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.
Do US-American Opera Houses operate more efficiently than German ones? Mounir Mahmalat, who studied at the Northeastern University in Boston, USA, as well as in Dusseldorf, Germany, investigated on the basis of twelve opera houses in both countries, if German institutions might take an example on US-American performing arts organizations who are said to operate in a more entrepreneurial manner. You can read this case study exclusively in our latest issue of the Arts Management Newsletter, the bi-mohthly magazine for the global perspective on arts and business.
Furthermore we can provide inside views with two totally different interviews. Our correspondent Kira Potowski met Koh Won-seok, an art curator in Seoul, who actually work for the new Arko Art Center in the capitol of South Korea. He takes our attention to a number of smaller Asian countries with art markets, which grow along the economic boom. Nikos Tsouchlos, the artistic adviser of the most important concert hall in Greece, underlines the current situation and role of the arts in a country, which suffer massively from the continuing economic and financial crunch. But Tsouchlos describes in the interview with Sven Scherz-Schade, how new practices can flourish and the roles of sociability and sharing are being re-examined.
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.
Jazz musicians are often regarded as chronic loners, as individualists who fully concentrate on their art and work in ever-changing formations. However, to make that possible they need a fully functional, and in the best case, an internationally organized artistic network. In our latest newsletter, we exclusively publish a case study by Prof. Martin Lücke from Munich, which offers insight into how a European-wide partnership can look in practice.
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.
We devote this newsletter the global perspective of cultural management with the conviction,
that the wish of the participants comes true for everybody‘s profit.
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.
Despite, or maybe because of global economic challenges, with greater implications in Europe and North America, the 2012 International Fundraising Congress held in the Netherlands this October was the most successful ever. First timers and old hands left the NH Leeuwenhorst Hotel with much to think about. With so many non-profits trying to do more and better with less money, many sessions were oversubscribed and the general feeling was overwhelmingly positive about the quality of the presentations.
This is the 111th edition of Arts Management Newsletter, published in October 2012.
The Museums Associations 2012 survey into cuts to museum services has laid bare the devastating impact that budget reductions are continuing to have across the UK. Out of 114 museum services and individual institutions that responded, 51% reported a cut to their budgets and almost a quarter have been forced to reduce public access by closing whole sites or parts of sites permanently or temporarily. 11% have closed whole sites permanently. 42% of respondents said there have been cuts to staff, with almost a fifth saying staffing levels were down 25% or more. Of the respondents that have experienced cuts in 2011 and 2012, over a third have seen a cumulative reduction of more than 35%.
Manuel Scheidegger and Janosch Asen are Berlin-based entrepreneurs who have developed a revolutionary technique that is changing the way people browse the web. Their recently developed tool allows people to creatively mix various web-sources into a single stream of animated content, which can then be shared with others to sit back and enjoy or actively browse. Viewers, for the first time, have the choice of leaning back and watching web-content mixed together like a movie, or they can dive inside and browse whatever catches their eye with a simple mouse-click. The two call this process "Creative Browsing". Their idea stems from a bold vision: a web rebuilt by people, where you dont surf with tabs or boring blue links, but through creative projects catered to your interests.
The aspect of innovation seems to be less common in the arts sector than
creativity. But without innovation an arts organization can dry out. It is necessary to look regularly for new strategies, products, and technologies.
From intimate children's theatre, to abstract dance performed against a bare mountain backdrop - by way of cutting-edge immersive theatre - Made in Scotland is a programme which finds the best Scottish theatre and dance, shows it off at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and then helps it to travel the world.
The Made in Scotland programme is a neat solution to twin problems at the Fringe. It allows international bookers to find quality touring material in the sprawling event, while it gives Scottish theatre and dance companies a place to be seen. Jointly, the Federation of Scottish Theatre, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Creative Scotland have successfully developed Made in Scotland as an annual project since 2009.
The City of Flows is connected to global networks. What does this mean for todays cities? How do global networks manifest themselves in everyday life? And how are limited analog spaces reflected in the potentially unlimited realm of the virtual?
All the worlds a crises? The real estate bubble, government depts, economic weakness and/or bank runs ... Many people are cheesed of those bad news. Is the art sector the last paradise? Yes and no. Yes, because the arts and creative sector is a value on its own, and a driving force for the growth of regions and countries. No, because many cultural institutions come under economic pressure so far.
In this scenario, isnt it time to give impulses for the future? We will do so with our special "Positive Impulses" this month. Even from Greece, where last month at the 3rd Kufstein Summer School young professionals worked on in- novation strategies in the arts. The aim was to reflect about the role of arts management within an economic crisis like now in, but not limited to Greece. We publish the summary paper exclusively in this newsletter issue.
The European Festivals Association (EFA) celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Jubilee Gala from 23-25 May 2012 in Bergen, Norway. Debate was shaped by 180 participants from 46 countries and regions in the world, by delegates from sister festival networks from Africa, Asia and the Arab region, by Alumni of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers, and by politicians of EU, national and local levels.
Topics such as innovation, business and audience participation in digital times are feeding into the Bergen Agenda which is to characterise EFAs work in the years to come. Furthermore, the Association released its Jubilee publication and first film entitled 60 Years On: Festivals and the World and admitted five new members. The gathering saw many festive highlights including an artistic closing moment with Carte Blanche.