International News in April 2009
Show all of 2009
European Capitals of Culture 2012 and 2013 designated
The cities of Guimarães (Portugal) and Maribor (Slovenia) will be the European Capitals of Culture in 2012, followed by Marseille (France) and Košice (Slovakia) in 2013. more >
Professional Conversion Programme for Arts Managers
The professional conversion programme is designed to develop a pool of trained arts managers to help take Singapore into our next level as a global arts city. more >
Québec makes culture a cornerstone of sustainable development
In order to promote the integration of culture into sustainable development and meet its commitment under the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the Quebec Ministry of Culture, Communications, and the Status of Women will be working on developing an Agenda 21 on culture until 2013. more >
Eighth regional meeting of Mercosur Cultural took place in Colombia
Delegates from Paraguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay and Colombia met in late April in Bogotá, in the context of the Eighth Mid-term Meeting of Mercosur Cultural’s Regional Committee, which aimed to strengthen and promote cultural cooperation and exchange between institutions in these countries. One of the central matters discussed was the consolidation of mechanisms that will enable the implementation of the ‘Mercosur Label’, which should enable the free circulation of cultural goods and services among member countries. For further information, visit: http://www.mincultura.gov.co/?idcategoria=22522 more >
En Colombia se realizó la octava reunión regional del Mercosur Cultural.
Representantes de Paraguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Brasil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay y Colombia se reunieron en Bogotá, en la 8va Reunión Intermedia del Comité Regional del Mercosur Cultural. El propósito de este encuentro era fortalecer y promover la cooperación y el intercambio cultural entre las instituciones de estos países. more >
Historic Scotland offers credit crunch special for families
Historic Scotland is offering a credit-crunch special for families, "Make Your Own History", whereby people get six months free membership when they buy 12 months. This means a family will pay just £6.16 a month for free access to over 70 properties run by Historic Scotland. more >
Reflecting on cultural policy
"Culture is not only a sector of public action […], it is a dimension of public action, as there are few policy areas which do not have any link with culture," writes Jacques Rigaud, deputy-chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, in an April paper. more >
Regional arts organisations 'hardest hit by recession'
Regional museums, art galleries and theatres are being hit hardest by the recession, according to a new survey. more >
Ibero-American Culture: a tool to face the crisis
The Ibero-American General Secretary, thinks that culture can be an efficient tool in Ibero-America against the economic crisis. more >
La cultura iberoamericana, un arma contra la crisis
Los ministros iberoamericanos de Cultura decidieron el 22 de abril en Lisboa dar un impulso a la difusión del español y el portugués en Internet y en el mundo de la ciencia y la tecnología. more >
African Arts Institute launched to house Arterial Network Secretariat
Spier, a key sponsor of the arts in South Africa, has provided funding to the Arterial Network Secretariat to establish the African Arts Institute, a legal entity to house the Secretariat and undertake various projects in its own right. While the Arterial Network remains and acts as a dynamic network, the Institute provides it with the legal, organisational and infrastructural support that it requires to be effective. more >
Blog: The arts and the 2009 budget - good news
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is asked to make £168m in savings over three years; £4m to be cut from Arts Council England's budget 2010-11 Given the circumstances, it looks like good news. more >
Dance to Live
Six journeymen share tips for choreographing a career in dance. more >
La crisi economica è un’occasione per ripensare il ruole dello stato
Sandro Bondi: In merito all'intervento di Marcello Veneziani sulla cultura e la crisi che prende spunto dal convegno organizzat dal MiBAC con l'Accademia di Francia e al quale sono intervenuti oltre quaranta intellettuali italiani e francesi, mi permetto di aggiungere alcune brevi considerazioni. more >
Ontario is expanding its support of an innovative economy
Ontario is continuing to support the growth of an innovative economy by renewing the Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund with a $12 million investment over the next four years. The announcement was made by the Hon. Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture, in a speech before the Economic Club of Canada. more >
Theaters, Museums, Libraries Profit From Merkel’s Stimulus Plan
Germany’s museums, theaters and libraries are benefiting from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s economic stimulus plan, using unexpected windfalls to fix leaky roofs, crumbling facades and drafty windows. more >
ASEAN workshop on youth, culture underway in Myanmar
An ASEAN workshop on youth, culture and development, hosted by Myanmar, is underway in the country's second largest city of Mandalay, the state newspaper NewLight of Myanmar reported Thursday. more >
Budget shrinks arts funding
Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, yesterday saw its government funding for 2010/11 slashed by £4 million as part of Alistair Darling’s budget. Though ACE was prepared for larger losses of up to £14 million, the funding cuts will be felt by many companies who were relying on the money to enable new projects to progress. Regularly funded companies, however, could be spared reduction of support. more >
Training important to end crises in cinema
Angolan minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva, highlighted Friday in Luanda, the importance of professional training and restructuring of infra-structures as mechanisms to end apathy and crises in the sectors of production, distribution and cinematographic exhibition in the country. more >
Arts Council: counter-recessionary funding
Two days after news of funding cuts the Arts Council have announced they are investing an extra £44.5 million in artists and arts organisations over the next two years to help maintain artistic excellence during the economic downturn. more >
Astana to host forum of CICA ethnic and cultural unions
Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information in association with the People's Assembly of Kazakhstan will hold a forum of ethnocultural unions of CICA member states on May 1 in Astana. The forum will be aimed at exchanging experience in ethnic and cultural policy, and developing co-operation between the CICA countries in cultural and humanitarian spheres. more >
Beirut is going crazy for books
The city is about to go book-crazy. More than 200 events will take place here as part of Beirut's year as World Book Capital. This festival has been organized annually by UNESCO since 2001 to promote books and reading. The festivities officially began in Beirut on April 23, when culture minister Tammam Salam flew to Paris for the handover ceremony. more >
Blog: Fund the arts: It's the law
Thomas H. Kean is former governor of New Jersey. HIs blog suggesting that the new governor follow the law and fund the arts at least to the statutory minimum, brough about an overwhelmingly positive reaction. more >
Blog: The creative business
David Parrish, author of "T-shirts & Suits, a Guide to the Business of Creativity" provides a series of business masterclasses. more >
Does ACE know or care about failed grants applicants?
The Arts Funding Detective asked Arts Council England whether they had ever surveyed failed grants applicants. What's interesting in the reply is that not only have they not surveyed failed applicants, they don't even ask them any questions. The Detective has put up a database of three years worth of failed applications for you to look through. more >
Germany to strengthen its cultural policies abroad
From April 18th to 26th Berlin hosted the 'Foreign Cultural Policy Days' organised by the German Federal Foreign Office together with its main partners in the field of international cultural cooperation. more >
Idaho arts groups to get more than $900,000 from National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA Thursday announced its second round of funding for 2009. The national arts funding organization will distribute more than $83.4 million to support 1,076 projects by national, regional, state, and local nonprofit organizations nationwide. more >
Kazan hosted VI Conference of SCO Ministers of Culture
VI Conference of the Ministers of Culture of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation member countries was held in Kazan (Russian Federation) on April 26-28. The SCO Ministers of Culture shared their opinions regarding national cultural traditions and youth problems, discussed state and prospects of cultural exchnages and other issues of mutual interest. more >
Legislature says no cash for out-of-state artists
For the next two years, at least, artists who live outside Washington state won't be eligible to compete for money from the state's main public-art funding pool. A late amendment inserted in the state capital budget by Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens orders the Washington State Arts Commission to "restrict the purchase of works of art to artists residing in Washington state." more >
Macedonia celebrates World Dance Day
To mark World Dance Day today, the Lokomotiva Centre for New Initiatives in Culture and Art, a partner in a project, “Nomad Dance Academy,” invites Skopje’s residents to the Mala Stanica Multimedia Centre at 7 pm to “donate” their movement accompanied by artists of the academy and their friends. more >
More private funding needed for Vietnam’s arts
Vietnam’s government should encourage independent sponsors to support the country’s art rather than relying on funding from state-owned agencies. more >
Russell flies flag in New York
South of Scotland MSP Michael Russell has been flying the flag for the region across the Atlantic. In his capacity as Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, he was part of the Scottish Parliament delegation for Tartan Week in New York earlier in the month. more >
Russians up the ante at Cannes
The Russians are returning to Cannes big time, with a Market pavilion twice the size of last's year stand. Highlights include a round-table discussion on the business prospects for Western producers of independent cinema in the Russian market during a time of financial crisis, scheduled for May 15, and a discussion on co-production opportunities for Russian and international filmmakers that will include representatives from key government funding agencies and leading Russian producers on May 18. more >
What’s wrong with the arts establishment
Sometimes luvvies are their own worst enemies. Good grief, did I say sometimes? There are few sounds more likely to turn us all into philistines than the perennial chorus of arts luminaries droning on about how vital the arts are for the nation. more >
A 12-stop tour of France and Europe to invigorate the dialogue on cultural policies
The Observatory of Cultural Policy will hold a series of meetings with a number of partners across France and Europe on the theme “Vers un nouveau contrat pour les politiques culturelles territoriales?” (Towards a new contract for territorial cultural policies). more >
Culture ministers discuss multilateral cooperation
Culture ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathered in the central Russian city of Kazan Monday to discuss multilateral cultural cooperation within the framework of the regional bloc. more >
No time for faint arts
The arts are often first to lose out when governments slash budgets, but former chairman of Arts Council England Sir Christopher Frayling argues that increasing arts budgets could aid economic recovery. more >
Podcast: How Arts Groups Can Weather the Economy
How can arts organizations weather the current economic downturn and continue to serve people well? more >
EFA launches FestFlash on innovative and creative arts festivals
The European Festivals Association published the first edition of the FestFlash on Creativity and Innovation – a series of newsletters spotlighting concrete examples of festivals acting as laboratories of creativity and promoters of innovation. more >
EU extends music recording rights to 70 years
Ageing artists such as Cliff Richard and Paul McCartney will see copyright protection on their recordings in the EU extended from 50 to 70 years after a vote by MEPs. more >
Slovakia Cultural Profile launch
The Slovakia Cultural Profile, a joint initiative between Visiting Arts, British Council and the Ministry of Culture in Slovakia, was launched in Bratislava in March, as part of Visiting Arts' growing collection of country Cultural Profiles. more >
A matter of joining forces
The Canadian Artists' Representation/le Front des artistes canadiens was established in 1968 to protect artists' right to be paid fairly. more >
Americans for the Arts releases new focus
The marriage of the organization’s planning outcomes and fiscal realities resulted in a call for a renewed focus on core audiences and the vital programs that serve them. more >
Art Bank acquires works by culturally diverse Canadians
The Canada Council Art Bank is acquiring 55 contemporary works by Canadian artists of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and mixed racial heritage. more >
Arts Council chief defends move to hire extras for free
The Chairwoman of the Arts Council has defended her theatre company’s move to seek people to appear in its new production for no pay. more >
Cultural Trends - Call for reviews
Cultural Trends, the journal that champions the need for better evidence-based analyses of the cultural sector, is looking for reviews for the ‘grey literature’ Policy Review Notes section. more >
Leading the revolution: Can tax reform assist the Australian arts sector?
At the 2020 Summit, the arts sector considered that Australia’s tax system has an important role to play in assisting the arts. more >
£40m fund launched by Arts Council
Theatres, galleries and orchestras will be able to apply for emergency support from a £40 million rescue fund as part of a cultural “new deal” being launched by the Arts Council. more >
Hemisphere’s Leaders Adopt Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain
Port of Spain: Affirming their “renewed spirit of cooperation, integration and solidarity,” the hemisphere’s leaders concluded the Fifth Summit of the Americas with a consensus to advance joint solutions to address the most pressing challenges facing the region. more >
La UNESCO, la Biblioteca del Congreso de los Estados Unidos y otras instituciones asociadas ponen en marcha la Biblioteca Digital Mundial
La UNESCO y 32 instituciones asociadas presentaron hoy la Biblioteca Digital Mundial, un sitio web en el que se podrán consultar documentos culturales, únicos en su género, de bibliotecas y archivos del mundo entero. more >
Les Rencontres, matrimonio feliz del nuevo cine y el arte
El cruce no puede parecer más fecundo. Se trata de matrimoniar el cine de vanguardia y el arte contemporáneo, el videoarte, el arte multimedia y las tendencias artísticas nacidas del estallido de las nuevas tecnologías. more >
Les Rencontres, putting together new cinema and art
The hybrid could not be more fertile. It is about putting together avant-garde cinema and contemporary art, videoart, multimedia art and artistic trends resulting from the burst of new technologies. more >
Líderes de la región adoptan Declaración de Compromiso de Puerto España
Puerto España: Afirmando su “espíritu renovado de cooperación, integración y solidaridad”, los líderes del hemisferio concluyeron la Quinta Cumbre de las Américas con un consenso de emprender soluciones conjuntas a los desafíos más apremiantes que enfrenta la región. more >
New Group Is Formed to Sponsor Native Arts
Even as arts groups around the country are cutting back because of declining endowments and donations, a new foundation to support the work of American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native artists is being established with an initial $10 million from the Ford Foundation. more >
UNESCO, U.S. Library of Congress and Partners Launch World Digital Library
UNESCO and 32 partner institutions today launched the World Digital Library, a Web site that features unique cultural materials from libraries and archives from around the world. more >
XII Conferência Ibero-Americana de Cultura
As Ministras e os Ministros da Cultura da Península Ibérica e da América Latina, reunidos a 22 de Abril de 2009, em Lisboa, na XII Conferência Ibero-Americana de Cultura, subordinada ao tema "Português e Espanhol, Línguas compartilhadas, Instrumentos de Identidade, Criatividade e Multiculturalismo". more >
XII Conferencia Iberoamericana de Cultura
Las Ministras y los Ministros de Cultura de la Península Ibérica y de América Latina, reunidos el 22 de abril de 2009 en Lisboa, en la XII Conferencia Iberoamericana de Cultura, bajo el tema "Portugués y Español, Lenguas compartidas, Instrumentos de Identidad, Creatividad y Multiculturalismo". more >
XII Ibero-American Conference on Culture
Ministers of Culture from Portugal, Spain and Latin America, gathered in Lisbon on April 22, 2009, at the XII Ibero-American Conference on Culture, under the theme “Portuguese and Spanish, Shared Languages, Instruments for Identity, Creativity and Multiculturalism”. more >
Artists' mobility focal point at Cairo symposium
The discussions ranged from social to aesthetic with breakout groups on cultural dialogue, artist as educator, and curatorial practice. more >
National Library Directors of the ECO countries gather in Baku
The 2nd Conference of the National Library Directors of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member countries was started in Baku on Monday within the “Baku – Islamic Culture Capital 2009”, APA reports. more >
Plan to fight illegal downloads faces opposition
The governing party of President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, scrambling to save a national law that would cut off Internet service to those who make repeated illegal downloads, is threatening to block a European Union telecommunications bill that would undermine the legal foundation of the French plan. more >
Restricted documents left on train
Britain's minister of culture Tuesday apologized for leaving a briefcase full of confidential documents on a train traveling from England to Scotland. more >
Segundo Foro de la Alianza de Civilizaciones
El 6 y 7 de abril de 2009, el segundo Foro de la Alianza de Civilizaciones de las Naciones Unidas se llevó a cabo en Istanbul, Turquía. El Foro es el más importante evento mundial que busca promover el entendimiento intercultural. more >
The Second Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations
On 6-7 April 2009, the second Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was held in Istanbul, Turkey. The Forum is the world’s premier event aimed at advancing intercultural understanding. more >
Call for action at EU meeting about culture and development
The Brussels Declaration is the result of the international colloquium Culture and creativity: Vectors for development. It makes clear what necessary steps in the promotion of culture and creativity in developing countries and in international cultural relations should look like. more >
ACE warns arts sector it could face cuts of up to £14 million in 2010
The cultural sector is bracing itself for more financial upheaval, after Arts Council England revealed it is preparing for up to £14 million of cuts to its 2010 funding package from government. more >
Angolan historical figures list drafted
The Ministry of Culture has drafted a list containing the names of Angolan historical figures, following a study carried out by experts of the Multi-Sectoral Commission, to valorise and disseminate the deeds of the most distinguished national personalities over the time around the country. more >
Blog: Spanish Minister of Culture copies own bio from Wikipedia
The writers of Bilbao-Limerick and emho, two Spanish blogs, have found out that the biography of new Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde, included on the website of the Ministry and the press release announcing the new government has been copied from Wikipedia. Good move from a Minister that is meant to defend copyrights. more >
Boris Johnson scraps multicultural music festival Rise
Boris Johnson has scrapped Rise, London's popular annual multicultural music event, despite insisting last year that major festivals are an "important way" of bringing Londoners from diverse backgrounds together. more >
Cultural blogging in Europe
Who blogs? What are they blogging about? Which audiences and communities are being engaged? What are the language-specific issues and the economic models? And how sustainable are they? more >
Culture can drive the economic and social growth
Something remarkable has happened in Toronto: extraordinary building projects for major Ontario cultural institutions have been completed. Programs have been renewed and revitalized. Accessibility and inclusiveness have become standards, increasingly reflecting the changing face of Toronto and Canada. more >
Draft regulations ban dancing at karaoke establishments
Forbidding dancing at karaoke bars is a new point in the draft decree and regulations on cultural activities and public cultural services, which the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism submitted to the government for approval recently. more >
Filmmaker Ángeles González-Sinde appointed new Minister of Culture in Spain
Filmmaker and until now president of the Academy of Arts and Cinema Sciences, Ángeles González-Sinde, has been named Minister of Culture, substituting César Antonio Molina, by the president of the government, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. more >
Five million euros from govt to restore quake-hit museums
The Italian government allocated five million euros to help rebuild museums damaged or destroyed by Monday's devastating earthquake in the mountainous central Italian Abruzzo region. Italy's ministry of culture and economic development ministries announced the funds in a statement. more >
Florida officials push to outlaw arts funding
Faced with a budget deficit of $3 billion, Florida lawmakers are considering repealing a law providing state funding for art, the St. Petersburg Times reports. more >
Greece donates replica of precious archaic korai to China
The Greek Ministry of Culture on Tuesday donated a replica of an ancient marble statue named Peplophoros to a Chinese museum that is under construction. more >
Indonesian minister of culture’s public apology for destruction of archaeological site
The Indonesian minister for culture and tourism was forced to make a public apology after the government ignored urgent warnings and failed to halt a controversial new museum and visitor centre in Mojokerto, East Java, which caused extensive damage to important archaeological remains at Trowulan. more >
It’s the first Saudi fashion show… please, no cameras allowed!
On March 24, 2009, the city of Jeddah witnessed the first women’s fashion show ever held in the country. However the show was not to be taped or photographed, not even with mobile phone cameras, and attendance was limited to women only. more >
Minister calls for creative freedom
Creativity cannot thrive without a free environment, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage HE Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari said at the launch of the Doha Creativity and Freedom Festival on Thursday. more >
Ministry pursues economic diversification through culture
The Ministry of Culture confirmed its commitment to cultural development as a viable means of enhancing the local economy as Dance Specialist Lorna Ava Henry attended an international seminar in Brussels. more >
Ministry steps up clampdown on copyright piracy
Saudi Arabia has intensified efforts to check the growing market of pirated CDs, DVDs, computer games and IT software, and launched raids to confiscate goods and detain those involved in the business. more >
Movie laws discourage foreign directors
Making movies in Turkey can be quite a challenge, particularly for foreign directors, due to Turkey's filmmaking regulations, which significantly bring down the number of foreign-made movies shot in Turkey. Experts agree that if Turkey's regulations were changed to be less discouraging, moviemakers would be lining up in front of Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism for filming permits. more >
Mungyeong to host festival of traditional tea bowls
Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, is hosting the 11th Traditional Tea Bowl Festival May 1-10, offering visitors the chance to appreciate the beauty and culture of traditional tea and tea bowls. more >
New regulations on historical sites
Vietnam has more than 3,000 major historical sites and tens of thousands of smaller ones scattered across the country and there is an urgent need to restore and preserve them at any cost. more >
Paris guide
A former Minister of Culture, Andre Malraux, initiated a law in 1968 allowing the inheritance tax to be paid off with works of art. It is for that reason that Paris has the Picasso Museum. Picasso’s children paid the inheritance tax with 250 paintings, 160 sculptures, 30 reliefs, 88 ceramics and over 3,000 graphic works. more >
Pulling masterpieces from the ruins
Italy is dispatching art-rescue teams to assess damage and move pieces to safer locationsAs Italy spent Friday in a national day of mourning with an open-air funeral mass for most of its 289 earthquake victims, the country has begun scouring for an invaluable part of its past: its art. more >
Three hits and you’re out, France warns internet pop pirates
Under legislation expected to be approved by Parliament after Easter, will mean that net users face having their connection cut off for repeatedly pirating music, films or games. more >
U.S. museum to return ancient Roman fresco fragment to Italy
The J. Paul Getty Museum said it is returning a piece of 1st century Roman fresco to Italy. The 35-by-31-inch (89-79-centimeter) fragment of a landscape fresco was donated to the museum in 1996. more >
Yemeni theater will not rise without efforts of dramatists themselves, says Culture Minster
At the ceremony, to launch a cultural centre, during theatre week, Minister of Culture Dr. Mohammed Abu-Bakr al-Maflhi called for a new theatrical era in Yemen. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy of Culture Minister, Dr. Ahmed Salim al- Qadhi and the Undersecretary of the Ministry for the Arts and Theater sector, Najeeba Haddad. more >
How mobile phones are changing the way that art is enjoyed and created
If Shakespeare were alive now, he would be a mobile phone novelist," the author Tadashi Izumi asserts. And if Shakespeare lived in contemporary Japan, Izumi may well be right. Five of last year's top ten best-selling novels started life as mobile phone – or keitai – novels. more >
Making sense of censorship
A bold guide to arts censorship in Australia plans to map a way through controversy for local artists. more >
Downturn hits art investment funds
Several art funds launched during 2008—including one that Charles Saatchi was advising—have failed to secure the required cash from investors. more >
Japanese ‘otaku’ PM looks to comics to rescue economy
As part of ￥15 trillion (US$149.5 billion) of fresh stimulus measures unveiled on Friday, Japan hopes to raise the percentage of its exports of “soft power” — manga, animated films, video games and pop music — from 2 percent of the total to 18 percent over the next decade, creating half a million jobs. more >
Corte de caja a Consuelo Sáizar
Analizan retos de la nueva presidenta de Conaculta, a un mes de que asumió el cargo. more >
Evaluation of Consuelo Sáizar’s administration
Analysis of the challenges faced by Conaculta’s new President, after one month of activities. more >
Up, up and away - Show Scotland 2009
Show Scotland provides museums and galleries with an opportunity to be creative and daring with their collections and venue space. These innovative and original events are specially designed for Show Scotland. more >
Copyright handbook targets sellers, producers
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is set to distribute a new UNESCO-funded copyright handbook in a bid to educate local producers and DVD sellers about the importance of intellectual property rights, according to ministry officials. more >
Koreans spending more time on culture activities
According to a joint survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute (KCTI), 30 percent of Koreans went to art exhibitions in 2008, a sharp gain from 9 percent in 2007. They surveyed 3,000 Koreans over 10 years of age. more >
Minister of Culture considers specialisation essential
Speaking at the opening session of the seminar on management of cultural heritage, which is expected to last until April 10, in Luanda, Angola's minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva, said that the management of the country's cultural heritage depends on hard work and on the specialisation of technicians of the sector. more >
Change is needed. Your support is needed
The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) has been working for European integration through arts and culture for more than five decades. Its goal is a truly inclusive Europe - a living and working space that fully embraces cultural diversity, making the most of the opportunities which this diversity offers. They are now appealing for support. more >
Ex-Gov. Kean may sue over NJ arts funding cuts
Former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean says he is so upset over Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to cut arts funding that he may sue. The Republican, who led New Jersey for most of the 1980s, tells The Star-Ledger of Newark he's "outraged" by the proposed cuts. more >
Musicians plead for increased arts funding
Linda Ronstadt, Josh Groban and Wynton Marsalis recall their experiences with music before a House panel in hopes of raising the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts to $200 million. more >
3.3 million cost of establishing Creative Scotland - but since the train has left the platform, where’s the destination?
Culture Minister Michael Russell has made public the cost of establishing Creative Scotland in a marriage of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council. He has given assurances that the £3.3 million total will come from Government and will not be deducted from the funding allocated to grant aiding of the creative arts in Scotland. more >
570 billion VND for the development and preservation of culture
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced the total capital for the National Objective Programme on Culture in the country in 2009, which is worth 570 billion VND. more >
Annual meeting of the Southeastern Europe Culture Ministers Council
The main focus of the meeting is the utilisation of culture as a means for viable development in the region and the creation of a discussion forum among the Culture Ministers and other governmental and non-governmental structures. more >
Council of Europe: ''cultural event'' label – call for proposals
The Council of Europe has launched a call for cultural and artistic projects. The Council of Europe ''Cultural Event'' label recognises exceptional and innovative cultural events in Europe, which address critical issues in European society. The deadline for submitting proposals is 30 June. more >
Dmitry Medvedev held talks with President of Chile Michelle Bachelet
Enhancement of trade and economic cooperation was one of the key topics of the talks and a framework agreement on cultural cooperation in 2009-2011 between the Russian Ministry of Culture and the National Council for Culture and Arts of the Republic of Chile were signed in the presence of the heads of state. more >
Draft concept of CIS cultural coop being developed
Yasher Gusseinly, Director of the Division for Cooperation with International Organisations and Programs under the Department of International Relations and Cultural Programs of Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism considers that culture will become one of the essential uniting factors that will foster friendship and neighbourhood relations between the member-countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. more >
Launch of FestLab for creativity and innovation
On 27 March, the European Festivals Association (EFA) presented the FestLab for Creativity and Innovation, an initiative in the framework of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009. EFA invites festivals from across Europe and the world to sign up to this initiative and join forces. more >
Launch of the IV edition of the Euro-Med award for the dialogue between cultures
The Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) and Fondazione Mediterraneo (FM) have the pleasure to announce the launch of the Fourth Edition of the Euro-Med Award for the Dialogue between Cultures. This edition’s theme is Intercultural Dialogue for Peace and Co-existence. Deadline for nomination is May 31, 2009. more >
National Arts Council prepares for 2010 World Cup
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, NACZ, has held a strategic planning workshop for the arts and culture industries ahead of the 2010 world cup soccer showcase. more >
Arts Advocacy Day 2009
Americans for the Arts, in conjunction with the Congressional Arts Caucus and 83 national co-sponsors, celebrated Arts Advocacy Day 2009 yesterday as more than 500 arts advocates from across the nation met with their representatives on Capitol Hill, calling on them to support arts-friendly legislation and policies. more >
How song, dance and movies bailed us out of the Depression
Popular culture provided the optimism and energy that helped the country get moving. We may need that again. more >
PM puts arts accent on ABC board
Kevin Rudd has finally moved to put his stamp on the ABC and will today begin dismantling the Howard era by awarding two prized vacant seats on the national broadcaster's board to leading figures in the arts community. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >