Since taking office last year, the country's culture minister has had people (including top executives) dismissed from the Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi, the National Film Centre, and a TV channel; last week, 40 staffers were sacked from the National Museum. - ArtReview
‘In answer to the question, “Who do you make work for?” people will say, “I make work for everyone – for anyone.” But when you say, “Well, what are you doing to ensure that outcome?” the answers start to narrow considerably. - ArtsHub
Half of all public and private grants now pay administrators’ salaries – only a quarter fund arts production. Even if many are wonderful, managers are collectively the greatest obstacle to balancing budgets. - The Stage
The licensing company that controls the name and image of “The King” is ordering Sin City chapel operators to stop using Elvis in themed ceremonies, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Monday. - Seattle Times
"Amid financial troubles and changing times, the venue's new corporate owner is ditching most of the Lido's staff and its high-kicking, high-glamour dance shows — which date back decades and inspired copycats from Las Vegas to Beirut — in favor of more modest musical revues." - AP
The more crowded Times Square becomes with visitors, the more off-putting it is for the white-collar office workers who now have the choice to work from home. - The New York Times
"Every year, the NEA parcels out federal funding to state-level arts agencies ... to distribute as individual grants. The states have to match this money. For the latest round of these grants, the Arts Board is waiting for the state to put up its share of the match." - Tone (Madison, WI)
London absolutely sucks for wheelchairs and the people using them. "Somewhere, the ghost of Virginia Woolf was smiling knowingly, or maybe rolling her eyes. Anonymous was a woman, indeed. I couldn’t get the wheelchair down the corridor, so I hopped out and walked." - LitHub
Yeah, this is not great for domestic violence survivors. "We're seeing this proliferation of misinformation about a domestic violence trial. We're seeing people see entertainment in it." - CBC
"Cannes has strict rules around formal wear on the red carpet — black tie for men, evening gowns for women — but there are accommodations for traditional formal wear, such as Scottish kilts or Indian saris." Apparently, moccasins do not qualify. - CBC
The emphasis: that material cultural and live performance follow the virtual. It’s an odd hierarchy to be asserting to an arts gathering emerging from a pandemic where everything went virtual – only to reveal how much the physical and the actual matter. - The Globe & Mail (Canada)
Pre-COVID, Boston’s arts organizations had a pragmatic approach—they prioritized ticket sales over experimentation. As a result, Boston’s arts sector produces fewer new works than its peer cities. Without new sources of funding, this innovation disparity will likely increase. - Commonwealth
How low has Putin driven Russian culture? Here are two indications. Thousands of scientists and other intellectuals along with hundreds of ballet dancers and other artists are leaving or trying to leave Russia, ashamed of Putin’s wars and immobilized by his repression. - Hedgehog Review
"It must be close to the Capitol, close enough to implicate and shame those inside it on a daily basis. ... After every mass shooting, turn on the lights and the microphones, and let no political leader who makes the symbolic pilgrimage escape speaking actual truth on the site." - MSN (The Washington Post)
As American arts workers watch and weep with envy, "Germany's new culture minister, Claudia Roth, has announced a 2022 budget of €2.3 billion ($2.4 billion). The figure is an increase of €148 million ($156 million), or 7 percent, over last year's budget." - Artnet
