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National Museum of African American History and Culture groundbreaking The Washington Post, 22 February 2013
WASHINGTON, DC - "President Obama called the National Museum of African American History and Culture a “celebration of life” on Wednesday morning at the groundbreaking for the 19th Smithsonian museum. The museum will “stand in proof that the most important things in life rarely come quickly or easily,” Obama said. “Though we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing.” " [see also Inside the Groundbreaking of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, YouTube.com, 22 February 2012]
Winners Announced in Mumbai Urban Design Competition The BMW Guggenheim Lab hosted a competition to redesign one of the city's most viscid intersections. Green Source, 19 January 2013
MUMBAI, INDIA - "The traffic in Mumbai is immensely congested and chaotic," says the Guggenheim Museum’s David van der Leer. "Many people commute for four hours every day, and I have had my fair share of endless travel times." The curator heads up the museum’s BMW Guggenheim Lab, a traveling pop-up event and exhibition space that has been docked in the city of 18 million people for the last six weeks.Van der Leer and the lab’s other organizers singled out one traffic interchange as particularly gnarly and, with the Mumbai Environmental Social Network, launched a design competition to address the Kala Nagar Traffic Junction last fall. Today, they announced the winners. "
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Cultural News, a monthly global round-up of what’s happening in culture, is a free service of Lord Cultural Resources. Excerpts are directly quoted from the articles – please click on the links to read the full articles on the original news sites. To receive it in your inbox rain or shine, please press the subscribe button above - it will take less than 30 seconds to become a subscriber. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest digest of cultural news.
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Our Clients and Lord Cultural Resources in the News
Centre Pompidou to Show Works From Its Collection at a Saudi Oil Company’s HQ Blouin ArtInfo, 25 February 2013
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA - "The Pompidou Center will show about twenty works from its collection in Saudi Arabia next fall in connection with an agreement to provide its expertise to the future King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture. The show will take place at the headquarters of the national oil giant Saudi Aramco in the eastern city of Dhahran. “To my knowledge, it’s the first time that a large cultural institution has realized an operation in Saudi Arabia, a country with thirty million inhabitants where museum offerings are still very underdeveloped,” Pompidou president Alain Seban told AFP." [see also Le Centre Pompidou va exposer sous tente en Arabie saoudite, La Croix, 25 Février 2013]
'Canada's largest natural science museum complex' welcomes hundreds of thousands The Windsor Star, 25 February 2013
MONTREAL, QC - "While the sound of cheering baseball fans has been long gone from Montreal's Olympic Stadium, there is still plenty of buzz around the massive park that surrounds the facility and its landmark tower. The excitement that followed the crack of baseball bats has been replaced by the oohs and aahs of visitors to a grouping of installations that make up what's called "Space For Life." It's described as "the largest natural science museum complex in Canada" and its various institutions welcomed 1.5 million visitors in 2012. Executive director Charles-Mathieu Brunelle says the installations, which will soon include a new planetarium, provide a "very unique way of looking at nature and life."
Harper Government Announces First Partnership with the Canadian Museum of History CNW, 21 February 2013
VICTORIA, BC - "The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today announced the signing of a partnership agreement between the future Canadian Museum of History and the Royal BC Museum. This is the first in a series of partnership agreements that will allow the new Canadian Museum of History to fulfill its mandate. "I am delighted to see the efforts being made to create links between museums across the country," said Minister Moore. "Canada has many great museums that showcase particular aspects of our country's history, and these collections are of interest for people across the country. On the road to Canada's 150th birthday in 2017, let us celebrate all of the things that make Canada the united, strong, and free country we are today."
The New Canadian Museum of History — Survival or Subversion? Blog, CharlotteGray.ca, 1 February 2013
HULL, QC - "Last night it was -20C (with windchill) in the National Capital Region, the sidewalks were slick with industrial thickness ice, yet 175 people turned up at the Canadian Museum of Civilization to discuss the museum’s imminent re-invention as the Canadian Museum of History. I was one of five people invited to jump-start debate by talking about history. We had each been given specific orders by Gail Lord, the brilliant museum consultant whose company, Lord Cultural Resources, has worked on institutions all over the world. Gail had called me a week earlier: “I want you to give me one word that encapsulates what Canadian history means to you,” she instructed me with an enthusiastic, throaty laugh (knowing the impossibility of such a task!) “Then I will introduce each of you with the first letter of your chosen word.” "
Branly/MuCEM: collaboration "pérenne" Le Figaro, 14 Février 2013
PARIS-MARSEILLE, FRANCE – "Le musée du quai Branly à Paris et le Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM), qui doit ouvrir en juin à Marseille, ont annoncé aujourd'hui la "mise en place d'une collaboration pérenne" via de "nombreux prêts d'oeuvres" entre les deux institutions. "
National Museum of China leads the way China Daily, 8 February 2013
BEIJING, CHINA - "Since it was reopened in 2011 after a four-year renovation, the National Museum of China has accelerated its push to be among the world's foremost museums. It has drawn on rich experience to present exhibitions with such renowned art institutions as the Dresden State Art Collections, Uffizi Gallery and the British Museum. Now it adds the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the list of blue-chip collaborators. The two museums' joint exhibition, Earth, Sea and Sky: Nature in Western Art, displays 130 works from The Met. The exhibition first traveled to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum before coming to Beijing."
ROM plans green gateway around signature crystal The Globe and Mail, 27 February 2013
TORONTO, ON - "The Royal Ontario Museum is planning to soften the edges of its jagged face. The museum occupies a valuable block of real estate in downtown Toronto, as well as a critical piece of the city’s consciousness. Re-imagining its public space – an initiative that could cost an estimated $3-million – has the potential to offer a genteel pedestrian lounge to tourists as well as tony locals sashaying in and out of the luxury strip’s couture boutiques."
Museums
Museum as Tool: Directors on How They Run Their Art Institutions Hyperallergic.com, 26 February 2013
SAVANNAH, GA — "Curators organize groups of art objects into exhibitions. Might it be said that museum directors organize groups of exhibitions into an identity or an institution? The highlight of Savannah College of Art and Design’s deFINE Art conference last week came for me in the form of a panel gathering some of the most interesting art museums directors working today discussing how they thought about their jobs and responsibilities. The panel featured Los Angeles County Museum of Art director Michael Govan; Thelma Golden, the director and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem; and Defne Ayas, the director of the Witte de With Rotterdam."
Ancient Babylonian bricks stolen in Iraq Size of theft much greater than previously announced The Art Newspaper, 26 February 2013
IRAQ - "Four hundred fragments of bricks from Babylon’s Ishtar Gate and Processional Way have been stolen. The local Iraqi press reported the loss of 33 pieces last October, but in February the minister of tourism and antiquities, Liwa Sumaism, gave the much higher figure. These came from the Nebuchadnezzar Museum, at the entrance to the city founded in 575BC. The blue-glazed bricks have golden images of bulls, lions and dragons. Excavated from 1900 onwards by German archaeologists, many of the bricks with images were taken to the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Part of the structure was reconstructed by Saddam Hussein with modern replicas."
Calgary’s National Music Centre plans to wow both inside and out Canada Builds A National Music Museum The Globe and Mail, 22 February 2013
CALGARY, AB - "In its current lovely, if nondescript, heritage building, the National Music Centre in Calgary offers no hint of the treasures it houses: among them, a 1679 harpsichord, early synthesizers, and the piano on which Elton John composed his first four albums. In recent years, the place has seen everyone from Brian Eno and Philip Glass to Billy Corgan and Gotye drop by to ooh and ah and sometimes even experiment with the instruments and sound equipment."
The New York Times, 21 February 2013
NEW YORK, NY - "The period rooms in art museums have the mustiest, dustiest of reputations. They are often seen as the cultural equivalent of grandma’s overstuffed couch that smelled like a fleet of cats. And the curators who oversee them understand the image problem. The lament of Barry Harwood, the decorative arts curator at the Brooklyn Museum, is typical. “It’s always been extremely difficult to get people up to the fourth floor,” he said, referring to where the museum’s 23 period rooms are stashed."
Fermeture du Centre culturel néerlandais mais maintien de la Fondation Custodia Connaissance des arts, 19 Février 2013
PARIS, FRANCE – "La fermeture du Centre culturel néerlandais, ouvert en 1957 dans l’Hôtel Turgot de la rue de Lille grâce à Frits Lugt, a été annoncée par les Pays-Bas."
Pourquoi rapporte-t-on un souvenir du musée ? Les Echos, 18 Février 2013 FRANCE – "Le commerce des musées a souvent fait débat dans la presse. Pour autant, on s'est rarement interrogé sur les motivations d'achat des visiteurs des musées : pourquoi rapporte-t-on un souvenir du musée ? "
Le jardin des Tuileries prépare sa revégétalisation Le Figaro, 18 Février 2013
PARIS, FRANCE – "Un appel à mécénat doit permettre de financer les 15 millions d'euros nécessaires à ce projet d'envergure, étalé sur dix ans, qui veut redonner du lustre au parc de 23 hectares. "
Montreal museum partners with charity to challenge bullying in Quebec Global News, 18 February 2013
MONTREAL, QC - "The Jasmin Roy Foundation and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts have announced a partnership aimed at raising awareness of the issue of bullying in Quebec. By working together, the two organizations hope to provide a space for children to discover art and offer a unique way to help them to understand the difficult and complex phenomenon of bullying. The Jasmin Roy Foundation, seen as a leading player in this field, has been using a variety of platforms to highlight the importance of ensuring safe and secure school environments for our children. "
Hong Kong museums exhibit ambition ahead of M+ opening Museum of Art and other public spaces pledge to innovate and showcase city's heritage, defining their role before M+ visual cultural centre opens South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, 14 February 2013
HONG KONG - "Government museums will emphasise Hong Kong arts and culture by showing off their vast collections, revamping exhibition spaces and introducing new programmes. This positioning will help clarify the roles of different public museums managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and M+, the contemporary visual culture museum opening in West Kowloon Cultural District in 2017/18. The department said questions concerning the role of public museums amid the M+ development were raised by the three Museum Advisory Panels set up in 2010."
Nestlé undertakes cultural project for 150th anniversary New Europe, 12 February 2013
SWITZERLAND - "The Swiss company Nestlé announced on 12 February that it plans to transform the buildings formerly belonging to Henri Nestlé into a public visitors centre in relation to its 150th anniversary. The centre, which according to media in the country will cost 55 million francs, will be opened in 2016 when the company marks 150 years its foundation. It will consist of a recreation and discovery area for families, consumers, employees and anyone interested in Nestlé. Situated in the industrial zone behind the Vevey train station, the existing original buildings, including the former factory, Henri Nestlé’s administrative building "La Villa" and the steel structure of the former bakery, will be renovated and opened to the public."
Work starts on new Berkeley Art Museum, to open in 2016 Berkeleyside, 12 February 12, 2013
BERKELEY, CA - "Construction work has begun on the new Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive which, all things going well, is slated to open in the summer of 2016, bringing bold contemporary architecture into the heart of Berkeley. The UC Berkeley-owned museum, which includes the Pacific Film Theater, has raised $95 million worth of pledges towards the $100 million goal it needed to create a new home on Center St. at Oxford, the site of a former printing plant owned by the university. The new BAM/PFA is to be designed by New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, architects of New York’s High Line and several museums, including the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C."
Hollande refuse "d'enfermer l'Histoire" dans un musée Boursier.com, 11 Février 2013
PIERREFITTE-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE – "François Hollande a repoussé lundi l'idée de son prédécesseur, Nicolas Sarkozy, de créer un musée de l'Histoire de France. "
Support for artist-led museum in Helsinki grows Checkpoint Helsinki has won the backing of politicians following the rejection of a proposed Guggenheim branch last year The Art Newspaper, 6 February 2013
HELSINKI, FINLAND - "The creation of an artist-led museum called Checkpoint Helsinki is looking likely following the city board's rejection of the Guggenheim Helsinki scheme last year. The city has signalled that it is willing to financially support such an institution, which would provide a space for artists to produce and exhibit their work. A spokesman for the city says it has earmarked a budget for 2013 that could be used for the project, although no final decision has been made. "
Richard III dig: Leicester plans to build on king BBC News, 6 February 2013
LEICESTER, UK - "A permanent museum to Richard III is expected to open in Leicester by early 2014, Experts from the University of Leicester revealed on Monday remains found under a car park in September were those of the notorious king. City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said a nearby former school building will be refitted in time for the re-interment of his remains at the city's cathedral. A bid to get the king interred in York, where he had close ties, continues. Richard, who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, was buried in the church of the Greyfriars but the location was lost when the building was demolished." [see also Two Canadian links to discovery of Richard III, The Globe and Mail, 4 February 2013, and Face of Richard III, England's "king in the car park", revealed, Yahoo News, 5 February 2013]
China to embrace "museum era": British expert English News.cn, 5 February 2013
CHINA - "China is entering a "museum era," a senior industry insider said here at the forum "China in Focus" held over the weekend by the University of Warwick. Phillip Dodd, who had been director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) before founding consultancy Made in China, said China was building or opening more public and private museums than ever."The museum era" is an epitome of a wider range of cultural and creative events happening in China. "As Chinese people get wealthier, their demand for cultural staff is rising," said Dodd, who now focuses on developing cultural, educational and commercial projects between Britain and China."
Museums Grapple With the Strings Attached to Gifts The New York Times, 4 February 2013
USA - "For museums and other institutions confronted with the sometimes onerous restrictions that donors place on major gifts, forever can be a very long time. In Tennessee, Fisk University, facing possible closing, needed court permission to sell a stake in an art collection that the artist Georgia O’Keeffe had donated with the proviso that it never be sold. And now the Brooklyn Museum is asking a judge to bypass the wishes of Col. Michael Friedsam, who ordered before he died in 1931 that his collection be kept together."
Dallas Museum Of Art Begins Free Admission CBS DFW, 21 January 2013
DALLAS, TX - "After 11 years, the Dallas Museum of Art decided to make a change. The doors opened on Monday to much excitement — especially since the building is normally closed on Mondays. But this time, art lovers could get their fix for free. Museum officials celebrated the beginning of a new rewards program and free admission. Whether stopping to stare at a sculpture or feeling moved at the sight of a painting, the museum experience can be very personal. “We’re so hooked on Super Bowl and football and everything else — which is great, it’s fantastic — but some of the things we see were the Super Bowl of those times,” said visitor George Junco. “Some of the artwork is just amazing.” " [see also Applause for Dallas Museum of Art’s new ‘go free’ policy, Dallas News, 30 November 2012]
Company museums are not as dull as they sound The Economist, 17 November 2012
USA - "For a city that prides itself on putting its past behind it, Atlanta has rather a lot of first-rate museums. The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum celebrates Georgia’s greatest president. The (Martin Luther) King Centre eulogises America’s greatest civil-rights leader. And the World of Coca-Cola worships the world’s greatest carbonated drink. When Schumpeter visited Atlanta, the World of Coca-Cola was by far the most popular of the three. It attracted a cross-section of America (minus the Ivy League): veterans criss-crossing the country in RVs, children on school trips, families on holiday, all adding up to about 2,500 visitors a day or 1m a year. "
Architecture
Should architects adopt a 4 day week? World Architecure News, 27 February 2013
WORLD - "With Gambia recently announcing that their public sector workers will now work 4-day weeks and various firms speaking out in the international press about their experiences of a compressed working week, is this a model that architectural firms should be adopting? Despite the announcement by Gambia’s president Yahya Jammeh that public sector workers will now have different working hours to allow for more time for praying, socialising and farming in the Muslim country, the concept behind a 4-day week is not a new one. Back in 2008, the governor of Utah in the USA, Jon Huntsman, announced plans for 18,000 of its public workers to work 40 hours over 4 days and to close 900 public buildings on Fridays. Professor Rex Facer, from Brigham Young University, an adviser on the initiative, investigated the impact of the scheme and found that eight out of ten employees liked the four-day week and wanted it to continue."
Harvard Art Museums to open renovated and expanded facility in autumn 2014 World Architecure News, 22 February 2013
CAMBRIDGE, MA - "The Harvard Art Museums, comprising the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, announced yesterday that the renovation and expansion of the landmark building at 32 Quincy Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will open in the fall of 2014. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the transformative facility will bring the three museums and their collections together under one roof for the first time. "
London Calling: Renzo Piano - The Shard As part of London Calling, one of the world's greatest architects Renzo Piano, talks to Razia Iqbal at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). BBC World Service, Dream Builders, 19 February 2012; First broadcast: Tuesday 12 June 2012
LONDON, UK - "A one thousand foot tall pyramid of glass now stands in splendid isolation on the south bank of the River Thames. It is a striking and controversial addition to the London skyline, constantly changing in appearance as it reflects the weather; either melting into the heavens or rudely imposing itself on the British capital, depending upon your point of view. What is not in contention is that The Shard is the tallest building in Western Europe and an audacious achievement, representing a pinnacle in the dazzling career of its architect, Renzo Piano. "
Designs for Photography Museum in Middle East revealed by Fernando Romero World Architecure News, 18 February 2013
SAUDI ARABIA - "These outstanding images are renderings of Fernando Romero Enterprise’s (FR-EE) latest building concept: PH Museum in the Middle East. This remote cultural building has been likened to a flying saucer by internet users while others have commended its ‘elegant design’ (Babak Fassihi via Design Boom). The definitive location of the building is yet to be confirmed by FR-EE who are currently only referring to the site as 'Middle East', however links on the firm's website include the location Doha."
Sou Fujimoto Tapped for Serpentine Pavilion 2013 Architectural Record, 14 February 2013
LONDON, UK - "Joining the likes of Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has been tapped to design a temporary structure for the grounds of the Serpentine Gallery in London this summer. At age 41, Fujimoto is the youngest architect, and the third from Japan, to get the commission since the program was created in 2000. His design calls for a 3,770-square-foot, cloud-like structure built of interwoven 0.8-inch semi-transparent steel bars. Check out our coverage of past pavilions, including Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei’s in 2012 and Peter Zumthor’s in 2011. " [see also 41-year old Japanese architect will become youngest person ever to accept challenge, WAN, 14 February 2013]
3D printed plastic house will be assembled "in a day" de zeen magazine, 13 February 2013
LONDON, UK - "London architecture collective Softkill Design has joined the race to build the world's first 3D printed house, announcing plans for a plastic dwelling that could be built off-site in three weeks and assembled in a single day. "It will hopefully be the first actual 3D printed house on site," said Gilles Retsin of Softkill Design. "We are hoping to have the first prototype out in the summer." "
Le J1 : grandeur et décadence de Marseille Provence 2013 Télérama, 12 Février 2013
MARSEILLE, FRANCE – "Le hangar maritime J1 est une réussite indéniable de Marseille-Provence 2013. Pourtant, cet espace culturel sera fermé cet été, et nul ne sait ce qu’il adviendra de lui après l’année capitale..."
Les travaux menés à la Comédie-Française Culture.fr, Février 2013
PARIS – "Sophie Bourgeois, directrice du bâtiment et des équipements de la Comédie-Française, fait le point sur les travaux de mise aux normes réalisées de janvier 2012 à janvier 2013 à la Comédie-Française. "
On The Boards: Steven Holl Architects' Tianjin Ecocity Ecology and Planning Museums Green Source, 22 January 2013
NEY YORK, NY - "At a December lecture at New York City's Cooper Union, Steven Holl spoke about the swiftness with which his Tianjin Ecocity Ecology and Planning Museums were designed and approved—as opposed to the 15-year gestation period for his Knut Hamsun Center in Hamarøy, Norway. He sketched the ecology museums on August 31, 2012, the designs were approved on November 2, and construction of the 600,000-square-foot project is set to begin this spring, said Holl." [see also Holl Stays Busy in China, Architectural Record, 14 February 2013]
World Architecure News, 29 January 2013
ASPEN, CO - "As a warm-up to the much-anticipated opening of its new home designed by architect Shigeru Ban, the Aspen Art Museum has mounted an exhibition of works by Los Angeles-based artist Morgan Fisher, the centerpiece of which is a new painting installation based on temporary structures the artist has created, which are inspired by Ban’s plans for the building. Curated by AAM’s Jacob Proctor, the show runs through 3 February 2013 and the new building, which will be Ban’s first museum in the US, is slated to open in 2014. About the design for the building Ban explains: “In any design I always strive for a unified relationship between the structure and its surrounding. The design for the new Aspen Art Museum is a very exciting opportunity to create a harmony between Aspen’s existing architecture and the surrounding beauty of the natural landscape.”
Four notable architects talk about the challenges and thrills of creating their own homes. Juggling the design demands of privacy-seeking children, lengthy renovations and a lifetime's collection of stuff. The Wall Street Journal, 10 January 2013
GENOA, PARIS, NEW YORK – "Renzo Piano. Torn between his love for Genoa and Paris, Mr. Piano, 75, describes his modern hillside greenhouse and a spacious 17th-century top-floor apartment. I live and work in Paris, but each month I spend one week at my seaside home in Genoa, Italy. I think of my two homes as extensions of each other—like different rooms of the same house that are separated by a one-hour flight and a drive. Do you know the Josephine Baker song "J'ai Deux Amours" ["I Have Two Loves"]? My wife and I love both homes equally—but for different aesthetic and emotional reasons."
Project: NASA Sustainability Base, William McDonough + Partners, Moffett Field, California Houston, We Have a Solution: NASA's new base harnesses space-age technology to take building performance to the next level. It's one giant leap for green design. Green Source, January 2013
CALIFORNIA, USA - "In the fall of 2008, Steve Zornetzer, the associate center director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, found himself in Houston with a problem. Ames was three months in on its plans for a new office building, and Zornetzer had just scrapped the entire design. "It was a building that could have been built in 1990," he says. "There was nothing interesting architecturally or conservationally—it was a very boring project. Zornetzer was at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to hear a talk by the San Francisco–based architect and Cradle to Cradle pioneer William McDonough, FAIA, principal of William McDonough + Partners. The leadership at NASA had been interested in McDonough's knowledge of healthy building materials for possible use in a Mars mission, but McDonough had other ideas. "I asked NASA, 'Would you mind if we work on coming back to Earth first, before we go to Mars? What if I design a space station on Earth?' " McDonough recalls."
Technology
If Van Gogh Had Google Glasses... Technology in The News, 27 February 2013
USA - "According to Google executives, Google Glasses, a new type of high tech glasses, will be released to the public at the end of this year. By bringing heads up display-style views into our daily life, Google’s Glasses project will enable users to interact simultaneously with their surroundings and the internet in a dynamic and instant way. An engineer who had the opportunity to try out the Google Glasses released a video showcasing how she will use Google glass in the future the Google Glasses could be used in the future."
World's first 3D printing pen unveiled World Architecure News, 21 February 2013
BOSTON, MA - "With 3D printing now a reality and projects such as Universe Architecture and Rinus Roelof's Landscape House and Foster + Partner’s proposed 3D moon base in the press, two American toy designers have come up with an innovative and cheaper way of being able to participate in the trend: by creating the world’s first 3D printing pen. Dubbed the 3Doodler, the €55 ($75) device allows the user to hand-draw or ‘doodle’ a design in 3D with items created by the pen ranging from a simple 3D house to an ostrich, butterfly, and even a small plastic replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The device contains a mains-powered heater which warms a single line of 3mm ABS or PLA plastic and is fed in through the back of the device. As the user draws, the warmed plastic comes out of the pen and is quickly cooled via a small fan, forming a string of plastic that can create a strong, stable structure, according to its creators."
Assessing your organization and patrons for a gamification project Technology in the Arts, 19 February 2013
USA - "In the next two months a multi-part series will be published on this blog outlining how to assess, develop, implement, refine, and measure gamification as a potential tool for your arts organization. This first round of tools will allow you to better discern whether your organization is ready for the project, and if patrons would engage with a game project. Simply put, a game project will take time and resources. The payout, ostensibly is a deeper level of engagement in your programming, fundraising efforts, as well as social media. Setting expectations around a project of gamification is an integral part of its success. Gamification can work as part of, not replacing, a marketing or development campaign. It is best used to supplement efforts that are effective at getting patrons through your door."
La Cité de l’architecture livre des pistes de bonnes pratiques Culture et Communication, 19 Février 2013
PARIS – "L’application développée pour l’exposition « Circuler »[1] est le fruit d’un partenariat avec Orange (développement de l’application) et Samsung (mise à disposition des Galaxy S2). Philippe Rivière (responsable des services d’information, Cité de l’architecture) a présenté un bilan de cette application le 1er février 2013 dans le cadre des 4èmes Rencontres Nationales Culture et Innovation(s). "
Technology takes the stage in Seattle's arts scene Puget Sound Business Juurnal, 15 February 2013
PUGET SOUND, WA - "The line that divides artistic endeavors from scientific and technical disciplines is getting blurry, and no place is that more evident than in the Puget Sound region’s theaters, where artists, scientists and even computer programmers are coming together to create and support their shared passion: the pursuit of truth. This month alone, two Seattle plays are bringing technology and science to the stage. In one, lines of computer code play a central role in a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. And in the other, the story of one woman’s contribution to DNA modeling leads to a deeper discussion of women in science."
To App or Not to App: That is the Question Technology in the Arts, 15 February 2013
USA - "Arts marketing and communications blogger Marc van Bree (aka Dutch Perspective) proposes that apps may not always be an ideal mobile option for arts organizations. Studies comparing web browsing and mobile apps are inconclusive regarding projected user popularity in coming years, leaving organizations with multiplepossibilities for cultivating their mobile presence. Research conducted by MDG advertising indicates that mobile websites have more unique visitors anda higher impression rate than apps, but users tend to engage more deeply with apps."
Web, facebook, mobiles ... « les Mystères de Rennes » ont démarré le 15 février CLIC France, 15 Février 2013
RENNES, FRANCE – "Ce projet innovant associant culture et numérique a pour but de favoriser l’accès des étudiants et des jeunes (15-25 ans) aux collections du musée de Bretagne de Rennes. Après quelques semaines de teasing, le jeu interactif territorialisé a démarré le vendredi 15 février dans la ville de Rennes. L’objectif est de faire interagir le joueur avec les collections du musée, en utilisant les réseaux sociaux, le web et différents réseaux de capteurs disposés dans la ville. "
Le numérique chez les Gallo-Romains Le JDC, 14 Février 2013
COMPIERRE, FRANCE – "Le site gallo-romain de Compierre bénéficie déjà de visites guidées, à la demande. Dans quelques mois, il sera possible de le découvrir grâce à un guide virtuel, du matériel interactif prêté par l’Office de tourisme de Brinon-sur-Beuvron.?"
Un Top/Com d'or pour le site multimédia du Phare de Cordouan Culture.fr, Février 2013
CORDOUAN, FRANCE – "Le site consacré au Phare de Cordouan a été récompensé par le Top/Com d'Or 2013. "
A High-Profile Conversation: the Role of Arts and Technology in Defining Culture in 2013 Technology in the Arts, 12 February 2013
USA - "At The Economist World in 2013 Festival in December, Paola Antonelli, senior curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, sat down with Steve Crossan, director of the Google Cultural Institute, and discussed the challenges, trends, and opportunities awaiting the intersection of arts and technology this year. Antonelli emphasized the need for policy makers and politicians to view culture as a foundation for our nation’s development, not as a political and economic football. She then addressed the topic of curating culture in the digital age. Crossan described the opportunities the Internet provides in connecting answers to storytellers."
Museum games: the kids are all right Children won't play just anything, finds Ben Templeton, whose Science Museum exhibit is all the better for input from students The Guardian, 8 February 2013
UNITED KINGDOM - "The science of pain isn't an obvious topic of choice for a game. You might argue that a game's focus on fun makes it frivolous and incapable of explaining serious artistic or cultural content. But fun means engaging, entertaining, challenging, memorable, playful and many more words all perfectly sensible aspirations for a museum exhibit. The team behind the Science Museum's Antenna gallery wanted an interactive to draw the crowds and present the science of pain in a way that would actually interest young minds. So they asked some young minds what they were interested in."
The Pew Research Center’s report on Arts and Technology Technology in the Arts, 5 February 2013
USA - "The Pew Research Center recently did a survey and report about how various arts organizations use technology including the internet, social media, and mobile technology. The report confirms that the arts are adapting to the overwhelming saturation of technology, particularly the internet and social media, and are venturing into deeper levels of engagement such as blogs, podcasts, and educational content. The report shows that engagement of technology in the arts organizations that responded is high with 99% of respondents maintaining a website, 97% having a presence on a social media platform, and 72% selling tickets and admissions online. This is a clear indication that the vast majority of arts organizations understand the intrinsic value of technology to the arts."
Challenges, Rules, and Epic Wins: Using Game Design to Build Visitor Loyalty Museum 2.0 blog, 6 February 2013
USA - "Think of the last time you overcame a huge obstacle. When you mastered arcane rules to achieve your goal. When you felt that sense of "fiero!"--an epic, fist-pumping win. Was it while playing a game? Last week, as part of my museum's year-long Loyalty Lab project, we hosted a workshop for Bay Area museum professionals with special guests Ian Kizu-Blair and Sam Lavigne of the game design firm Situate. Ian and Sam design real-world games that encourage people to engage in ordinary environments in extraordinary ways. They are the geniuses behind SF0, Ghosts of a Chance, and Journey to the End of the Night--games that encourage people to see their city or a museum in a new way through a series of unusual rules and challenges."
Roundup of Recent News on Accessible Design Blog, Center for the Future of Museums, 5 February 2013
UNITED KINGDOM - "With more and more museums pushing content to personal digital devices, we need to remember who we may be leaving out. When Phil and I talk about the digital divide, we are usually thinking of an economic barrier—the shrinking (but significant) portion of society that does not have access to mobile technology, particularly smart mobile technology. But apps and other digital content can pose accessibility challenges as well. Museums have a mixed record on making even their websites meet accessibility standards—often unintentionally throwing up a “digital glass wall” that hinders access. How will we fare with the myriad content being developed for apps, podcasts, etc? For this reason, we've kept our eyes open for news related to universal design and digital devices, as well as our ongoing scanning on accessibility in general."
Cahier de tendances: culture et numérique en 2012 CLIC France, 5 Février 2013
FRANCE – "Parmi les 220 articles publiés en 2012, nous avons sélectionné les principales innovations en matière de numérique culturel. Celles-ci sont classées en 8 tendances. "
Lancement du nouveau site culture.fr Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, 31 Janvier 2013
FRANCE – "Le ministère de la Culture et de la Communication lance la nouvelle version de culture.fr, portail dédié à l'actualité et aux événements culturels, ainsi qu’à la diffusion de ressources culturelles numériques. "
La réalité augmentée entre au musée Thot cursus, 28 Janvier 2013
LONDRES – "Shelley Mannion, responsable des programmes d’apprentissage numérique au British Museum a publié deux articles sur la réalité augmentée et sur les expériences qu'elle a menées au sein de la célèbre institution londonienne. "
Art and Culture
Exhibition series of cinemacasts launches in April Variety.com, 27 February 2013
LONDON, UK - "The success of bigscreen fine-arts cinemacast "Leonardo Live" has spurred its producers, PhilGrabskyFilms.com and BY Experience, to team with alternative content distributor NCM Fathom Events to present a series of museum-based cinemacasts called Exhibition. Launching in April with "Manet: Portraying Life," a look at an exhibit of the Impressionist painter's art on view at London's Royal Academy of Arts, the Exhibition programming establishes an ongoing footprint for fine-arts offerings in the alt-content cinema marketplace. Performing arts orgs have already had notable success drawing crowds to HD cinemacasts (both live and recorded) of live entertainment, with the Metropolitan Opera's high-profile programming joined more recently by legit troupes including London's National Theater, which in June will present a live cinemacast of Helen Mirren topliner "The Audience."
Massive Montreal Exhibition Tracks 3,000 Years of Peruvian Cultural History Blouin Artinfo, 26 February 2013
MONTREAL, QC — "The re-discovery of Manchu Picchu in 1911 did more than just expose the ruins of this ancient royal estate, floating, seemingly, on a lonely, cloudy mountain peak. It simultaneously created a national symbol that is today associated the world over with both Peru and the splendor of Andean indigenous civilizations. No surprise then that the sumptuous, broad-ranging exhibition “Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and the Moon,” organized by and on view at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, starts with a panoramic picture of the great Inca ruins. Hiram Bingham took this picture, around 1911, when he and his team of Yale archaeologists stumbled across the site. He followed up the visit with excavations between 1912 and 1915, quietly hauling off much treasure."
Harper Government Invests in New Brunswick’s Arts and Culture Scene Canadian Heritage, 22 February 2013
MONCTON, NB - "Today, the Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport), on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced new investments by the Government of Canada in 26 arts and culture organizations in New Brunswick. “Our Government recognizes the importance and impact of investing in arts and culture organizations in communities across Canada,” said Minister Fletcher. “This financial support is a great booster for the local economy and helps recipients promote and showcase local and nationally recognized artists at cultural events across New Brunswick throughout the year. Our Government will continue to support the arts sector throughout Canada as it continues to play a vital role in creating jobs and strengthening our economy.” "
Ukrainian collector pledges to give away half his fortune Victor Pinchuk has joined the ranks of 12 international billionaires who promise to donate their money to philanthropic causes The Art Newspaper, 20 February 2013
UKRAINE - "The Ukrainian steel magnate and art collector Victor Pinchuk has added his name to the list of billionaires who have pledged to give away half their wealth in their lifetimes or at their deaths. The Giving Pledge, launched in 2010 by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett, has now attracted the support of 12 billionaires outside the US. One of them is Pinchuk, whose wealth was estimated at $4.2bn by Forbes magazine in March 2012. He already supports a range of health and education causes in Ukraine and since 2006 has funded a contemporary art gallery in a converted hotel in Kiev which hosts displays of major international artists; concurrent shows of work by the Chapman Brothers and Tony Oursler opened last week."
Le budget de la Culture réduit de 67 millions d’euros supplémentaires Connaissance des arts, 20 Février 2013
FRANCE – "Les mesures de restrictions budgétaires amorcées, en 2012, par le ministère de la Culture continuent, et ce dernier a annoncé, hier, un gel supplémentaire de 67 millions d’euros. "
L’Unesco vient en aide au patrimoine de Tombouctou Connaissance des arts, 20 Février 2013
TOMBOUCTOU, MALI – "En juin et juillet derniers, les adeptes de la Charia au Mali ont détruit plusieurs mausolées et manuscrits datant du XIIIe au XVIe siècle, obligeant l’Unesco à placer ce patrimoine culturel classé dans la catégorie du patrimoine en péril. " [see also Unesco raising $11m to save Mali’s heritage, The Art Newspaper, 21 February 2013]
South Africa's Art Scene Is Poised for a Breakthrough — At Home and Abroad Blouin ArtInfo, 19 February 2013
SOUTH AFRICA - "To many outsiders, the South African art world may seem to have produced no more than a few major talents — most notably William Kentridge. Their work further suffers by being narrowly perceived as inextricably associated with apartheid, still the lodestone of South African identity. This oversimplification persists largely because even decades after the global boycott of South Africa’s economy and culture came to an end, the country’s art scene remains small. And while a few galleries are starting to reach out internationally, the arts still lack the broad popular audience at home that they enjoy in the Americas, Europe, and, increasingly, Asia."
Banksy mural vanishes from London, appears at US auction The work is thought to be a commentary on the use of sweat-shop labour. BBC News, 18 February 2013
LONDON, UK - "A Banksy mural painted just before the Diamond Jubilee last year has vanished from a London street and been listed for sale at a US auction site. The image, which shows a young boy hunched over a sewing machine making Union Jack bunting, disappeared from the side of a Poundland shop last week. It is now for sale in Miami, with an estimate of £320,000 - £452,000. Councillor Alan Strickland said there is "lots of anger" at the removal, and is campaigning for the work's return. "Residents have been really shocked and really astonished," he told the BBC. "Banksy gave that piece of art to our community, and people came from all over London to see it. "
Subterranean Naples, Brimming With Art The New York Times, 15 February 2013
NAPLES, ITALY - "Above ground, the raucous bustle that is Naples perfunctorily orchestrates its moving components into a daily rhythm that is effectively functional chaos, against a dissonant background juxtaposing luxurious Baroque palazzos with derelict housing. But just a few steps below ground is a very different, and unexpected, setting — a trove of art installations that has transformed the city’s subway system into an eclectic and far-flung museum, featuring some of the best known contemporary artists in the world. "
Street Art: un mouvement qui s'institutionnalise L’EXPRESS, 15 Février 2013
FRANCE – "L'art urbain a désormais sa place dans les galeries, les musées, les salles de ventes et sur des façades monumentales. Le Street art s'institutionnalise-t-il au point d'oublier sa nature rebelle? "
Second Mona Lisa 'is the real deal' stuff.co.nz, 14 February 2013
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – "New tests on a painting billed as the original version of the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's 15th century portrait, have produced fresh proof that it is the work of the Italian master, a Swiss-based art foundation says. The tests, one by a specialist in "sacred geometry" and the other by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, were carried out in the wake of the Geneva unveiling of the painting, the Isleworth Mona Lisa, last September." [see also ‘Second’ Mona Lisa Deemed Authentic, Time, 18 February 2013 and Léonard de Vinci aurait peint une autre Joconde plus jeune, L’Express, 14 Février 2013]
Le financement participatif vu par un professionnel du mécénat Culture et Communication, 11 Février 2013
FRANCE – "Après le musée du Louvre, c’est le Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN) qui s’est mis au crowdfunding (comprendre « financement participatif »). "
Does Investing in Art Make Sense? A Look at Both Sides of the Debate Blouin ArtInfo, 11 February 2013
USA – "So you think you want to invest in art? Diversifying portfolios by purchasing tangible luxury assets has become increasingly fashionable over the last decade, and fine art is a popular way to do that — financiers, celebrities, and royals are known the clog the salesrooms of the biggest auction houses during the elaborate evening sales in New York and London. But under the glittering lights, it’s easy to forget that buying a Picasso as an investment is a great way to lose $20 million if you don’t do it carefully. Experts have plenty to say both for and against art investing, and we've tried to sum up both sides of the debate on four key issues: Risk, Regulation, Cost, and Taxes."
Apprendre à innover dans les arts visuels Culture et Communication, 9 Février 2013
MONDE – "Le Guggenheim Museum de Bilbao, la Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development de l’Université de New York et la Deusto Business School (Espagne) créent une nouvelle formation, l’International Leadership Program in Visual Arts Management (ILPVAM), à destination principalement des professionnels ayant au minimum cinq ans d’expérience dans le secteur culturel et plus spécifiquement les arts visuels. "
Avant Delacroix, Rothko et Twombly ont été l'objet de dégradations Le Monde, 8 Février 2013
LENS, FRANCE – "Alors qu'une enquête est en cours pour déterminer les motivations exactes de la jeune femme de 28 ans qui a vandalisé, jeudi 7 février, le tableau d'Eugène Delacroix, La Liberté guidant le peuple, au Louvre-Lens en y inscrivant au marqueur noir l'énigmatique mention "AE911", il est intéressant de revenir sur les principaux précédents qui existent en matière de dégradation d'œuvres d'art. " [See also Eugene Delacroix Canvas Defaced At New Louvre-Lens, The Huffington Post, 8 February 2013]
Arts, patrimoine et culture: ne pas risquer de briser l'élan du Québec Le Devoir, 8 février 2013
MONTREAL, QC - "Dans trop de pays, quand l’économie périclite, le secteur culturel est l’un des premiers sacrifiés sur l’autel de l’austérité budgétaire. Mais fort sagement, le Québec a depuis longtemps décidé que ce n’était pas là une fatalité et que son avenir et sa présence au monde sont indissociables de sa vitalité artistique et culturelle. C’est un choix de société devenu si ancré au fil des décennies qu’il transcende les partis politiques et qu’il a survécu aux aléas des exercices périodiques de compressions des dépenses publiques. Cette exception culturelle est le socle sur lequel repose en grande partie le caractère distinctif du Québec."
TRÉSOR – « L’Origine du monde » aurait un visage Le Monde, 7 Février 2013
PARIS – "... et il serait irlandais. Paris-Match publie une "exclusivité mondiale" dans son édition du 7 février : la femme peinte par Gustave Courbet dans le sulfureux tableau L'Origine du monde, exposé au Musée d'Orsay depuis 1995, aurait été identifiée. "
French Senator Pushes Museums to Probe Their Collections for Nazi-Looted Art Blouin ArtInfo, 6 February 2013
MAINE-ET-LOIRE, FRANCE - "A recent article in Der Spiegel urged Germany to do some real soul-searching — as well as museum-searching — over the fate of artwork looted by the Nazis that has never been returned to its rightful heirs. Now, a French senator is demanding that museums in her country to do the same, and she’s even backing up the argument with evidence from her own research. French senator Corinne Bouchoux has led an investigative committee on the issue of Nazi-looted artwork in France and issued a report asking the museum world to “show a bit more effort” in researching the provenance of certain artworks still held in public collections. "
Italian Pavilion turns to “crowdfunding” to raise cash Money donated will help fund Bartolomeo Pietromarchi's presentation on the theme of "duality" at the Venice Biennale The Art Newspaper, 6 February 2013
VENICE, ITALY - "The Italian government today announced the exhibition plan for the Italian pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale (1 June-24 November), which will feature 14 artists selected by the curator Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, the director of the Macro (Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Roma). Working under the title “Vice Versa”, Pietromarchi said on Wednesday (6 February) at a press conference in Rome that he aims to explore the idea of “duality” by presenting pairings of artists across seven rooms in the Tese delle Vergini area of the Arsenale. By showing contrasting pieces together, the curator hopes to capture the contradictory nature of Italian culture. "
Old, cold and bold: British Museum exhibition reveals last Ice Age as artistic hotbed Yahoo News, 5 February 2013
LONDON, UK - "The art world loves hype. Works are touted as the biggest, the rarest, the most expensive. Even in an age of superlatives, the British Museum has something special — the oldest known figurative art in the world. The artworks on display in the new exhibition "Ice Age Art" are so old that many are carved from the tusks of woolly mammoths. But it's not just their age that may surprise visitors. It's their artistry. These are artworks, not just prehistoric artifacts. Some of the sophisticated carvings, sculptures and drawings of people and animals look like something Pablo Picasso or Henry Moore might have created."
Les nouveaux enjeux des politiques culturelles Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles, Février 2013
PARIS – "Rencontre le 12 mars 2013, Maison de l'Europe. Le champ artistique et culturel est aujourd’hui marqué par des transformations majeures. La globalisation, l’impact des technologies de la communication sur la production, la diffusion ou la « consommation » de la culture, l’élargissement et l’hybridation des formes artistiques, la variété des enjeux associés au thème de la diversité culturelle sont autant de défis pour la décision, l’action et la recherche. Comment ces changements résonnent-ils à travers les rapports entre culture, territoires et société en Europe ? "
Le mécénat culturel : une nouvelle voie pour les collectivités publiques ? Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles, Février 2013
PARIS – "Formation le 28 mars 2013, à Saint-Ouen. La question de la diversification des ressources se pose de manière cruciale pour le milieu culturel et les collectivités territoriales, au moment où les financements publics refluent durablement. "
As Indian art world meets, prices stay depressed, down 70 to 75 percent from their peak ArtDaily, February 2013
NEW DELHI, INDIA - "India's art world has converged on New Delhi for the industry's biggest annual event where upbeat talk and parties are likely to disguise a market that is still in the doldrums since crashing in 2008. Indian art auction prices are down 70 to 75 percent from their peak, when speculation driven by new prosperity in cities such as Delhi and Mumbai pushed them to "unsustainable levels", says art analyst Anders Petterson. Petterson, managing director of London-based global art market analysis firm ArtTactic, says India is still suffering from the after effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, but says he sees signs for cautious optimism. "We glimpse a market gradually turning around," he said. "
Curator, Tear Down These Walls The New York Times, 31 January 2013
USA - "A modest proposal for this country’s great repositories of pre-20th-century American art: Why don’t you, as Diana Vreeland might have asked, mix folk art in with the more realistic, academically correct kind that has so dominated museums since the 19th century? Despite rising interest in and scholarship about folk art — and even after the wholesale rethinking of several major American wings on the East Coast — the isolation of folk from academic is still the norm. Given that we live in a time of eroding aesthetic boundaries and categories, when many curators are experimenting with integrative approaches in international biennials and commercial galleries, it seems past time for the folk-academic division to soften. It undoubtedly has at some institutions, especially those with modest collections."
Cultural Tourism, Creative Cities and Urban Planning
Le tourisme culturel et patrimonial selon l’approche communautaire Réseau de veille en tourisme, 27 Février 2013
PARIS, FRANCE – "Travailler en partenariat, impliquer les résidents et s’assurer d’un développement désiré et équitable: voilà les grands thèmes d’une approche communautaire. Les petites collectivités comme les grandes villes ont beaucoup à gagner d’une stratégie touristique de tourisme culturel élaborée de cette façon. Pour les entreprises culturelles et patrimoniales, l’adhésion à une démarche communautaire s’avère non seulement profitable, mais de plus en plus indispensable en raison de leur essence même, qui appelle à l’authenticité."
Gold Coast's cultural future plotted in shifting sands The Australian, 21 February 2013
AUSTRALIA - "Marrying one of the world's great art museums to the pulsating hit by South Korean star Psy may seem like a quick route to divorce. This, though, is the image Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate wants to encourage for his back yard. "Guggenheim Gangnam style" is the way he describes the long-mooted cultural precinct he wants to build on the coast. "We want it (to be) on the international level of the Guggenheim (but) with Gangnam style," Tate says. "It means we are serious about the arts, but fun, because that's what we are on the Gold Coast." "
Un lumineux sentier à Arles... Etourisme.info, 12 Février 2013
ARLES, FRANCE – "Depuis le 1er février, la ville d'Arles a déployé le premier "sentier numérique" qui offre une expérience originale pour visiter la ville. "
E.U. Steps In To Save Pompeii, Pledges Millions Toward Restoration Of Ancient Italian City The Huffington Post, 6 February 2013
ITALY - "Following through on its €105 million pledge, the European Union began the laborious effort of restoring the Italian city of Pompeii Wednesday. In a press release, the E.U. announced it would use more than $56 million in regional funds to finance the restoration of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site that an estimated 2.3 million tourists visit each year. The Great Pompeii Project, as it's been named, seeks to "secure the site's damaged areas and to ensure that this is done using capable, honest businesses, not organized crime," Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti told reporters in April, according to United Press International." [see also L'UE débloque des fonds pour Pompéi, Le Figaro, 6 Février 2013]
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