International News in January 2010
Show all of 2010
Mobile apps and the arts: where we are and where we’re going
2009 saw many new technologies first start up (like Google Wave), slowly emerge (mobile apps), or explode with popularity (Twitter). more >
In Europe, the arts ask for Alms
Last week the shadow culture secretary for Britain’s Conservative Party, Jeremy Hunt, promised to introduce “a U.S.-style culture of philanthropy” if the Tories come to power in the coming election. Speaking before the State of the Arts conference in London, Mr. Hunt foresaw a “golden age” of tax breaks to encourage private donations and help cut back on government spending. more >
Solutions for the mobility of visual artists in Europe
The Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildenden Künste (IGBK) organised a meeting of European experts on ‘Mobility in the Visual Arts Sector in Europe’ in Linz, Austria in December 2009. Judith Staines gives her appraisal of the meeting. more >
Blog: Expressive Life
Do we need a new framework for culture? more >
2010, Año internacional de Acercamiento de las Culturas
En 2010 se celebrará el Año Internacional de Acercamiento de las Culturas (ver Resoluciones). El objetivo de este Año consiste en poner el sello de la aproximación entra las culturas en cada política, a nivel local, nacional, regional u internacional, involucrando al mayor número de participantes. more >
2010, International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures
The year 2010 will be celebrated as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures. more >
A Sense of the Possible: Art in America
Senior Programmer John Nein opened the Art in America panel on Thursday by pointing out that the panelists – two artists and two people involved in creating arts policy in Washington, D.C. – would be talking about something ineffable: “a sense of what is possible.” more >
Agency for Cultural Affairs secures record funds for 2010, despite stricter budget-making process
At the end of last year it was announced that the Agency for Cultural Affairs would be allocated 102 billion yen (AUD$ 1.2 billion) for fiscal 2010 – the highest annual budget it has ever received. more >
Arts and Education, Culture and Citizenship Seminar: Education for Life
OEI’s Office in Chile, in collaboration with Universidad de los Lagos, is organizing ‘Arts and Education, Culture and Citizenship: Education for Life’. more >
La UNESCO hace un llamamiento para proteger del pillaje el arte de Haití
La subdirectora general de Cultura de la UNESCO, Françoise Riviere, ha hecho hoy un llamamiento internacional para proteger del "pillaje" el patrimonio cultural de Haití tras el terremoto que ha asolado el país y ha propuesto un embargo que impida temporalmente la compraventa de sus obras de arte. more >
Seminario de Educación Artística, Cultura y Ciudadanía: Formación para la Vida
La oficina de Chile de la OEI en conjunto con la Universidad de Los Lagos están organizando el Seminario de Educación Artística, Cultura y Ciudadanía: Formación para la Vida. more >
UNESCO has issued an appeal to protect Haitian arts from pillage
UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, Françoise Riviere, today issued an international appeal to protect Haiti’s cultural heritage from pillage following the earthquake that devastated the country. more >
@MIDEM: French Minister confirms collective licensing plan
French minister of culture Frédéric Mitterrand unveiled a set of measures aimed at helping the music industry, during a press conference at the MIDEM trade fair and conference in Cannes. more >
Ángeles González-Sinde presents the European Forum for Cultural Industries of Barcelona
The Spanish Minister for Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde, has just presented the work programme that will be tackled at the next European Forum for Cultural Industries, to be held on 29 and 30 March in Barcelona. more >
Art falls victim to football hooliganism
Egyptians cancel Algerian pavilion at Alexandria Biennale following violent protests. Culture—like football—has always been politicised in the turbulent world of Arab nationalism. more >
Art museums face funds shortage
As prices of art works, both traditional and contemporary, continue to rise, Chinese art museums are facing a tough situation in terms of collecting new works, their limited funding allowances placing the institutions under increasing financial pressure. more >
Arts Council CIO Owen Powell manages a change in scene and service
CIOs in all government sectors will be looking to make major savings and restructure their organisations to meet increasing demands this year but Owen Powell, IT director at the Arts Council, is already well down the road of transformation. An interview with Powell on the role of IT and the CIO in art. more >
Azerbaijan has registered over 3,500 monument books
The Ministry of Culture & Tourism of Azerbaijan has started revealing existing copies of unique and rare books and editions of special importance and chronicles. The Ministry reports that the state register has added 3,566 names of book memorials of different form. more >
Cultural diplomacy activities reviewed
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) held a meeting in Hanoi on January 22 to review the past year of cultural diplomacy and devise tasks for 2010. more >
Games' cultural legacy will disappear if arts funding cuts continue
It's good news Bramwell Tovey will stay another five years conducting the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Similarly positive is the success of the Cultural Olympiad, the dozens of cultural events surrounding the 2010 Olympics. It's all planting the seeds for a cultural legacy. But will it all evaporate after the Games leave town? more >
'Reading crisis' alarms Moroccan writers
Ministry of Culture data show that Moroccans read only 2.5 books per year, while 1 in 10 don't read books at all. Worried by what they characterise as a national "reading crisis", Moroccan writers recently gathered to discuss restoring readers' love of books. more >
ARS BALTICA Secretariat has moved to Germany
ARS BALTICA Secretariat has moved to the State Cultural Centre of Salzau, located in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein/ Germany. For more information about the transfer of the Secretariat, please visit www.ars-baltica.net
more >
Brazil’s 3.0 to go live at Campus Party
In 2004, the Creative Commons project in Brazil was launched. The then-Minister of Culture and Grammy Award-winning musician, Gilberto Gil applauded the efforts of these “freedom fighters of cyberspace” and endorsed the project as a way to solve copyright issues. Today, six years later, CC Brazil is unveiling Version 3.0 of the Creative Commons licenses. more >
Capital of Culture program gets big cuts
While Tallinn city hall and the national government quibble about how much should be paid, roughly half the events for the Capital of Culture 2011 could be canceled due to a lack of funding. more >
Creative Edge Int. celebrates partnership with Saudi TV
Creative Edge Int. presented an overview of the latest developments made to the Saudi state run TV channels (STVs). The event follows an agreement between the Saudi Minister of Culture and Information and Creative Edge Int. in which Creative Edge Int. was declared the sole representative and developer of STVs. more >
Direct Arts Instruction vs. Arts Integration: a chance for reconciliation
In the recent issue of Teaching Artist Journal, Arnold Aprill, Founding and Creative Director of Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, addresses the relationship between direct instruction in the arts and arts integrated learning, in his article “Direct Instruction vs. Art Integration: A False Dichotomy.” more >
Four Mekong nations reaffirm cultural connection
Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar and Vietnam have resolved to strengthen cultural connectivity between their countries, building on historic friendships and shared heritages to exchange knowledge and boost development. more >
Guidelines prompt artists to take cover
Some are feeling the pressure to avoid contentious subjects, writes Joyce Morgan. After her exhibition was closed and her house raided by police, the Archibald Prize-winning artist Cherry Hood made a pivotal decision. She would no longer depict nude children but would concentrate on portraits instead. more >
Making culture pay
As far as Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Chih-jen Sheng is concerned, the recently passed Cultural Creativity Act represents a fresh start for Taiwan’s arts sector and signals the government’s commitment to promoting viable homegrown creative industries on the domestic and international stage. more >
Ministry not ready to rate online games
The ministry's official publication, China Culture Daily, responded to previous media reports that an age-appropriate ratings system would soon be implemented, indicating whether the games were appropriate for children and young teenagers. more >
New NEA grants to support arts-related urban design projects
Chairman Rocco Landesman has announced that the National Endowment for the Arts will introduce 15 new grants to aid cities in the planning of arts districts and projects that enhance public buildings, libraries, and pedestrian bridges — among other public spaces.
more >
Norms relaxed for work near monuments
The Ministry of Culture has come to the rescue of ongoing infrastructure projects in the Capital. more >
Northern Ireland arts funding faces £1m budget cut
More than £1m is being sliced from the budget of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which helps fund a range of artists and arts organisations. The £1.1m cut follows budget reductions across the NI government departments, including £25.9m from the Department of Culture, which funds the council. more >
Northern Ireland to launch new national opera company
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has announced it is to create and fund a new opera company for the region following months of speculation about its intention to amalgamate two exiting companies. more >
Report: state arts funding creates revenue
A new study shows arts organizations generate almost $400 million for the state's economy. But that isn't sparing them from state budget cuts. more >
Scottish arts failed by trouble at the top
Devolution should have been a bright new dawn for the arts in Scotland, allowing local control over cultural policy for the first time, but progress has been slow and at times painful. more >
Sharjah Ruler attends opening ceremony for celebrating Doha as Capital of Arab Culture
H. H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, attended today a ceremony for launching Doha as the 2010 Arab Capital of Culture under the theme ''Arab Culture as a Homeland and Doha as a Capital''. Jerusalem was the 2009 Capital of Arab Culture. more >
Youngsters 'should get country dancing mentors'
Young people should get country dancing mentors to help safeguard Scottish traditions, it has been urged. more >
‘Arab Culture Capital’ celebrations begin today
The curtain goes up this evening on the biggest cultural event in Qatar’s history, when the celebration of “Doha Capital of Arab Culture 2010” gets underway at Sheraton Doha’s Dafna hall. more >
At Sacramento retreat, wondering how to make the arts matter
A ray of hope: With the rise of interactive online experiences, people are become more interested in participating in the arts instead of merely watching them, and new means of connecting with the world of culture offer novel, fresh experiences that undermine the more traditional allure of going to a public arts event. The demand for arts education is up, too. more >
Don't give up the day job - how artists make a living
As they await their big break, today's young artists are having to make ends meet with day jobs. How are they coping? more >
ACE proposes grants for commercial theatre
Arts Council England has unveiled proposals for a new “politician-proof” ten-year plan that would see a radical shake-up of its funding system, including allowing grant applications from the commercial theatre sector for the first time in decades. more >
Call for papers: Culture and Sustainable Communities
In the face of growing environmental and economic urgencies, issues of sustainability and resiliency
are moving to the forefront of planning, policy, and programs in cities and communities of all sizes. Contributions across a broad range of theory and practice are welcome.
more >
Publishers plan group to fight Amazon
Twenty-one publishing houses in Japan will form an organization in February to stave off potential threats to their profits from Amazon.com Inc. and other service providers in the burgeoning e-book market. more >
Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes responde ante paro del Bafona
Subdirector nacional del CNCA manifestó la posición de la institución ante las demandas del ballet nacional. more >
Cultural priorities for 2010
Specialists point out the need to improve distribution and to provide institutional support. more >
Intellectual Property in Chile
Chile’s Congress approved the bill that regulates the digital era’s progress and Internet downloads. more >
Las prioridades culturales de 2010
Los especialistas señalan la necesidad de mejorar la distribución de la producción y brindar apoyo institucional. more >
Meeting of the Asia/Pacific Network of Arts Education Observatories
The Network, which is coordinated by the UNESCO Bangkok Office, was created in order to act as a clearinghouse for arts education, collecting, analysing, re-packaging and disseminating relevant resources. more >
National Culture and Arts Council faced Bafona’s strike
CNCA’s National Deputy Director stated the institution’s position towards the National Ballet’s demands. more >
Propiedad Intelectual en Chile
El Congreso de Chile aprobó el proyecto de ley que reglamenta los avances de la era digital y, de manera especial, las descargas en Internet. more >
UNESCO: Connecting culture and the people
Interview with Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO. Last September, after political infighting on a scale rarely seen at Unesco, Irina Bokova, 57, originally from Bulgaria, was elected as the first women to head the organisation. Last November she travelled to Egypt to rebuild connections with Farouk Hosni, her rival for the job. “The election is behind us, we have turned over a new leaf and I am very optimistic,” she told Le Monde. more >
$20-million, 190 performances, 8 weeks
But will eight weeks of extreme culture have any lasting impact? Does $20-million buy any sort of legacy? The unsurprising answer from the Olympiad's director Robert Kerr is “absolutely”. more >
Artists find an unlikely home
A seafood shopping arcade, once near deserted, has been reborn as an oasis for whimsical crafts
But this isn’t some guerrilla Bohemian operation - it’s a government program, made possible thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Small and Medium Business Administration, part of a national campaign to preserve and revitalize Korea’s traditional markets.
more >
Creation of national archive published
The government has published, in the state gazette, the creation of the National Archive of Angola, in order to adhere to the world tendencies of archiving policies and abide by the instructions of the International Council on Archives. more >
How new technologies secure a place for the arts
The fact is that the arts are doing better than ever, as new technologies secure them a place at the heart of everyday life. more >
A cultured do-it-now nudge
PM stresses prompt action in bid to preserve and promote the arts. A fortnight after Christmas, the Prime Minister played Santa Claus with a culture cap on his head, but also a do-it-now cane in hand. more >
Art shows no longer need license from Culture Ministry
Gallery owners no longer need to apply for an exhibiting license to hold shows in their galleries, said Ali Tan, director of the Galleries Office affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance here on Friday. more >
Arts are in the picture for private investors in Wales
Private sector investment in the arts in Wales saw an above-inflation rise – in contrast to most other parts of the UK, according to latest statistics. more >
Arts Council agrees legislative changes are needed to protect creativity
The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts agrees with the need of legislative changes to ensure that the classification of creative works reflected the public's maturity and current realities. more >
Arts funding cuts proposed by Conservatives
Shadow culture secretary says Tory government would introduce administrative cost limits and encourage US-style philanthropy more >
Arts funding deserves to be election issue
Arts institutions are rarely heard to make a fuss about funding, for fear of biting the government hand that feeds them. However, funding for South Australia's major art galleries, museums and other collecting institutions is now looming as an important election issue. more >
First Azerbaijani festival of national theaters to kick off
The Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism will hold the first National Festival of State Theaters, according to sources in the ministry. more >
Funding fears
Arts and Business, the organisation that fosters links between the cultural and commercial worlds, today offers more depressing statistics on private-sector investment in the arts, which it says fell by 7% to £654.9m for the financial year 2008-9. more >
Istanbul begins celebrations as European Capital of Culture 2010
Istanbul began celebrating its year as European Capital of Culture with spectacular light shows around the city. Ceremonies began with a protocol event at the Haliç Congress Centre, where Ministers from Turkey and neighboring countries participated, along with high level statesmen and diplomats, leading members of the business, culture and arts world. more >
Media city planned
Saudi Arabia will soon have its own integrated media city that will help boost media activities in the Kingdom, said Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja. more >
PM says culture must become people's movement
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today regretted that many of India's monuments, works of art and historical remains were lying in neglect despite the fact that the world associated the country with these cultural showpieces. more >
The Fine Art Of Diplomacy
The lack of Australian cultural diplomacy in China has ramifications which reach far beyond the cultural sector. more >
Tories and Labour both warn of tougher times ahead for arts funding
Both Labour and Conservative culture secretaries have failed to commit to maintaining current levels of arts funding, if they win the next general election. more >
U.K. Art Spending to Stay Depressed for Two Years, Charity Says
After U.K. elections that are set to take place by June, arts subsidies are bound to be cut, Tweedy said. Philanthropists “are going to be the ones increasing the funding in the next eight to 10 years, not the government,” he said. more >
Why is the Tate risking our cash?
Blog: I try to imagine the Tate's esteemed director Sir Nicholas Serota taking some of his gallery's cash reserves, £6m worth, and walking into Ladbrokes with them. Nope, it couldn't happen. Sir Nicholas is not only too brilliant a gallery director, but he is also too cautious, sensible and law-abiding a man to take the risk. And the only horses he's interested in are by Stubbs. more >
A new gallic idea: taxing Google
The French cultural elite has come up with a bunch of ideas to stimulate the legal consumption of digital goods. The basic principles are stunningly original: subsidize and tax. These creations are detailed in a report ordered by the Président de la République to the Ministry of Culture. more >
Logo for National Day 2010 unveiled
The logo for this year's national day celebration was unveiled by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports yesterday, during the 3rd Executive Committee meeting of the 26th National Day celebrations at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports building. more >
AUB alumni name Saudi minister personality of 2009
Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh al-Asseiri met here a delegation from the Alumni Association of the American University of Beirut, before they visited the kingdom to invite Minister of Culture and Information Abdul-Aziz Khoja to a ceremony in Lebanon honoring him as Personality of the Year 2009. more >
Q+A-What's driving China's latest Web crackdown
China's recent moves to tighten control of its online and mobile content industries have brought some uncertainty into the market but may not have a major immediate impact on the sector's biggest players. more >
Spain approves anti-piracy legislation
The Spanish government approved anti-piracy legislation Friday that will allow National Audience, the country's federal court, to close or block websites facilitating unauthorized movie and music downloads. more >
We need to act now to save theatre
Blog: British theatre has grown better and broader than ever this decade. But unless we improve models of arts funding, that progress will be swept away. more >
Will US museums succeed in reinventing themselves?
The recession is forcing North American institutions to reconsider every aspect of what they do. more >
Legislature passes law on culture and creativity
The Legislative Yuan passed the Cultural Creativity Act Jan. 8, requiring the government to promote the development of the arts through tax rebates, discounts and subsidies. more >
Spain unveils its EU presidency cultural programme
Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, the country's cultural minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde said she hopes the presidency will promote Spain's "valuable and diverse" cultural heritage. more >
Are arts facilities giving value for money?
It is likely the first in-depth study to be conducted on the dollars and cents of arts housing and facilities here. more >
IMPACT a great model for handling arts cash
Reports about possible financial irregularities within the Arts Council have led to the formation of a new, all-volunteer group, ACE — Arts, Culture and Entertainment — to handle distribution of funds to more than 30 groups. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >