When Esplanade Theatres on the Bay opened in 2002, we were very clear that as Singapores national performing arts centre, we would be more than just an arts venue. We wanted to help make the arts an important part of peoples lives. To do that, our programmes needed to connect with the countrys diverse audiences, we needed to make the arts accessible for everyone to enjoy, and we also had to nurture audiences of all ages and backgrounds to engage with the diversity of arts and culture.
After graduating from university, highly educated people frequently start working as interns and then find themselves in an endless loop of internships. This situation is even worse considering that only few of them get paid. In addition to that, internships only seldomly come with job description and performance feedback is rarely given.
A healthy culture aligned with ethical values is what distinguishes the great arts institutions. But what does the sustainability of an arts organization depend on? In which way are different stakeholders affected and what does the leaders role look like?
Arts organisations and museums in UK will have been scrambling to get their grant applications into the Arts Council today. And they should be worried. The news in all of the culture pages in newspapers is bleak. Stories abound about local authority cuts and Arts Council cuts, and rightly so, because without investment the arts and cultural industries are at risk.
We hear economists and elected officials touting that the recession has ended and yet we all know far too many people still out of work, and for those of us in the arts, we know of too many organizations that have filed for bankruptcy or have never recovered from the recession. Its important to carefully read through the hype and honestly determine the status of the arts, and when we do, what we see is a landscape that is less rosy than the one painted by economists.
IFACCA launched a Good Practice Guide on Arts Advocacy: Advocacy arguments and an overview of national arts advocacy campaign case studies and good practice.
As the knowledge-based economy increasingly takes over our lives it is appropriate to pause and reflect on how we earn and how we pay? What most people do not realize is that the answer to both questions varies dramatically between the two great legal traditions of the West - Common Law & Equity in the Anglosphere and the European Civil Code tradition in the rest of the world.
The manual provides guidance for States Parties and all those involved in the care of World Heritage cultural properties on how to comply with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention.
Since the World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972, the World Heritage List has continually evolved and is growing steadily. With this growth, a critical need has emerged for guidance for States Parties on the implementation of the Convention. Various expert meetings and results of the periodic reporting process have identified the need for more focused training and capacity development in specific areas where States Parties and World Heritage site managers require greater support. The development of this series of World Heritage Resource Manuals is a response to this need.
The 17th edition of the Journées de la culture will be held on September 27, 28 and 29, with the theme: Participating is protecting culture. For three days, the general public is invited to immerse itself in the arts, to celebrate creativity and to help protect and promote culture by participating in the thousands of free activities taking place throughout Quebec.
The numerous workshops, guided tours, talks, performances and demonstrations will draw participants into the cultural heart of their community. This profusion of activities is put on by cultural organizations, artists, schools, municipalities and businesses, which are all gearing up to offer their fellow citizens a unique and inspiring experience in the various artistic disciplines.
A Closer Look at Museum Studies Programs
While an increasing number of post-secondary institutions have begun to offer museum studies programs, many current graduates, however, are faced with dwindling job prospects due to a shortage of opportunities in the profession. Nancy Villa Bryk, an Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation at Eastern Michigan University, suggests that program administrators should consider implementing a system akin to that of American Bar Association, which requires accredited law schools to follow post-graduate placement, and make the information available to prospective students. Addressing these caveats publicly, she says, may enable prospective students to make more informed university choices.
We were saddened to hear of the death of Professor Colin Mercer on 4 July 2013. He was the United Kingdoms first Professor of Cultural Policy and Director of the Cultural Policy and Planning Research Unit at The Nottingham Trent University from 1999-2003.
From 'Culture 2007-2013' to 'Creative Europe': new sectors, new focus, new mechanisms
With the last calls for Culture 2007-2013 closed, cultural and creative industry organisations are eagerly awaiting the launch the new framework programme for culture: 'Creative Europe'. This article gives an overview of this new programme, describes its funding priorities, and gives some pointers for organisations that already want to prepare for the next call.
The overall topic of this issue, Music A Public Affair?! allowed the EMC to include a wide range of approaches. This resulted in a broad spectrum of topics covered in the articles from the EMC's member organisations which reflect the diversity of the areas of activity they are engaged in. An introductory note by Doris Pack (Chair of the Culture Committee of the EU Parliament) as well as an interview with representatives of the EU Commission give a political viewpoint on the topic Music A Public Affair?!.
Are you an employer looking for skilled and creative workers? Are you a talented artist or cultural worker looking for a job? CultureWorks is a new job board for the cultural sector administered by The Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC). CHRCs mandate is to strengthen Canadas cultural workforce through leadership, support, representation and involvement. CultureWorks represents our commitment to those of you working in Canadas cultural community.
Among those responsible for bringing these new awards, "The Operas", to life were John Allison, editor of the renowned "Opera" magazine and British businessman Harry Hyman, Managing Director of the worldwide Nexus Group. Hyman is also a knowledgeable and passionate opera fan: "Opera hides its light all too often under a bushel, so we hope our awards will help bring the genre to a wider audience." Hyman also works hard helping to support young talented artitsts and encouraging people and companies to sponsor the arts in general. In November John Allison announced in Opera Magazine that he would welcome nominations for the awards. They received more than 1.500 replies from music specialists and opera lovers from 41 countries. Short lists were drawn up in 23 categories by a jury chaired by John Allison. Members of the jury included journalists Hugh Canning, Rupert Christiansen and Andrew Clements, soprano (and Bayreuth Brünnhilde) Dame Anne Evans, intendants Peter Alward (Salzburg Easter Festival), David Gockley (San Francisco Opera), Joan Matabosch (the Liceu in Barcelona) and Guus Mostart (Reisopera Enschede) and the Director of Opera Europa, Nicholas Payne. They were joined in the final round by Kathryn Harries, Director of the National Opera Studio in London, and the writer Barry Millington.
Creative Communities: Art Works in Economic Development is a new publication based on a series of papers commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts to stimulate more rigorous research on the arts and economic development.
The publication stems from a first-ever collaboration between the NEA and the Brookings Institution. The two organizations co-hosted the May 2012 symposium titled "The Arts, New Growth Theory, and Economic Development, where leading economists explored theories and empirical findings about the role of arts and culture in the U.S. economy. Archived video of the symposium is available at the Brookings website.
Kim Inseon has been working for more than 15 years now in the Korean Art Scene and is specialized in Visual Arts. Inseon Kim worked for LOOP, an alternative art space after studying art history in New York. She got her experience from working in many galleries and curating the Busan Biennale, previously called PICAF Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival. Here Inseon Kim intended to present contemporary art in a more accessible way to the general public. Before opening her own alternative space and working as an art consultant for collectors, private companies and the Korean government, Inseon Kim worked in the Daelim Contemporary Art Museum, which is to promote excellence and achievement in the artistic community of the Seoul City area.
Sydney Theatre Companys Greening the Wharf Project is a showcase project with regard to environmental measures in a theatre.
When taking over as artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), a not-for-profit organisation, in 2008, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton committed to plan and put into practice large-scale environmental measures for the theatre. Thus, the sustainability approach of the STC, that had comprised social and economic measures, was to be completed.
Music China, Asia Pacifics leading music event, ended on a positive note with the recording breaking number of participants reaffirming the fairs position as the professional choice for reaching the burgeoning Asian market. The show was held from 11 14 October at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai China. Filling 86,500 sqm of exhibition space were 1,606 suppliers of musical instruments and related products from 30 countries and regions, including 11 pavilions representing Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Commenting on the largest ever visitor numbers, Mr Evan Sha, General Manager, Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd said: "This year we attracted 60,172 visitors from around the world who can depend on Music Chinas offerings of high quality products and unique networking opportunities to further their business objectives. They also had the chance to learn more about the industry through our comprehensive fringe programmes, as well as being entertained by live demonstrations and indoor and outdoor concerts."
The fifth Atelier for Young Festival Managers (Ljubljana, Slovenia, 14-21 October 2012), initiated by the European Festivals Association (EFA) and hosted by the Ljubljana Festival, brought together 32 participants from 21 countries and seven renowned festival managers from all over the world. The Atelier LJUBLJANA 2012 was kicked off with an inspiring keynote speech by Australian festival director Robyn Archer and a greeting by Zoran Jankovi, Mayor of the City of Ljubljana; it was concluded with an exclusive lecture by festival icon Gerard Mortier and a welcome address by Dr. Danilo Trk, President of the Republic of Slovenia. Throughout the 7-day training programme, a diversity of working formats allowed for thought-provoking exchanges and establishing sustainable ties for the future.