specific fields, including the intangible cultural heritage, creativity, arts and culture for children and youth and literary translation. more >
Dance Day preparations
On the 29th of April, as every year since 1982, Dance Day will be celebrated all over the world by the international community of dancers and dance enthusiasts. more >
Frustrating experience
Riyadh International Book Fair, which ends on Friday, has been marked with controversy once again — with liberal and literary minded people complaining of harassment by the commission. more >
Georgia pulls out of Eurovision song contest
Georgia has decided to pull out of the Eurovision Sing Contest after concluding that the disqualification of its controversial song was the result of pressure from Moscow. more >
Latvian state agency Jaunie tris brali to be liquidated
The state agency Jaunie tris brali (J3B), which was established with the purpose to implement the Latvian National Library, Riga Concert Hall and Contemporary Art Museum construction projects, will be liquidated, the new Culture Minister Ints Dalderis informed LETA. more >
Nation turns to culture to cope with financial crisis
China is to set up three major cultural groups to mine its wealth of culture and give a boost to the cultural industry during the financial crisis. more >
President Obama establishes new White House cultural post
President Barack Obama has established a new staff position in his White House with the task of overseeing arts and culture, Kareem Dale. Dale, a partially-blind lawyer previously served as national disability director for Obama's campaign and served on the arts policy committee for Obama in Illinois. more >
Arts groups lose out in fight for funds
Museums, theaters and operas, already reeling from the recession, are having a tough time attracting support amid perceptions that vital services like soup kitchens and homeless shelters should receive funds first. more >
Digital mix for museums questionnaire
How do you respond to the challenges faced by the development of online networking platforms? Agenda, with the help of Muse, has put together a questionnaire to help clarify the increase in using online social networks and platforms as part of marketing and communications strategies in museums today. more >
London 2012: Artists take the lead in 5.4m project for Cultural Olympiad
Artists of all kinds from across the UK are being challenged to use the nation as a blank canvas for twelve inspirational commissions that will showcase creativity to the world, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. more >
Minister defends valorisation of arts students
The Angolan minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva, defended a better use of students trained at arts schools of the National Artistic Training Institute (INFA) by giving them opportunities to work in the institution and in general teaching schools. more >
Ministry bans 'obscene' songs to save traditions
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has outlawed all songs with rude or obscene meanings. The proclamation, which immediately bans five popular Khmer songs, was made Friday and signed by Culture Minister Him Chhem. more >
Resignations due to general lack of law and money in culture
In the past ten days, Serbian Ministry of Culture and Media has received several resignations from the heads of important cultural institutions. more >
Senate subcommittee keeps $3.89 million in budget for arts, culture
A Michigan Senate subcommittee on the Department of History, Arts and Libraries today voted out of committee an appropriations bill for $3.89 million in arts and cultural funding for fiscal 2010. more >
Creativity in the community offers value for money
Government has a responsibility to fund Australian artists and arts organisations. After all, the government extends support and subsidies to other parts of the economy and the creative sector should be no different. more >
Cultural Post at White House
President Barack Obama has established a staff position in the White House to oversee arts and culture in the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs. more >
National Endowment for the Arts Announces Upcoming Education Leaders Institutes
How does arts education fuel the nation's economic prosperity and innovation? Or capitalize on new media trends? These and other questions will be addressed at two upcoming Education Leaders Institutes, an NEA initiative that convenes "dream teams" to develop coordinated state arts education plans. more >
We can tap the intrinsic value of arts
With some sensible changes we could build a creative country. more >
Pilot Project for Artist Mobility
The objective of this new appropriation is to enable contributions to the operational costs of mobility funds, programmes or schemes for artists and cultural professionals on a matching basis. more >
The recession and US museums
How to compensate for the loss of philanthropic, endowment and visitor incomes. more >
Civil dialogue – a framework of engagement for cultural civil society at European level
Culture Action Europe has a unique insight on the way civil society can influence cultural policy-making at European level. more >
For artists, the picture is bleak
Self-employed writers, actors and musicians know how to get through lean times, but this crisis is forcing many to take dramatic steps. more >
The arts lose 'a charismatic bureaucrat' at 81
Jean Battersby, the inaugural chief executive of the Australia Council, has been remembered as a pioneering figure who in the 1970s made the government's new arts funding agency into a "glorious salon". more >
Albania minister sacked over sex scandal
Albania’s Minister of Culture Ylli Pango was fired on Wednesday, after a video showing him allegedly asking sexual favours from young women applying for a job in his ministry was broadcast on TV. more >
Art flowers again in Iraq as violence ebbs
Six years after the US-led invasion, art galleries are reopening in Baghdad in the first signs of a renaissance in what was long a cultural capital of the Arab world. more >
Artists to inspire children in lectures
Renowned figures of the Korean art world will become honorary professors for young students. Artists including conductor Chung Myung-whun, soprano Sumi Jo and ballerina Kang Sue-jin hope to inspire elementary, middle and high school students through a program organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. more >
Back to censorship
Our democracy is retreating, what proves this is the decree issued by the ministry of culture to return imposing censorship on books. more >
Berlusconi slashes arts funding again
Silvio Berlusconi is slashing Italo arts funding once again in an apparent repeat of the TV mogul-turned-premier's past m.o. But this time around, it's the third conservative government headed by the Mediaset owner. Italy's arts community isn't that incensed. That's because bizzers approve of the way Berlusconi's culture czar Sandro Bondi is spending taxpayers' coin. more >
Budget for culture 2009
The budget of the Ministry of Culture in 2009 has increased due to the extra funding for the construction of the National Library of Latvia. Apart from this, the state funding for culture has been cut significantly. more >
Culture Ministry to produce films on handicraft artists
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance plans to make films and animations on Iranian handicraft artists. According to a press release by the Persian service of CHN, the Ministry of Culture ordered the Cinematic Affairs Department of the ministry to produce films about Iranian cultural figures and artists. more >
Division of Culture plans to revive cultural activities in schools
Director of the Division of Culture within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Robert Au, stressed on the need to revive cultural activities in secondary schools "like in the eighties." more >
Euromedinculture citizenship: start of the citizens’ consultation process
With the support of the programme “Europe for Citizens” of the European Commission, the Euromedinculture Citizenship project, aims to place culture and cultural agents at the centre of public discussions on culture as a key element for the European Union’s development. In order to foster this debate, a questionnaire has been designed for citizens, cultural professionals and policy makers. more >
Gaza kicks off "Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009" events with recitations
A two hour concert of Quran and poetry recitation was given in Gaza Saturday as the kick-off event for the Strip’s celebration of Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009. Al-Quds is Jerusalem in Arabic. more >
Global library group sets up center at National Library of China
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has set up a Chinese language center in the National Library of China (NLC), the Ministry of Culture said on its website Thursday. more >
India to prevent future Gandhi auctions
India is preparing legislation to prevent more of Mahatma Gandhi's belongings being auctioned off abroad, after a recent sale sparked outrage, the Press Trust of India reported Sunday. more >
Jero Wacik: don't panic!
The March 4, 2009, edition of Bali Post carried a brief interview with Indonesia's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, and his suggestions on how the tourism sector can best confront the current global financial crisis. more >
Media reforms: welcome steps
Saudi society is witnessing a new era of freedom. The Ministry of Culture and Information should be commended for empowering the media and encouraging openness and cultural diversity. A national campaign to encourage public debate and exchange with other cultures around the globe is gaining momentum. more >
Participation in practics – cultural mobility in Europe
On January Interarts became a partner in the 3-year project Practics-see Mobile, which is funded by the European Commission. The project aims to promote mobility among workers in the cultural sector. The project will develop “EU Cultural Mobility Contact Points” (CMCP) which will offer administrative and legal information at two levels. more >
Poet calls for preservation of traditional Chinese characters
Renowned local poet Cheng Chou-yu called Sunday for the preservation of traditional Chinese characters and for them to be listed as world cultural heritage items that would be entitled to special protection. more >
Spanish newspaper archives to be housed under one virtual roof
For the first time, newspaper archives dating as far back as the end of the 18th century are now accessible at the click of a mouse, thanks to a new Biblioteca Virtual de Prensa Histórica. more >
Starting-point of celebrations of Sana’a Arab culture capital 2004
The Ministry of culture and Tourism has last week announced opening of cultural activities marking declaration of Sana’a capital of Arab culture 2004 as starting from al-Sabeen Square in Sana’a. more >
Towards an European model for artistic studies coordination
On 16th February 2009 the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament reported on
artistic studies in the European Union. A Europewide model for coordinating of artistic education may be considered and established.
more >
Will the Obamas' interest in the arts create an inflation of appreciation?
Barack and Michelle Obama and their daughters spent the evening of Feb. 6 in the presidential box at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, applauding the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This infusion of the arts into the Obamas' public rituals and family routines comes after eight years in which George W. Bush seldom was seen in Washington's halls of culture. more >
National Endowment for the Arts releases guidelines for Recovery Act funds
The National Endowment for the Arts has released guidelines for the $50 million in emergency funding included in the federal stimulus bill. The money is intended to preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector, an industry hit by declines in philanthropic and goverment support. more >
Arts Council England to cut a quarter of its workforce
In an effort to meet a government requirement that it trim its administrative costs 15 percent by 2010, the Arts Council England has announced that it plans to cut 24 percent of its workforce, the Guardian reports. more >
Bahrain to emerge as culture capital of the Gulf
Bahrain is to spend more than $100 million in a bid to position itself as the culture capital of the Gulf and attract more tourists from the region and beyond, says Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, the kingdom’s new Minister of Culture and Information. more >
Budget woes cut $5.5 million from Missouri Arts Council
Last week, the Missouri Department of Economic Development announced it was going to trim a little more than $5.5 million from the budget of the Missouri Arts Council, MAC, as part of a belt-tightening effort, resulting from a state budget shortfall of nearly $261 million. more >
Chinese winner of looted relics auction denounces Christie's
The Chinese antique collector who bid at a Christie's auction for two looted bronze animal heads, Tuesday told why he has refused to pay his winning bid. more >
Fine arts are in survival mode as funds dry up
Doreen Bolger sees her new exhibit of circus drawings by Pablo Picasso and other 20th-century artists as just right for the times. Not so great is the $8 fee Bolger was forced to charge when the exhibit opened last week in the otherwise free museum. more >
Hollywood goes to Tehran - and is ordered to apologise for its sins
It was meant to be Hollywood's attempt at stealing a march on President Barack Obama's offer to reach out a hand to Iran - an ambassadorial trip to a country. If the august group - including American Beauty star Annette Bening, and Field of Dreams director Phil Robinson - thought their arrival in Tehran would be greeted in a spirit of peace and harmony, they had underestimated the pent-up anger of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's staunchly anti-western government. more >
Keeping the audience in the picture
Renowned for her energy and can-do approach, former Andrews Lane Theatre director Pat Moylan is not daunted by taking over as chairwoman of the Arts Council at a time of recession and spending cuts. In fact, she prefers it that way. more >
Mansour opens archaeology conference
H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, opened today the Second International Conference on UAE Archaeology and the 10th annual scientific forum of the History and Archaeology Society of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The opening address was delivered by H.E. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development. more >
Munira Mirza: a blast of fresh air for London
Munira Mirza, the Mayor of London's new director of arts and culture policy, has planned an exciting program events celebrating the capital's history. more >
Scottish arts body ‘will cost £4m to set up’
Senior sources suggest that the cost of merging the Scottish Arts Council, which funds more than 100 arts bodies across the country, and Scottish Screen, the national film agency, will be more than the £1m set aside for the task, but less than the rumoured £7m. more >
‘Culture is a right, not a luxury’: Havana book fair
Speaking at the February 12 opening ceremony, Minister of Culture Abel Prieto noted that since it began 25 years ago the annual book fair has become the country’s major cultural event. The revolutionary government and Communist Party of Cuba, he said, were determined that the book fair be held despite the $10 billion in damages caused by three major hurricanes in the second half of last year. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >