International News in October 2009
Show all of 2009
Truszczynski new Director-General for Education and Culture
The European Commission appointed Jan Truszczyński as Director-General of the Education and Culture DG. Jan Truszczyński will provide leadership to the Education and Culture DG in carrying out its work in the areas of education, training, culture, youth, citizenship, multilingualism and sport. The Directorate-General manages a budget that amounted to € 1,406 million in 2009. more >
Bill referred to Congress by the Executive to create Ministry of Culture
The executive referred to Congress the bill that creates, organizes and establishes the Ministry of Culture’s functions as the governing body of the national policy in this field. more >
Ejecutivo remitió al Congreso proyecto de ley para crear Ministerio de la Cultura
El Poder Ejecutivo remitió al Congreso el proyecto de ley que crea, organiza y establece las funciones del Ministerio de la Cultura como ente rector de la política nacional en la materia, luego de que el presidente de la República, Alan García firmara dicha iniciativa, en Palacio de Gobierno. more >
A pair of crucial cultural priorities
In his address to the National Press Club on Tuesday, Peter Garrett called for a debate on Australia's cultural policy between now and 2020. He asked that it be a bipartisan conversation rather than one bogged down in the culture wars debates of recent years. more >
Artists to stand in silence to protest funding cuts
Dressed in grey and standing in formation, artists and their supporters will be staging public interventions around downtown Vancouver today. more >
Arts agencies to get highest funding in 16 years
The National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities are expected to receive their highest levels of funding in 16 years from a bill President Barack Obama is expected to sign into law by this weekend. more >
Arts Funding in Stimulus - State by State
The National Endowment for the Arts has posted how it has distributed nearly $50 million under the stimulus to each state, and to indepenent non-profits, for art programs. more >
Congress approves budget increase for Arts and Humanities Endowments
The House and Senate on Thursday passed a budget increase for the National Endowment for the Arts and for the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Interior Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2010 sets budgets for each agency at $167.5 million, up $12.5 million from last year. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law shortly. more >
European Union’s Strategic Alliance with Latin America
The European Commission devised a new policy to consolidate the strategic alliance between the EU and Latin America. more >
La Asociación Estratégica con América Latina de la Unión Europea
La Comisión Europea ha presentado una nueva política para consolidar la Asociación Estratégica entre la UE y América Latina. more >
Mayan City of Mirador: the world’s largest pyramid discovered!
A CNN Video features the discovery of the world’s largest known pyramid in the Lost Mayan City of El Mirador in El Peten, Guatamela. more >
New German government pledges support for film
Angela Merkel’s new government confirmed its support for the local film industry as it prepared to be sworn in on Wednesday (October 28). more >
Peru will have a Culture Ministry
Peru's President Alan García Pérez signed the bill that will create the Ministry of Culture, the first one in the nation's history, which will now be submitted to Parliament. more >
We need a Michelle Obama to champion classical music
Though classical music education in the States can be appalling, at least Michelle Obama is supporting it. Who will do the same here? more >
Obama 'Most Powerful Writer Since Julius Caesar,' Says NEA Chief
Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, declared in a speech to art philanthropists in Brooklyn last week that President Obama is the world's most powerful writer since the days of Caesar. more >
Arts and Humanities Endowments to Get $167.5-Million Each in 2010
A compromise spending bill approved by Congressional negotiators on Tuesday sets the 2010 fiscal-year budgets for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts at $167.5-million each, more >
Creative Scotland launch will mean at least 33 job losses
Jobs will be lost from the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen when they merge to become Creative Scotland, according to the long-awaited business model for the new organisation which sets out its structure and operational design. more >
Cullen Announces New Investment Venture In Irish Arts And Culture
Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism has announced a new 3-year corporate investment venture in Irish arts and culture between Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Ireland's Business to Arts organisation. more >
National arts initiative launched
A new, national initiative is under way to heighten Canadians' awareness of the arts, their accessibility to art and artists, and their “participation in and engagement with” the activities of the cultural sector. more >
Blog: A Modest Proposal: Make the Pentagon Our Very Own Ministry of Culture!
During the U.S. presidential campaign, the Obama-Biden team announced it would
would "expand cultural and arts exchanges throughout the world." And Michelle Obama recently stated that the "spouses of world leaders forge bonds by sharing the arts. ... It is a form of diplomacy in which we can all take part.'"
more >
Culture policy to take effect soon
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said a National Culture Policy approved recently by his Government is expected to be fully implemented soon. more >
Last words on the IFACCA World Summit, for now
Arts Counselling Blog: Mark Robinson, Executive Director, Arts Council England North-East. more >
Cuarta Reunión Ordinaria de la Comisión Interamericana (CIC)
La Cuarta Reunión Ordinaria de la CIC se llevará a cabo en la sede de la OEA en Washington, D.C., los días 12 y 13 de noviembre de 2009. more >
Culture's challenge
Arts Minister Peter Garrett described himself as a "passionate audience member", promising to buy an Australian book, watch a local film and visit a gallery over the next month. more >
Fourth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Culture (CIC)
The Fourth Regular Meeting of the CIC will be held at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., on November 12 and 13, 2009. more >
Mitterrand calls for common stance over digitisation in the EU
French culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand is increasing pressure on his European Union (EU) counterparts to adopt a common stance over library book digitisation by Google or other private sector companies. more >
Saudi Filmmaker becomes Kingdom’s Cultural Ambassador
The Saudi filmmaker, director and producer of Rawad media, Mamdouh Saleh, has recently been made Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Ambassador by the British Council and the Ministry of Culture and Information. more >
Se lanzó el Sicsur en Ecuador
Se presentó en la ciudad ecuatoriana de Quito el sitio web Sicsur (www.sicsur.org) que contiene información cultural y documentos de diez países de América del Sur. more >
Sicsur launched in Ecuador
The Website Sicsur (www.sicsur.org) has been launched in Quito. It contains cultural information and documents of ten South American countries. more >
2012 Olympics will feature an artistic side
After receiving more than 2,000 entries in its open call for art works to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, the Arts Council has announced 12 lucky winners, who will have access to £5.4 million ($8.8 million) in funding for their projects. more >
A clash of cult and culture in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, a Protestant cabinet minister has made some waves with his announcement that his conscience will not allow him to attend ceremonies in a Catholic church. more >
Action to protect newly-recognised intangible culture
Vietnam has snapped into action to protect two of its indigenous art forms after they were recently recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. more >
Arts Council chief warns against cuts in arts funding
Alan Davey says government risks losing money as well as creativity if arts funding is cut. more >
Bahrain blocks access for popular TV receivers
The Ministry of Culture and Information has ordered all Bahrain ISPs to block access to Dreambox TV receivers that allow customers to view channels that "breach public morality" and encourages the illegal broadcasting of paid television channels. more >
Britain offers great art a true sanctuary
One of the world's greatest ballerinas says we should treasure our lack of political interference in the arts. more >
Campbell commits cultural genocide
"What the government is doing is cultural barbarism and vandalism of the highest order.” Scott Watson, curator of UBC’s Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, isn’t the only outraged member of the BC arts community. Social groups, students and the general public are speaking out against drastic arts funding cuts outlined by Premier Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberal Government. more >
China bans foreign ownership of online gaming operations
China has banned foreign investment in online games operating in the country. more >
Cultural leaders cautioned on politics
President Yoweri Museveni has said the involvement of cultural institutions in politics is detrimental to culture and can easily cause tension among different communities. He said they will soon hold a national conference on cultural institutions to determine how they would work in harmony with government. more >
Culture minister happy about 2009 edition of Coopearte
The Culture minister, Rosa Cruz e Silva, expressed last Friday in Luanda her satisfaction with the holding of the 6th edition of the exhibition of Celamar Gallery dubbed “Coopearte”, which gathered about 100 national and foreign artists. more >
Doha named 2021 Islamic culture capital
The sixth Islamic Conference of the Culture Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), meeting the Azerbaijani capital Baku, yesterday approved Doha as “Capital of Islamic Culture for 2021”. more >
DTT channels agree production investment
A professional agreement has been signed between the French Ministry of Culture and producers, TV authors and DTT channels Direct 8, Gulli, Virgin 17, W9 and NRJ12 to strengthen the channels’ investment in French production. more >
Extra arts funding 'a PR stunt' say Tories
Conservatives have refused to back a multi-million Government plan to save major arts projects, dismissing it as "a PR stunt". more >
Internet cut-off for French download pirates to start within months
France's Constitutional Council has finally given the green light to the government's plans to cut off internet access to repeat illegal download offenders, widely viewed by both supporters and opponents as the most draconian legislation yet devised in the battle against copyright piracy. more >
Laos, Thailand expect further co-op in cultural conservation
Laos and Thailand expected to boost further cooperation in cultural conservation for the sake of the national socio-economic development of the two countries, the Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported Monday. more >
Ministry awaits return of 290 stolen artefacts
The Ministry of Culture is endeavouring for return of over 290 stolen artefacts from Italy and UK that were recovered two years back. more >
NEA's Landesman plans visits to Memphis, Nashville as part of 'Art Works' tour
Memphis and Nashville will be on the travel itinterary of National Endowment for the Arts chair Rocco Landesman in November as part of his "Art Works" Tour announced Wednesday. more >
OIC announces Sharjah as Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014
Ministers of culture of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) have accepted nomination of Sharjah as capital of Islamic Culture for the year 2014 in recognition of remarkable contributions for preserving, promoting and disseminating culture at local, Arab and Islamic levels. more >
President Ben Ali ‘s electoral program stresses importance of culture
Among the items included in President Ben Ali’s electoral program, culture is one of its main components. more >
Questions on Diversity
Michael Kaiser: I have been spending a great deal of time thinking about the issue of diversity in the arts, specifically, the drive to diversify the programming and constituents of all arts organizations. more >
Reviving the NEA: A Chat with the New Chair
At Symphony Space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side Wednesday night, Rocco Landesman, two months in the job as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, was interviewed by Frank Rich of The New York Times. more >
Saudi female journalist gets 60 lashes for TV show
A Saudi court on Saturday convicted a female journalist for her involvement in a TV show, in which a Saudi man publicly talked about sex, and sentenced her to 60 lashes. more >
Space-directed show has a universal message
Guy Laliberté's Poetic Social Mission into space was transmitted live to the world last night, with help from an international star-studded cast preaching the value of one of our planet's most precious resources. The two-hour show, titled Moving Stars and Earth for Water, was broadcast on TV and the Internet via Laliberté's charity foundation, Onedrop.org. more >
Spielberg stumps for arts funding at Liberty Medal ceremony
As you may have known, Steven Spielberg is the 2009 Liberty Medal Recipient, and was awarded his medal by none other than President (and previous Liberty Medal recipient) Bill Clinton last Thursday. Spielberg used his acceptance speech as a kind of bully pulpit on behalf of arts funding more >
Support for new creative talent in Scotland as Starter for 6 gets £1m
A programme to support creative entrepreneurs north of the border has received £1m backing from Creative Scotland’s Innovation Fund.The extended Starter for 6 programme will be delivered by Scotland's Cultural Enterprise Office. more >
U.S./France investigation explores the future of publishing
The powerful economic and technological forces transforming modern publishing, and the comparative perspectives in France and the U.S., will be the focus of an investigative exchange between the two countries organized by the French-American Foundation in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture. more >
Vietnam to launch international film festival
The city of Hanoi is set to celebrate its 1000th anniversary with the opening of Vietnam’s first international film festival in 2010. more >
World's oldest submerged town dates back 5,000 years
Archaeologists surveying the world’s oldest submerged town have found ceramics dating back to the Final Neolithic. more >
Merkel's new cabinet
Thumbnail profiles of ministers in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's 16-member cabinet, expected to be sworn in on Wednesday. more >
Winner of the Cultural Policy Research Award 2009 announced
Davide Ponzini is the winner of the 6th Cultural Policy Research Award 2009 (CPRA). The prize, worth €10,000 for the best proposal in comparative cross-cultural research in Europe, is a joint initiative of the European Cultural Foundation along with the Swedish Riksbankens Jubileumsfond in partnership with ENCATC. more >
$1m Maori art trademark for chop
A trademark used by some of Maoridom's elite artists will be scrapped, a move criticised by some of those who set it up. more >
Boris Johnson could appoint cultural adviser as interim head of arts body
Munira Mirza, the mayor's cultural adviser, is in the running to become temporary chair of the Arts Council London until Johnson can appoint Veronica Wadley. more >
Going to the artists for a proper appreciation
Rocco Landesman, the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, announced Wednesday that he is taking a whistle-stop tour of the country to "spotlight all the ways that art works." more >
Ministry unveils $100,000 grants programme for cultural arts
The Cultural Legacy Fund was established to celebrate Bermuda's 400th birthday and showed a "tangible commitment to the development and promotion of culture in Bermuda." more >
NEA's Rocco Landesman: no more culture wars
The first eight weeks of Rocco Landesman's tenure as head of the National Endowment for the Arts have not been easy. more >
Sharjah makes capital out of its culture
The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) last week chose Sharjah as the Capital of Islamic Culture five years hence, a decision widely hailed as recognition of the emirate’s efforts in establishing itself as a cultural centre for the region. more >
Saraswathi pension scheme for artistes
A pension scheme for artistes who have dedicated their lives for the progress of the arts called ‘Saraswathi’ is to be introduced. more >
The art of good health
There has been a huge growth of interest in the Republic in the area loosely described as art in healthcare settings. more >
Gov't plans to provide NT$1b to promote creative industries
The Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA) plans to subsidize NT$1 billion in discounts on student tickets for performances by local arts and cultural groups to help foster cultural and creative industries. more >
Australia chosen to host 5th International World Summit on Arts and Culture in Melbourne
Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, has warmly welcomed the recent announcement that the Australia Council for the Arts will host the 5th International World Summit on Arts and Culture in Melbourne in October 2011. more >
Australia’s National Arts and Disability Strategy
Arts Minister Peter Garrett and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Bill Shorten, today commended the Cultural Ministers Council for endorsing the National Arts and Disability Strategy at their national meeting. more >
Cirque du Soleil founder leads out of this world broadcast for water
Canadian space tourist Guy Laliberte’s “Poetic Social Mission” into space was transmitted live to the world Friday night, with help from an international, star-studded cast preaching the value of one of our planet’s most precious resources — water. more >
Culture Minister to participate in OIC annual meeting in Azerbaijan
Minister of Culture Mohammad al-Maflahi headed for Azerbaijan on Monday to participate in the annual meeting of the Culture Ministers of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to be held in the capital of Baku during 13 – 15 October. more >
SoundOut a strategic conversation
Community funder ASB Community Trust is turning technology to its advantage and getting first-hand feedback from those in the know on how to maximise the impact of arts grants. more >
UK artist shrugs off critics of Trafalgar piece
The sometimes scathing reviews of British artist Antony Gormley's public art installation in London's Trafalgar Square are just proof, he says, that it's been as challenging for audiences as he hoped it would be. more >
Young filmmakers: Turkey does not have a policy on cinema
The Turkish cinema industry has recently experienced one of its richest periods in terms of movie production in various genres, and the number of moviegoers in Turkey is on the rise. more >
Arts budget boost welcomed
The Arts Council of Wales has welcomed an extra £2.2m allocated to the Assembly Government's heritage budget. more >
Consultative Council of Cultural Strategy for Muslim World meets in Baku
The ninth meeting of the Consultative Council in Charge of Implementing the Cultural Strategy for the Muslim World will be held on 9 and 10 October 2009 in Baku, Azerbaijan on the occasion of the nomination of Baku as the Asian region's capital of Islamic culture for 2009. more >
Indigenous market enters era of the code
With the release of the finalised Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct, encrusted with high principles and complex reporting provisions, Peter Garrett's grand architecture for the Aboriginal art market is at last visible in its entirety. more >
"Culture is this continent's driving force"
"Culture is this continent's driving force" - The closing words of the European Culture Forum went to Wim Wenders, in a speech delivered by Marion Döring, Director of the European Film Academy. Mr Wender's speech was a passionate call to revolutionise communication on Europe by focusing on its cultural wealth. more >
Appointment of Tavakkoli as deputy culture minister denied
Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance denied the appointment of actor of minor movies and TV series Hushang Tavakkoli as the Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs. more >
France to return antiquities to Egypt, ending row with Louvre
The French Ministry of Culture said Friday that five ancient wall fragments would be returned to Egypt to end a row that had suspended the country's ties with the Louvre Museum. more >
Minister stands down for family
East of England Minister Barbara Follett will stand down at the general election for family reasons. The MP hit the headlines earlier this year when it was revealed she claimed more than £25,000 expenses for security measures and £500 to repair a rug. more >
Ministry of Culture approves strategic plan
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development has approved its strategic plan for the year 2010 after a long meeting which was attended by the H.E. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, executive directors and heads of department. more >
Ministry of Culture endorses Customer Service Charter
Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development HE Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, signed Saturday the Customer Service Charter. more >
Narratives of community and hope: museums and ethnicity
MuseumsEtc is calling for essay submissions for an edited book that will examine museum approaches to the representation of ethnic minorities. We are interested in essays that discuss the forms of cultural participation in the museum as a narrative and interpretative space. more >
Second Arterial Network Biannual Conference takes place
After its launch on Gorée Island in Senegal in March 2007, the Arterial Network hosted its second Biannual Conference at the Goethe Institute in Johannesburg from 19-21 September 2009. 114 delegates from 28 African countries as well as a further 17 participants from mainly European countries attended the two-day event, more than double the number of delegates and countries that attended the founding conference. more >
The creative industries and cultural arts in China
A thriving creative industry market is emerging, which shows that the cultural arts in China are booming. more >
'Devastating' cuts to B.C. literary groups
British Columbia's publishing industry is reeling after what are being described as “massive” cuts to the province's literary organizations. more >
Antiquities Council cuts ties with Louvre
Egypt this week severed cultural and artistic ties with the Louvre museum in Paris until the French government returns artifacts taken decades ago from a tomb in Luxor. more >
Arts funding down, but sales tax plan eliminated in Pennsylvania budget proposal
Arts funding is down, but arts groups will celebrate what is not in the state budget. A proposal to begin imposing the state sales tax on ticket sales for an array of live performances was dropped. more >
Boris Johnson ‘broke rules’ by proposing ally for top London arts job
Boris Johnson has been accused of breaching rules on public appointments after trying to appoint a key ally to a top London arts job, The Times has learnt. The Mayor of London tried to install Veronica Wadley, former editor of the Evening Standard, which championed his campaign for the mayoralty, to run the Arts Council in London. more >
Cultural co-operation forum held
Participating countries in the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum have pledged to dedicate their efforts to providing an environment conducive to the development of cultural and creative enterprises and industries, Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing says. more >
Ins and outs
Barbara Follett, a junior minister for culture and the East of England, has announced her intention to stand down at the general election to spend more time with her family. more >
Is France doing enough to save its historic buildings?
The Emir plans a multimillion-dollar renovation on the 17th century Hotel Lambert which has been approved by French Culture Minister Christine Albanel, despite opposition from historical preservationists, who say the $60 million renovations would be "disastrous." more >
Launch of Fitzcarraldo Foundation newsletter
Fitzcarraldo is the leading Italian center on cultural, arts and media management and policies, based in Turin and active worldwide for the past 20 years. On the 1st October 2009 the Foundation launched the first edition of its newsletter. more >
Merkel praises Mueller for Nobel Literature win
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other German officials praised author Herta Mueller, 56, for winning the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday, highlighting her efforts to ensure that the cruelties of communist dictatorship were never forgotten. more >
Scottish Gaelic, as spoken in Brussels
Scotland’s 60,000 Gaelic speakers will be able to use their mother tongue if they want to communicate with European Union officials in Brussels and Luxembourg, and ministers can speak the language in meetings with their continental colleagues. more >
Stolen artefacts return to Kabul
It was a moment that went a long way to putting Afghanistan and its cultural heritage back on the map. In a small space in a once bombed-out building on the southern edge of Kabul, Afghan dignitaries and western diplomats squeezed past each other to see into the display cases: bronze age digging implements, pieces of carved marble and elaborate metal goods spanning Afghanistan's rich history. more >
The 6th International Conference on Cultural Policy Research - Call for papers now open!
Call for papers now open! All those interested in presenting papers at ICCPR 2010 are requested to submit a proposal (in English) of their paper by December 14, 2009. more >
What would the Conservatives do for the arts?
Jeremy Hunt and Ed Vaizey have been charming the cultural world for three years – but would a Tory government really dare to subsidise the arts? more >
Arts minister disputes Irish opera merger plan
An Irish Arts Council plan to merge the republic’s three existing opera companies into a single national company based in Wexford has run into trouble, with arts minister Martin Cullen, himself an opera fan, publicly disagreeing with it. more >
Lahore Arts Council to host international moot
The Lahore Arts Council (LAC) will host an International Literary and Cultural Conference in the second week of November. more >
Louisiana to host World Cultural Economic Forum
The upcoming Louisiana Cultural Economy Summit will include 75 countries and 12 ambassadors. more >
Distinctive voices of local identity
Last week, federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett announced that Australia had at long last ratified the UN Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. more >
OIC and European ministers responsible for culture to continue intercultural dialogue in Baku
Culture Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference OIC, as well as several European countries will meet in Baku to continue discussions on intercultural dialogue launched in Dec. 2-3, 2008. more >
Arts Council chief in plea over long-term funding
The arts are in grave danger of being left behind as the economy begins to recover from the recession, the chief executive of Arts Council England has claimed. more >
Cayman represented at World Summit
Mr Bould considered the Johannesburg Summit provided an invaluable networking exchange between the world’s leaders in cultural policy making and management, which took place at the same time as the Arts Alive festival and South African Heritage Day. more >
October is National Arts and Humanities Month
Be one of the thousands of communities and millions of people throughout the United States who celebrate every year. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >