To avoid costly shutdowns, they're shelling out for hospital-grade filtration systems, daily testing regimes for performers and crew, more staff to check vaccine cards and IDs, and COVID compliance officers to ensure quality control. But all that health and safety comes at a price these institutions can't afford. - The Stranger
As it announced that arts organizations beyond the capital would get £75 million in additional funding over the next three years, Arts Council England said that its budget for London-based groups and institutions is decreasing by £24 million annually. Some organizations will be encouraged to move to another city. - WhatsOnStage
The proposal to replace the Australia Council is evidence of why it is not– or at least, not yet – up to the task of leading the sector as a whole. - ArtsHub
It’s not about the art. It’s not about the money. It’s not about the donors. It’s not about the audience. It’s not about the artistic “vision.” It’s not about the board. It’s not about giving employment to local artists. It’s not about employing a staff. It’s not about the annual gala. It’s about measuring the impact on your community. ...
"An additional £75m will be put towards creative arts outside of the capital between now and 2025, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has announced." - Yorkshire Post
Managers and staff who are leading DEI initiatives at their stations describe unanticipated delays in implementing action plans, misunderstandings over the roles of staff committees, and concerns about the intensity of the work yet to be done. - Current
The irony is almost too neat: a college student plans a program of songs from musicals that have faced censorship – and with less than two days’ notice, her university informs her she has to take it off-campus. - Arts Integrity Initiative
Says expert Dr. Ebony Thomas, "People are used to seeing fantasies and fairytales as all-white, particularly in faux-medieval or magical-medieval settings. ... We’re taking them out of the dream space. We’re taking them out of how they imagined it could be." - The Guardian (UK)
"Maus galvanized a generation of comics creators to fill bookshelves with graphic narratives about the Holocaust and its inheritance and inspired a community of thinkers to engage analytically with these stories." Now they're also worried and angry. - LitHub
It’s not as if more money isn’t a goal for these organizations; more often than not, they say, it’s a question of resources and visibility. Seventy-three percent of reportees said that they lacked the staff to apply for grants and cultivate individual donor relationships. - Artnet
"Scolds from the Anti-Defamation League … will never end an ancient prejudice, but they could ruin a good time. … That has made me look closer at the disturbing rise in antisemitism today, Jewish culture and identity, and the implications of what we find funny." - The New York Times
"Venue staff are increasingly on their own, leaving ushers, house managers, security staff and box office managers in the crosshairs of different audience members' diametrically opposed preferences as they deal with the fallout of unclear and inconsistent COVID guidance from government officials." - San Francisco Chronicle
Open Arts was initially founded as a residency program at Facebook. Artists were commissioned to create work along with employees on site at the company’s headquarters, giving Facebook workers insight into the artistic process. - Artnet
