ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

ISSUES

Juilliard Gets Big Gift To Span Arts Disciplines

Juilliard announced on Wednesday that it had received a $15 million gift to help expand creative work across music, dance and drama. An additional $5 million gift will go to the school’s jazz program to support scholarships, performances and teaching. - The New York Times

Is It Time To Change How Boards Work In Arts Organizations?

When the Orchestra needed to take decisive action amid a crisis, the CEO-Board relationship broke down very quickly and led to devastating outcomes for the company. - ArtsHub

Arts Workers In Slovakia Threaten National Strike

"The ultimatum follows the culture ministry’s firing the heads of the Slovak National Theater and Slovak National Gallery in August. … The movement, known as Culture Strike, is coordinated by Open Culture! Platform, an independent group formed in January to 'protect culture in Slovakia from the destructive actions of politicians.'" - ARTnews

After DeSantis Eliminated State Funding, Arts Organizations In Miami Face County Funding Cuts As Well

"The proposed budget cuts nearly $2.5 million from Miami-Dade County’s current $25.5 million budget for art grants. … As Miami bolsters its reputation as a global arts hub, local artists have felt the strain from a lack of affordable housing and affordable studio space." - Miami Herald (Yahoo!)

Italy’s Culture Minister Is Out After Giving His Ex-Mistress A Job

"Gennaro Sangiuliano, a 62-year-old former journalist, had faced a media storm since Maria Rosaria Boccia, a self-proclaimed fashion entrepreneur, said last month she had been nominated 'adviser to the minister for major events'." - Reuters

How To Keep A Community’s Soul While It’s Under Gentrification Pressure

In order to be successful, any urban regeneration has to tap into the local culture and heritage of a place. This means embracing what makes the area unique, whether it’s through traditional arts, music, local stories, or even something like baking bread. - The Conversation

What The Internet Archive Decision Means To All Of Us

The Internet Archive “is the only keeper of the internet’s first days, via the Wayback Machine. ... The archive is a huge source for Wikipedia citations, and makes a stand against publisher monopolies. Most of all? If it’s destroyed, millions and millions of cultural items could be lost to history.” - LitHub

Little Free Library Plans To Get Banned Books Into The Hands Of The People

Check the map. “Florida and Texas have the most bans in place, with 2647 and 1469 in place respectively. Thankfully the number of Little Free Libraries is higher in both states: Florida has 2886, and Texas has 2373.” - LitHub

The Future Of Video Games, Like That Of A Lot Of Media, Is Looking Bleak

With eight years in development, Concord, “was a brand-new franchise that didn’t get much of a marketing push and drew the ire of ‘anti-woke’ snivelers who complained about the game’s use of pronouns on its character selection screen.” Four weeks after launch, Sony killed it. - Wired

Last Week, NaNoWriMo Dove Off An AI-Created Cliff

Turns out that punting on the use of generative AI to “win” a contest of writing 50,000 words in a month, while having a sponsor that encourages the use of AI, while claiming those who question generative AI are “classist” and “ableist” isn’t going so well. - The New York Times

The City Of Birmingham Is Bankrupt. But It Has A Half-Billion-Pounds Collection Of Artworks…

Birmingham City Council owns an artwork collection valued at almost half a billion pounds, a BBC investigation has discovered. But none will be sold off to help tackle the financial challenges at the council which declared it was effectively bankrupt last year. - BBC

Hong Kong’s Highly-Touted, Popular Arts District Is Selling Off Land To Remain Solvent

The West Kowloon Cultural District received a set amount of funding to open, expecting to sustain itself long-term by developing commercial and residential real estate on its property. But construction delays, and a market downturn have kept that plan from working, leaving WKCD desperate for cash. - Bloomberg (The Business Times, Singapore)

Scottish Government Orders Reassessment Of Embattled Arts Funder

“We continue to see unprecedented levels of demand for the Open Fund for Individuals and will process the high volume of applications we have received. With the budget now confirmed, we will work to re-open this fund. - The Herald

Philly Fringe Begins 2024 Festival By Announcing Its New Director

Nell Bang-Jensen, artistic director of Theatre Horizon in (the Philadelphia suburb of) Norristown, will be (FringeArts') … new CEO, taking over from cofounder Nick Stuccio, who stepped down last year. She will begin her position after the current 2024 festival" — in which she's directing a major production — "wraps in October." - WHYY (Philadelphia)

Ron DeSantis’s Elimination Of Arts Funding Is Wrecking Arts Education In Florida

"Several of the more than 600 organizations that lost state funding (said) that their educational programming is the first thing they will have to cut if they cannot make up the money elsewhere." The problem is especially acute in rural areas where school districts have fewer resources. - The Washington Post (MSN)

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