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New growth at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Portland Press Herald, 17 August 2014
BOOTHBAY, MAINE — "Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay has begun planning an expansion expected to see it through the next two decades. Key elements of the plan for the 270-acre property include doubling the size of the intensely planted ornamental gardens from 3 to 6 acres, constructing greenhouses for research and for propagating plants, and building a conservatory and a new visitor center. The garden needs to expand, executive director William Cullina told members last month, primarily because it has been more successful than its founders ever dreamed. They planned for a maximum of 35,000 to 40,000 visitors a year."
Remembrance of a pandemic almost past The Globe and Mail, 10 August 2014
“There are all manner of museums in the world, from the heart-wrenching Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and renowned art galleries such as State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, to the downright bizarre, such as the International UFO Museum in Roswell, N.M., and the Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka, Japan. Yet, there has been no Museum of AIDS, no formal remembrance or commemoration of the worst public-health disaster in history, a modern-day plague that has infected an estimated 78 million people, 43 million of whom have died. (Those numbers are in dispute, but even if the estimates are off by a few million, the impact of AIDS is undeniable; it has scarred Africa as much as slavery did centuries ago.) >But that is about to change. The Museum of AIDS in Africa is already a travelling exhibit, a pop-up museum that was on display most recently at the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Within a few years, it hopes to become a bricks-and-mortar institution, likely in Johannesburg or Durban, South Africa.”
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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
Saadiyat super tunnel will link Abu Dhabi’s big three museums Safety first as Guggenheim and Louvre satellites to share secure underground link for moving objects with National Zayed Museum The Art Newspaper, 28 August 2014
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — " Abu Dhabi is leaving nothing to chance when it comes to moving objects safely and securely building a high security tunnel that will link the Guggenheim, Louvre and National Zayed Museum, which the British Museum is helping to design, on Saadiyat Island. Measuring 1.2km long, the dual-lane tunnel will be shared by the three institutions to make sure objects can be moved in a secure and climate-controlled environment, confirms a spokesman for the organisation in charge of the mega project, Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC). “The tunnel is one of the most important parts of the Cultural District jigsaw,” Lee Kandalaff, an engineer who is the deputy director of infrastructure delivery, told The National, when the Gulf newspaper was given access to the construction site in July. The 12-metre width of the tunnel will mean “there will never be a traffic jam,” he said. "
Upcoming Bihar museum to be a pride for Biharis The Times of India, 22 August 2014
PATNA, INDIA — “The construction of the new Bihar Museum is in full swing. The state government has now started looking for a competent, international-level fabricator firm for displaying exhibits on the basis of quality and cost-based solution (QCBS) through tender. The state building construction department, in its recent office order, said a special committee with some experienced experts on it, would finalize the firm as per the international guidelines. The shortlisted fabricator will also put up state-of-the-art audio-visual script, audio-visual hardware, show control and lighting fixtures in different art galleries of the museum, said an official.”
Canadian Canoe Museum Re-imagined My Kwartha, 21 August 2014
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO — "The Canadian Canoe Museum opened their doors to visitors in 1997, and displays more than 100 canoes and kayaks at their 910 Monaghan Road location. The museum was founded on the collection of late Professor Kirk Wipper, who felt that the canoe was a great symbol of Canada and that they offer a peek into the way aboriginals and settlers lived long ago. He accumulated over 600 canoes and stored them for years before deciding to work them into exhibits for the world to see. Now, the museum is preparing to undergo a huge transformation as it will relocate to the historic Peterborough Lift Lock site on the shores of the Trent Canal. ‘We are really looking forward to the move. It’s very exciting for us,” says Executive Director Richard Tucker. “The structure here is getting older and it really isn’t the best location for the educational programming that we would like to do,' he explains."
Top exhibit designer visits CMHR Winnipeg Free Press, 20 August 2014
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA — "The world's leading museum exhibit designer visited his latest masterpiece in Winnipeg, describing it as a force for good and beacon of hope in troubling times. ‘That's a good feeling not to feel helpless and hopeless,’ Ralph Appelbaum said Tuesday outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. ‘Over the years, we've worked in all kinds of museums,’ said Appelbaum, the head of Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the world's largest museum exhibition design firm, with offices in New York City, London and Beijing. For the Museum of World Religions in Taiwan, Appelbaum used the metaphor of life's journey to lay out the exhibits and attractions. For the museum in Winnipeg, the metaphor is the long, hard climb to higher ground."
Children’s Museum of Santa Barbara Moves Closer to Reality Noozhawk, 20 August 2014
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA — "Crews have begun work on the much-anticipated Children's Museum of Santa Barbara, a block from the ocean on lower State Street. Plans call for a 25,000-square-foot museum with interactive educational exhibits centered on science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM), in what supporters call a "playground for the brain." City officials plan a formal groundbreaking in the fall, but construction crews are prepping the site now to begin work."
Construction On Schedule At Future Site Of American Revolution Museum CBS Daily, 19 August 2014
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA— "Things are progressing nicely toward completion of the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City, Philadelphia. Grand opening is still set for late 2016 or early 2017," says president and CEO Michael Quinn. "We are on schedule with construction" he said. "The Visitor Center on the site has been completely demolished, and we’re continuing to remove the foundations and are starting archeological work as well."
Robots explore Tate Britain's artwork after dark BBC News, 12 August 2014
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — "Nocturnal robots are set to tour the halls of London's Tate Britain Museum, as part of a unique project aimed at allowing art lovers to explore the building after hours. On Wednesday when the gallery's door close - four remote controlled bots will be set free to roam through 500 years of art. Each machine will live-stream its footage to the Tate's "After Dark" website, where viewers will be able to take turns to control the robots' movements. If they manage to manoeuvre to a work of art, a team of live art experts will be on hand to provide live commentary." [see also: Explore Tate Britain after dark: Scheme lets art lovers remotely drive robots around the museum once everyone has gone home, Mail Online, 12 August 2014]
Frost Museum of Science construction on schedule South Florida Business Journal, 6 August 2014
MIAIMI, FLORIDA — "Construction is in full swing on the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Miami. A $35 million donation by the couple launched construction of the museum, which is targeted to open in 2016. Dr. Phillip Frost is the billionaire who leads Miami-based Opko Health. The facility, under construction at Museum Park in the heart of downtown Miami, was designed by Grimshaw Architects and is being built by Skanska USA Building. It will feature an indoor and outdoor Living Core Aquarium of terrestrial and aquatic environments, with a Gulf Stream tank experience of more than 500,000 gallons of salt water."
Trading in “a Summer Off” to Learn about Human Rights University of Manitoba, August 21, 2014
MANITOBA, CANADA — "This summer—like every summer—the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba fills its classrooms with teachers. Teachers and principals return to school to engage in coursework and push their understanding a little deeper. This year one of those sites for learning was in a brand new course that was developed and delivered in collaboration with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR). This Summer Institute, Teaching and Leading for Human Rights Education offered teachers an opportunity to take an in-depth and critical look at human rights and human rights education. The Summer Institute examined the theories, topics and issues in relation to human rights education, particularly within the context of the establishment of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Teachers and administrators were pushed to consider notions of story and narrative in relation to human rights in order to ask questions, such as: What and whose stories get told, and told by whom and for what purpose(s)? "
Museums
PM approves project to build Vietnam Press Museum Talk Vietnam, 26 August 2014
HANOI, VIETNAM — "The Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has just approved the project on building Vietnam Press Museum in Ha Noi. Of this, the museum will be located at the Viet Nam Journalists Association’s headquarter in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District. The project will include two phases. The first phase will be kicked off from 2014 to 2017. The second phases will be started in 2017 and expected to complete in next years."
West Berkshire Museum opens after refurbishment BBC News, 25 August 2014
BERKSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM – “A museum charting life in Berkshire has reopened after a £2.2m development. The West Berkshire Museum, housed in Newbury's 17th Century Cloth Hall, has been refurbished with new display areas and visitor facilities. Almost 20,000 artefacts, some dating back to the Iron Age, were packed away before the year-long building project. West Berkshire Council's Hilary Cole said the museum's reopening would mean "local heritage can be preserved and enjoyed by future generations".
First World War I museum in Russia opens near St. Petersburg Russia Beyond the Headlines, 24 August 2014
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – “The first museum in Russia dedicated entirely to Russia’s participation in the First World War has opened in Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), just outside St. Petersburg. Three years and 292,000,000 rubles ($8 million) were spent on the restoration of the town’s Martial Chamber, which now houses an exhibition titled ‘Russia in the Great War’. The history of the museum has its roots in the time of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas the Second. In 1911, during the celebration of the bicentennial of Tsarskoye Selo, the imperial family’s country residence, Nicholas II received a priceless gift – a collection of prints, paintings, icons, and maps that told the story of the military history of Russia since ancient times.”
Iraq national museum opens two renovated halls following 2003 looting The Guardian, 21 August 2014
BAGHDAD, IRAQ — "The Iraqi national museum inaugurated two renovated halls adorned with life-size stone statues on Thursday, highlighting the rich history of a country once again shattered by war. The newly renovated halls feature more than 500 artifacts that mainly date back to the Hellenistic period (312-139BC), some of which were retrieved and renovated after the looting of the museum following the 2003 US-led invasion, said Qais Rashid, who heads the state-run museum department. The museum chronicles some 7,000 years of Mesopotamian civilization, including the ancient Babylonians, Sumerians and Assyrians, but remains closed to the general public out of security fears."
Morocco’s national museum of Modern and contemporary art to open next month The Art Newspaper, 21 August 2014
RABAT, MOROCCO — "Morocco is due to get its first major national museum since gaining independence from France more than 50 years ago. The Mohammed VI Musée National d’Art Moderne et Contemporaine will open officially on 25 September. Located in the heart of the capital city Rabat, the three-level 22,350 sq. m building will consist of 4,921 sq. m for a permanent collection and 2,558 sq. m for temporary exhibits, conservation laboratories, an auditorium, education centre, a multimedia library and a café. The ministry of culture and the Fonds Hassan II for Economic and Social Development funded the 73m Dh ($9m) building and Abdelazzi Idrissi, an archaeologist and conservator, has been appointed its director. The museum was scheduled to open at the end of May, although many thought the date somewhat optimistic."
New Brunswick Museum secures $1.1M for collections centre upgrade CBC News, 19 August 2014
SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK — "The New Brunswick Museum is getting $1.1 million from the provincial government to plan a refurbishment and expansion of its collections centre in Saint John. The money will be used for design work costing and a fundraising feasibility study, said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Trevor Holder. ‘Our continued investment in the New Brunswick Museum underscores our pride in our collective heritage and our commitment to ensuring it is preserved for future generations,’ Holder said in a statement on Monday.”
Johnny Cash home opens as a museum 7 News, 18 August 2014
DYESS, ARKANSAS — "Johnny Cash's childhood home in Dyess, Arkansas has opened as a museum to the country music legend. The US singer and his family moved to Dyess when Cash was three. The five-room home has been refurbished and features the family's piano as well as other period items and memorabilia."
Museo Reina Sofía plans another expansion The Art Newspaper, 15 August 2014
MADRID, SPAIN — "The director of the Museo Reina Sofía, Manuel Borja-Villel, has just announced that Madrid’s main Modern and contemporary art museum will expand its permanent exhibition space by a total of 3,000 sq. m by the end of 2015. In an interview with EFE news agency, Borja-Villel said the project will “finally” join the Francisco Sabatini-designed building, which fully opened as an art museum in 1992, with the extension by Jean Nouvel, completed in 2005. ‘Everything is going to be relocated’, says Borja-Villel, with works to be moved into the space currently used for storage and offices, in order to finalise a rehang of the permanent collection. This will allow the museum to show its most recent acquisitions. The project will also include a redesign of Nouvel’s plaza, and is projected to be completed by the end of 2015. Borja-Villel says he would also like to redo the entrance plaza to the Sabatini building, which had been planned earlier but was stopped because of the financial crisis.”
Eastern Ukraine’s museums told to hide their collections The Art Newspaper, 14 August 2014
EASTERN UKRAINE — “Culture officials in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine have ordered museums to put their most valuable pieces into storage, and some institutions have closed to the public, as fighting continues between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces. Ukraine’s culture ministry has also asked that the media refrain from ‘emphasising objects of cultural heritage’ to avoid their being targeted, according to an 8 August statement on the ministry’s website. This comes after reports that two of the city’s museums have been damaged by artillery fire. The Russian-language website Informator.lg.ug reported in July that a shell had hit and damaged the Museum of History and Culture of Luhansk, housed in a historic 19th-century building. It is not clear who fired the shot, the separatists or Ukrainian forces. Other local media said that the museum, which has a collection of more than 50,000 pieces, suffered significant damage inside as well."
Holocaust Memorial Museum archive to be constructed in Bowie area Maryland Community News Online, 14 August 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. — "Bowie will soon be the home of the largest collection of Holocaust archives in the world, according to representatives from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Andrew Hollinger, a spokesman for the museum, said that because of recent efforts to search out and collect evidence of the Holocaust, the museum expects its collection to double in size over the next decade. Museum officials found a location in the Bowie area that was large enough to meet their needs and plan to complete construction on a new $40 million archive center there by the end of 2016, Hollinger said. The center will be named the David and Fela Shapell Family Collections and Conservation Center after a Los Angeles couple who survived the Holocaust and donated $15 million to the project, he said."
National Railway Museum submits plans for improved miniature railway The Press, 12 August 2014
YORK, UNITED KINGDOM — "THE National Railway Museum wants to put a new improved miniature railway into its south yard to attract more paying customers and boost its offer for model railway fans. The museum has applied for planning permission to remove and reuse its existing mini railway, transforming the attraction into a dual track that can be travelled along by two different sizes of engines and rolling stock."
With leased space, proposed Houston Bicycle Museum is on a roll Chron, 11 August 2014
HOUSTON, TEXAS — "Of all the inventions that have revolutionized modern life, perhaps the most under-rated is the bicycle. The two-wheeler's low profile could change, however, if Houston bike shop owner Joy Boone succeeds in her dream to build the Houston Bicycle Museum. Since 1968, Boone has owned Daniel Boone Cycles at 5318 Crawford, which she says makes it the city's oldest bicycle shop. In nearly five decades, she has seen various bike trends wax and wane and has long held a desire to start a museum."
$21.5M Children's Museum 'Amazeum' Taking Shape in Bentonville Arkansas Business, 11 August 2014
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS — "Sweat gathered in Sam Dean’s shirt collar under a relentless midday sun Tuesday. Dean, the executive director of the Amazeum, was too stoked about the $14.5 million erector set going up on Northeast J Street in Bentonville to notice. The Amazeum, billed as an interactive children’s museum, isn’t scheduled to open until 2015, but after years of planning it is at least beginning to take physical shape. The concrete floor has been laid and most of the interior steel frame has gone up. In the near-formless open space underneath the exoskeleton, Dean is the proverbial kid in a candy store, excitedly pointing out where attractions such as a “Tinkering” station, a water lab and climbing canopy will be situated. This is a man who stops the tour briefly to describe some underground system so you can understand why he wants his office at the building to be in the tree house. Yes, there will be a tree house in the Amazeum."
Decatur’s Cook’s Pest Control unveils plan for new natural science museum WHNT 19 News, 8 August 2014
DECATUR, ALABAMA — “Cook’s Pest Control announced in January it would spend $7 million revamping the Cook Museum of Natural Science in downtown Decatur. Officials said the expanded attraction would lure up to 200,000 visitors within its first year of operation and bring new life to a vacant auto parts store in the heart of the River City. Since January plans for the 34-year-old natural science facility have changed, big time. Cook’s said Thursday it has come up with a new plan for the museum based on attendance projections. The estimated cost for expanding the nonprofit organization is now $15 million, up from $10 million eight months ago."
Ahoy vey! Lighthouse Museum finally opens Crain's New York Business, 6 August 2014
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK - "It's been 16 years in the making, and it's still not even complete, but on Thursday there will be a ceremonial opening of the National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island. The long-stalled institution still needs $200,000 to finish paying for the exhibits, and the museum's executive director Linda Dianto says she hopes the festivities planned for Thursday and Friday will help raise the money so a real opening can be held in November. So far the museum has raised $500,000 from funders such as local politicians and the U.S. Lighthouse Society, a nonprofit organization."
Museum Campus South Initiative To Link Local Museums, Encourage Exploration Chicagoist, 6 August 2014
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - "Location, location location. It’s pretty sweet that in a city full of traffic headaches, construction and a myriad of summer festivals that can make getting around difficult, some of the city’s main attractions are grouped so closely together. Museum Campus is one of our favorite places, giving us access to gorgeous views of the lake and the opportunity to peruse the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, or the Shedd with very little fuss (once getting off of Lake Shore Drive, of course). Proximity promotes exploration, whether visitors try to marathon their way through all three in a day or know where to come back to explore more later.”
A jurassic park in Tagore abode The Telegraph, 4 August 2014
NEW DELHI, INDIA — "Visva-Bharati has invited an Indian- origin American fossil expert to help establish a museum that will portray prehistoric life on the subcontinent over the past 300 million years, a dream he has nurtured for decades. Sankar Chatterjee, professor of palaeontology at Texas Tech University, is expected to come to India early next year in connection with a Fulbright-Nehru academic excellence award and start work on the Santiniketan museum. The museum will display casts of the fossils of several species of dinosaurs, dinosaur eggs and prehistoric mammals from the Himalayan foothills, and portray the arrival of modern humans into the subcontinent from Africa at least 65,000 years ago.
Museum celebrating 'Big Bang' of country music opens in Virginia Reuters, 1 August 2014
VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES — "A museum celebrating 10 days in 1927 that helped introduce the mountain music of Appalachia to mainstream America opened in Virginia on Friday. The Birthplace of Country Music Museum tells the story of record producer Ralph Peer, who offered $50 to "hillbilly" musicians willing to come to a makeshift studio in Bristol, Tennessee, and play into his modern microphone. The result, which launched the careers of such luminaries as Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, was dubbed by music historian Nolan Porterfield as "the Big Bang of country music" and hailed by Johnny Cash as the genre's most important moment."
Who's museum is it anyway? (Page 30) Attractions Management, August 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "Angry exchanges over building proposals at the Museum of Modern Art in New York have reignited the debate over priorities. For some, the decision to tear down the adjacent building - the former home of the American Folk Art museum - to create a public space was misguided. Others are passionate that the quality of the visiting and non-visiting public's experience will be enhanced. The focus of the museums on the public is not new. Over decades, the audience has been increasingly courted by museums. Museum activist and author Kenneth Hudson went so far as to say ‘the most fundamental change that has affected museums is the now almost universal convictions that they exist in order to serve the public. The old-style museum felt itself to be under no such obligation ... The museum's prime responsibility was ti its collections, not to its visitors.’
Architecture
Work begins on cultural projects at Southern Utah University by Brooks + Scarpa World Architecture News, 22 August 2014
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Brooks + Scarpa has designed three new centres for the Southern Utah University (SUU) campus: the Southern University Museum of Arts (SUMA); the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts; and an Artistic/Production Building. The SUMA will be the anchor for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts which will replace the existing open-air Adams Theater. Construction is due to begin on the project shortly, providing updated art gallery space on the Southern Utah University campus. Inspired by the nearby sandstone formations of Bryce Canyon and Mt. Zion National Park, the design team has generated a canyon-like roof system with a dramatic cantilever that provides an additional 5,000 sq ft of external space."
FJMT scoops first schmidt hammer lassen architects - Public Library of the Year Award World Architecture News, 20 August 2014
HUME CITY, AUSTRALIA—- "Earlier this year, Danish practice schmidt hammer lassen architects and the Danish Agency for Culture initiated a new award to celebrate public libraries. Based on a series of six criteria, FJMT’s Craigieburn Library in Hume City, Australia has been announced as the winner of this inaugural competition. Morten Schmidt, senior partner at schmidt hammer lassen architects notes: “Modern libraries are one of the most important platforms for exchanging knowledge. As opposed to information found on the internet, the knowledge that arises through collaboration and exchange between people in a library is of particular significance. That is why it is crucial for library architecture to support collaboration and create spaces that invite people to meet.”
London Science Museum Selects Wilkinson Eyre to Design Medical Galleries Arch Daily, 15 August 2014
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — "London’s Science Museum has announced Wilkinson Eyre as the winner of its competition to design new medical galleries. Winning the project over a shortlist of six other architects – including Caruso St John, Amanda Levete Architects and Haworth Tompkins - Wilkinson Eyre’s £24 million galleries will occupy 3,000 square metres on the museum’s first floor, almost doubling the size of the museum’s existing galleries.
Palace Museum to set up architectural institute This is Beijing, 15 August 2014
BEIJING, CHINA — "The Palace Museum in Beijing plans to establish a research institute on ancient architecture, it announced on Aug 13. The institute will also be a key scientific research base under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage to protect and study royal construction from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. According to Shan Jixiang, director of the museum, the unit will be devoted to multiple fields, including the inheritance and development of traditional architectural skills, the adoption of modern technologies and training of relevant professionals."
World Architecture News, 14 August 2014
WARSAW, POLAND — "In March this year, WAN announced the shortlist for a design competition to generate a new joint home for the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw and the TR Warszawa Theatre. This competition (see brief here) has now been won by New York-based Thomas Phifer and Partners. The combined cost of these two venues is approximately $126m with a completion date set for the end of 2019. The winning design comprises two separate volumes connected by a covered passageway or ‘forum’. On one side of this forum, visitors will find a 15,000 sq m building housing the Museum of Modern Art and on the other will be a 10,000 sq m volume for the TR Warszawa Theatre. This shared space will be a platform for concerts, outdoor performances, and art exhibitions."
Construction starts on barn-inspired USA Pavilion at Milan Expo by Biber Architects World Architecture News, 6 August 2014
MILAN, ITALY — "Construction has begun on the USA Pavilion for the 2015 Milan Expo, a six-month event that commences on 1 May next year. In line with the overarching theme of the Expo (Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life), the Biber Architects-designed pavilion has been entitled American Food 2.0: United to Feed the Planet, and explores the role that the USA plays in the global food network. US Secretary of State John Kerry explains: ‘The Milan World Expo of 2015 is a chance for us to share with the world the work that American scientists, chefs, entrepreneurs, farmers and fisherman all continue to do day in and day out and hopefully help people to understand the ways in which we can make progress in the future.’”
Museum of the American Indian to be submitted for planning in September 2014 World Architecture News, 5 August 2014
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA — "This new building for the Museum for the American Indian (MAI) will replace an existing modest structure that currently houses the Museum of the American Indian in Marin County, California. This unique site was a working Miwok Village one hundred years ago and is adjacent to an active creek; however, over time, the surrounding landscape has changed and subdivisions have grown around it. Kuth Ranieri Architects’ design looks to blend the delicate and sacred Native history with the context of a suburban subdivision. The team’s approach was to create an integrated project by designing a building that could navigate this sub-rural context by appropriating the common construction materials of neighboring single-family houses: fences, siding and low pitched roofs, yet re-scripted this familiar kit-of-parts into a new expression of assembly."
Nelson-Atkins Museum dreams of a cultural district with pedestrian bridges and a hotel The Kansas City Star, 2 August 2014
KANSAS MISSOURI — "Imagine a cultural district emanating from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art a mile in any direction. Lawns, walkways, sculptures and parks — it’s a big idea that’s certain to generate a lot of debate. But from the iconic “Shuttlecocks” to the internationally acclaimed Bloch Building, the museum has a history of turning controversy into triumph. A new study the museum commissioned from the New York urban design firm Weiss/Manfredi envisions a unified cultural district stretching from Broadway to the Paseo and 44th to 55th streets. The district would encompass roughly 4 square miles in a 1-mile radius around the intersection of Oak Street and Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard.”
Rem Koolhaas’s Venice Architecture Biennale opens this week The Art Newspaper, 2 June 2014
VENICE, ITALY — "Like Massimiliano Gioni’s Venice Biennale last year, Rem Koolhaas’s Architecture Biennale, “Fundamentals”, which opens this week, draws on history and research, rather than contemporary culture. But the Dutch architect says the two shows are not linked since he has been preparing “Fundamentals” for around two years—a year longer than is usually given to curators to work on a biennial in Venice. “That was one of two conditions I asked for, the other being that I didn’t want any contemporary architecture.” If Koolhaas was not directly inspired by Gioni, whose exhibition tried to move away from the market-driven contemporary art world, then perhaps it is a reaction to David Chipperfield’s Architecture Biennale of 2012, which some critics said was too focused on “starchitects” rather than architecture. Koolhaas says he wants his to be “more coherent than previous editions”. He has arranged the exhibition as three separate but interlocking displays, unified by the idea that a historical and political analysis of the past 100 years of architecture is the key to understanding the discipline’s future "
Indesignlivesingapore, 22 July 2014
CHINA — "Shenzhen will soon be home to China’s very first major design museum. The project was announced earlier this month following a recent agreement between the China Merchants Group (CMG) – whose real estate flagship will develop the museum – and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). The studio of Pritzker-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki has been commissioned for the design. The museum will form part of Maki’s Shenzhen Sea World Cultural Arts Center, situated on Shenzhen’s Shekou Peninsula – a large-scale urban development comprising retail, commercial, cultural and residential spaces. Early images of Maki’s design for the Shekou design museum reveal cantilevered forms in the architect’s trademark understated modernist style, punctuated by green public spaces."
Technology
Drones could find their way over Disneyland Orange County Register, 26 August 2014
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA — “Tinkerbell just might be able to fly over Main Street, U.S.A. without wires someday. The concept could come true as the Walt Disney Co. seeks ways to incorporate drones into its theme parks. Three Disney Imagineers have filed patents that outline plans to use unmanned aircraft systems capable of carrying large puppet-like characters and projection screens during nighttime shows – signaling a potential change in how the company engages crowds while keeping up with the latest technology."
Elvis Presley™ Virtually Comes Back To Life Buffalo, Business First, 26 August 2014
UNITED STATES— “Pulse Evolution Corporation (OTC: PLFX) and The Estate of Elvis Presley™ have forged a partnership to develop a virtual "King of Rock 'n' Roll." By leveraging state of the art human animation technology, Elvis will return to fans in the form of new and exciting entertainment and branding opportunities, including "holographic" performances in live shows, commercials, and more. "For us, working with Pulse is about the opportunity to present Elvis to a new generation of fans who would otherwise never get to see him perform," said Jamie Salter, Chairman and CEO of Authentic Brands Group, owner of The Estate of Elvis Presley™ in partnership with the Presley family. ‘Our goals for a digitized Elvis are integrity and authenticity, to provide fans with an experience that they love and are proud to be a part of.’"
London's National Gallery relents over photography ban Leisure Opportunities, 21 August 2014
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — "The National Gallery in London is allowing visitors to take photographs of its collection for the first time, after relenting in a losing battle against smartphones. Until the end of July, the gallery had banned all photography by members of the public, but staff found it increasingly challenging to differentiate from when guests took photos on their phone or were simply using the gallery’s free wifi to research the works online. The gallery will now permit visitors to take photos using their phones and standalone cameras. The decision means the National Gallery has fallen in line with the majority of the UK’s museums and galleries by allowing the photography of its permanent collection.”
Leisure Opportunities, 20 August 2014
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — "A Wikipedia-esque crowd-sourcing project has been used by the British Museum to transcribe a handwritten catalogue dating back to the 18th century – comprising 30,000 metalwork objects from across the ages – with the entire database going online in an open-source format. The images – which are freely available in return for the volunteers’ assistance in cataloguing the vast collection – will form one of the largest databases on prehistoric metalwork anywhere in the world and can actually be used to 3D print any object in the database. The online collection is copyright free – as well as the information – which, much like Wikipedia, is available on open-source software and can be republished freely.”
OVA Studio brings the oceans to life with 3D Swimarium ALVA, 20 August 2014
HONG KONG, CHINA — "A new attraction from Hong Kong’s OVA Studio can recreate the world’s oceans, using projected imagery on LED screens to bring the Bahamas, Maldives, Great Barrier Reef and more to the uniquely designed swimming pools. The luxury pool is housed inside a glass dome encompassed with LED screens which then correspond with underwater cameras in oceans around the world to create on screen immersive images of what it would be like to swim in these spots."
Ring, ring: London statues want to talk to you The Big Story, 19 August 2014
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — “Calling all London tourists: Peter Pan, Sherlock Holmes and Queen Victoria want to have a word with you. A new interactive arts project is giving a voice to dozens of statues of historical and fictional characters in London, allowing them to tell their stories and entertain curious visitors and weary commuters as they pass by. ‘Every city everywhere has statues that go ignored,’ Colette Hiller, creative director of arts producers Sing London, said Tuesday at the project's launch. ‘So we thought about how we could work with the writers, the actors, the comedians from that city to bring them to life.’” [see also: A-listers give voices to London’s talking statues, Leisure Management, 19 August 2014]
All of Andy's films to be digitised, plus 4,000 videos The Art Newspaper, 14 August 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — "Andy Warhol’s films and videos, all 60 feature films and 279 screen tests, will be digitised, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, and the Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, announced today, 14 August. The epic project—there are around 1,000 rolls of films to capture frame by frame, and 4,000 videos—is made possible by the technical expertise and sponsorship of the special effects company MPC. The technology company Adstream will provide digital asset management. The partnership will be a “multi-year project”, according to MoMA’s press statement." [see also: New York's MoMA to digitise hundreds of Andy Warhol films, The Guardian, 14 August 2014]
State Museum to open new planetarium, observatory, 4D theater Greenville Online, 7 August 2014
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - "The state’s biggest planetarium, now at the Roper Mountain Science Center, is about to become No. 2. The South Carolina State Museum in Columbia plans to open not only a slightly larger-domed whiz-bang astronomical theater, but also an observatory that will stream images into classrooms across the state. And there’s more: The $21 million museum upgrades also include the state’s only 4D multisensory theater. It will spray water, tickle ankles, blast air, emit smells, make snow, bubbles and smoke for kids in vibrating chairs — all synchronized to images displayed on the movie screen."
Museums See Different Virtues in Virtual Worlds The New York Times, 7 August 2014
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - "LIKE vodka and fun-house mirrors and trips to Japan, the Internet can make you feel bigger than you are. It persuades vitamin D-starved shut-ins to try their hand as webcam stars. It tempts the rude to imagine their impertinence catching global fire through that perfectly worded comment. It seduces the artisanal cheese maker with visions of a worldwide market beyond the alley boutique. And it can make even the oldest-school art museum wonder: Could our collection reach the villages of China and the universities of Peru and perhaps a prison or two? Could it touch those who have no chance of entering our physical doors? Could it spread to the whole world?"
5-Minute Animation Maps 2,600 Years of Western Cultural History Open Culture, 4 August 2014
DALLAS, TEXAS — "Working with his colleagues, Maximilian Schich, an art historian at the University of Texas at Dallas, took Freebase (Google’s “community-curated database of well-known people, places, and things”) and gathered data on 150,000 important artists and cultural figures who lived during the long arc of Western history (6oo BCE to 2012). The scholars then mapped these figures’ births and deaths (blue=birth, red=death) and traced their movements through time and place. The result is a 5-minute animation (above), showing how the West’s great cultural centers shifted from Rome, eventually to Paris (circa 1789), and more recently to New York and Los Angeles. Maps documenting the flow of ideas and people in other geographies will come next.”
Google Glass to revolutionise the way we look at art Leisure Opportunities, 10 June 2014
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM — "A research team is investigating how Google Glass can be used to display instant information on artworks as visitors walk round museums and galleries, with the possibility the technology could replace guidebooks and audio guides entirely. A team from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in the north of England is using artist George Stubbs’ artwork Cheetah and Stag with Two Indians to test the service, which provides the user with information they would normally read on the wall while audio information about Stubbs will also be made available to the viewer.”
Art and Culture
Beyond Barbie: Students Design Doll That Sports a Nobel Prize, Not a Bikini TakePart, 19 August 2014
UNITED STATES — "When Mattel launched Entrepreneur Barbie last spring, the company ensured the doll was ready to “lean in” to the business world with a smartphone and chic professional clothing. It was a far cry from Barbie’s bikini past, but no matter how the figure is dressed up, there’s no denying it’s the same iconic doll, complete with a body that’s unattainable unless a woman has serious plastic surgery. What if there were dolls that encouraged girls to dream big while exposing them to the notable accomplishments of real-life women—specifically, a woman like Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie? That’s where Miss Possible comes in: It's a line of dolls being developed by Supriya Hobbs, a 22-year-old who graduated from the University of Illinois in May with a degree in chemical engineering, and Janna Eaves, a 21-year-old senior at the school who is majoring in materials science and engineering. According to the project’s website, the duo ‘wants to shake up what opportunities girls see for themselves by showing them women who succeeded in many fields.’”
Meet The Generation Of Incredible Native American Women Fighting To Preserve Their Culture www.marieclaire.co.uk, 19 August 2014
UNITED STATES — "
Native Americans represent just one per cent of the US population and some languages have only one speaker left. Now a new generation is fighting to preserve the culture.
Meet the women leading that fight: Evereta Thinn, Age: 30 , Tribe Affiliation: Diné (Navajo) , Occupation: Administrator at a Shonto School District.
Prints of Louvre masterpieces found covered in fungus The Art Newspaper, 14 August 2014
QUITO, ECUADOR — "A collection of prints illustrating well-known works in the Louvre, rediscovered after years in storage at Ecuador’s Casa de la Cultura, during which time they became covered in mould, have been restored and are on shown in Quito. Nearly 90 prints were brought to Ecuador some time ago as teaching aids for students of the country’s School of Fine Arts, which was founded in 1904. Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun’s Madame Lebrun with Daughter, 1789, and Eugene Delacroix’s Barque of Dante, 1822, are among the works reproduced.”
Painting lost after Second World War returned to Poland The Art Newspaper, 13 August 2014
WROCLAW, POLAND — "A painting by the 19th-century Düsseldorf-based artist Oswald Achenbach has been returned to Wroclaw, Poland, 50 years after going missing in the aftermath of the Second World War. In May, employees of the Polish Department for War Losses spotted Via Cassia near Rome, 1878, in a Van Ham, Cologne, auction catalogue (est. €12,000-€15,000). The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage contacted the National Museum in Wroclaw, which promptly assembled the documentation to prove its claim to the painting. Although individuals in Germany are not legally required to return looted works of art, due to the country’s statute of limitations, the owner of the painting agreed to give it back to the museum, where it will be displayed in the coming months."
Jordanian shopkeeper now helps protect Petra The Art Newspaper, 15 August 2014
PETRA, JORDAN — "A former shopkeeper in Jordan is now using his rock climbing skills to help preserve the ancient site of Petra, thanks to a Unesco project. The Siq Stability Project—which has trained locals to help monitors the gorge that runs through Petra—has had a life-changing impact on Ataf Al Fager of the Bedouin village Um Sayhoun, next to Petra. While he previously sold souvenirs to tourists, Al Fager has now been trained in rock climbing techniques, allowing him to monitor the optical prisms installed on the rock face, used as reflectors by surveyors. In six of Petra’s most hazardous spots, he also checks equipment that wirelessly collects data on cracks in the rock face, and photographs any changes that he notices in the environment, sending his images to the Petra Archaeological Park and Unesco’s office in Amman. At the same time, he has been raising awareness about the prisms among local people, who used to smash the devices, believing them to be cameras."
With New Home Open, Aspen Art Museum Focuses On The Art Hidden Colorado, 14 August 2014
ASPEN, COLORADO — "Aspen has been home to a contemporary art museum for 35 years. Now, after seven years of controversy over design and size, the Aspen Art Museum is open in its new $45 million home. Officials say it’s finally all about the art. ‘Contemporary art, and a contemporary art museum like ours, without a permanent collection, is a laboratory,’ said Aspen Art Museum CEO and director Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson. That 33,000 square foot laboratory currently includes sculpture, humanitarian architecture, paintings, drawings, ceramics, environmental installations, and works on paper. The totality of the inaugural exhibits and projects were “designed to show the breadth and depth” of its interest in both loaned and newly commissioned work.” [see also: NewAspen Art Museum to open in Colorado, Design Build Network, 5 August 2014]
'Art Everywhere US' floods cities, rural areas with paintings Reuters, 8 August 2014
UNITED STATES — "From the stern couple in "American Gothic" displayed at a bus station in New York to the colourful flags in "Allies Day" over an intersection in Chicago, paintings are popping up everywhere in what is billed as the world's largest art show. "Art Everywhere US," which was launched this week and runs through Aug. 31, features reproductions of 58 classic and contemporary American paintings, including works by Grant Wood, Childe Hassam and Winslow Homer, displayed on public spaces in cities and rural areas normally reserved for advertising. The aim of the project is to spark conversations and museum visits."
UNESCO grants Mayan heritage site double World Heritage status Attractions Management, 7 August 2014
MEXICO — "A World Heritage site in Mexico has been granted rare double World Heritage status by UNESCO, which deemed the site as of both cultural and natural importance. Calakmul – a Mayan archaeological site and biosphere reserve – is now one of 31 sites in the world which has the special status, protecting not only the structures, but the surrounding rainforest and marking it as one of the most significant heritage sites anywhere in the world. Located 35km (22m) from the Mexico/Guatemala border, Calakmul – which dates back to around 300 BC – was one of the largest and most powerful ancient cities ever uncovered in the Maya lowlands. There are 6,750 ancient structures identified at Calakmul; the largest of which is the great pyramid at the site.”
Monkey selfie sparks copyright battle with Wikipedia The Star, 7 August 2014
Somewhere in the jungles of Indonesia — perhaps fleeing a lion or eating a banana in a tree — is a monkey who takes a mean selfie. That monkey is now in the middle of a bizarre copyright battle between Wikimedia and nature photographer David Slater of Gloucestershire, England. The trouble started in 2011 when Slater ventured to an Indonesian jungle to take photos of extremely rare crested black macaque monkeys. A curious female grabbed his camera and snapped hundreds of shots before Slater eventually retrieved it. Most of the monkey’s efforts weren’t so good but a few are gems and now they’re posted on Wikimedia Commons, where images and videos are offered to the public for free.
DIA Media Room, 6 August 2014
DETROIT, MICHIGAN —“The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) announced today that Toyota Motor North America pledged $1 million toward the DIA’s commitment to raise $100 million as part of a “grand bargain” that will help the City of Detroit emerge from bankruptcy, support city pensioners and protect the museum’s art collection for the public. “Toyota has demonstrated its commitment to Detroit and Michigan by doing its part to secure the DIA’s future while helping Detroit’s retirees,” said Eugene A. Gargaro Jr., DIA board chairman. "We are extremely grateful for Toyota’s generous support and know that it will motivate other donors and help pave the way for a bright future, both for the City of Detroit and the DIA.”
As forests are cleared and species vanish, there's one other loss: a world of languages A new report shows a direct link between disappearing habitats and the loss of languages. One in four of the world's 7,000 spoken tongues is now at risk of falling silent for ever as the threat to cultural biodiversity grows theguardian.co.uk, 8 June 2014
WORLD —“Benny Wenda from the highlands of West Papua speaks only nine languages these days. In his village of Pyramid in the Baliem valley, he converses in Lani, the language of his tribe, as well as Dani, Yali, Mee and Walak. Elsewhere, he speaks Indonesian, Papua New Guinean Pidgin, coastal Bayak and English. Wenda has known and forgotten other languages. Some are indigenous, spoken by his grandparents or just a few hundred people from neighbouring valleys; others are the languages of Indonesian colonists and global businesses. His words for "greeting" are, variously, Kawonak, Nayak, Nareh, Koyao, Aelak, Selamt, Brata, Tabeaya and Hello. New Guinea has around 1,000 languages, but as the politics change and deforestation accelerates, the natural barriers that once allowed so many languages to develop there in isolation are broken down.”
Creative Economies, Creative Cities, Innovation and Urban Planning, Cultural Tourism
Discovery Cube Los Angeles finally set to open after 16 years Leisure Management, 26 August 2014
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — "A US$21.8m (€16.5m, £13.1m) building paid for by the city of Los Angeles, US, but never used, is finally set to open as a museum 16 years after it was supposed to. Dubbed the Discovery Cube Los Angeles, the facility will open 13 November and will operate in tandem with the long-established but recently-renamed Discovery Cube Orange County Santa Ana – previously known as the Discovery Science Center. Opening more than a decade later than planned and under a different plan, the 71,000sq ft (6,596sq m) area, which features an outdoor courtyard, is expected to draw 180,000 visitors in its first year. Due to rulings on the non-profit former Discovery Science Center, the city of LA would have been liable to pay more than US$16.2m (€12.3m, £9.8m) in wasted public construction funds if a museum didn’t open in the empty building by March 2015.
Zimbabwe wants Victoria Falls to host Disney theme park Victoria Falls 24, 22 August 2014
VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE — "The Zimbabwe government wants to bring a Disneyland theme park to Victoria Falls, with the country’s tourism minister inviting foreign investors to pitch in for what would be the first Disney theme park on the African continent. >Despite the fact there has been no official confirmation on any such development from Disney, President Robert Mugabe’s government is keen to boost current tourism numbers by five times. He sees the proposed park, along with new hotels and a convention centre in an US$300m (€224.2m, £193.3m) entertainment complex at Victoria Falls as the way to do that."
Nigerian President looks to heritage to kickstart tourism industry Attractions Management, 22 August 2014
NIGERIA — "Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has said a new heritage project will overhaul the country’s global image and boost revenues from tourism and culture. The scheme, Nigeria, Our Heritage Project, will celebrate the cultural inheritance and economic endowment of Nigeria. Speaking at the launch of the project in Washington DC, US, the President expressed his regret that Nigeria has ‘come under a global media conspiracy that brought humiliation for the country.’”
Will Private Sector Fund German MoMA? ArtNet News, 20 August 2014
BERLIN, GERMANY — "German culture minister Monika Grütters has called on the private sector and individual donors to help realize Berlin’s forthcoming Museum of Modern Art, the dpa reports. She told the news agency, “I hope that the federal government doesn’t stand alone,” in funding the new museum aimed at presenting the country’s holdings of 20th century art. The project is estimated to cost €170 million ($225 million) and take approximately 10 years to complete. It will most likely be located directly behind Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie on the so-called Kulturforum. Grütters also requested that the city of Berlin chip in to help fund the new museum’s construction."
Russia to spend $22 million to restore World Heritage Site Voice of Russia UK, 18 August 2014
RUSSIA — "A total of over $22 million will be allocated from Russia's federal budget to restore the ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the deputy prime minister said on Monday. ‘The Solovetsky Islands are a symbol of courage and faith for every Russian. The restoration of the ensemble is our duty,’ Olga Golodets said. The Solovetsky Islands are an archipelago in the White Sea. There are about 100 islands, inhabited by only 1,400 people. The Greater Solovetsky Island is the biggest, famous for its medieval monastery, which was founded in 1429."
House of Vans skate and culture hub goes underground in London Leisure Management, 15 August 2014
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — "Designed by Tim Greatrex, the new House of Vans Park entertainment hub has opened to the public after over a year of work. Located in the tunnels under London's Waterloo Station, the 30,000sq ft (9,144sq m) venue will showcase an art gallery, a VansLab artist incubator space, cinema, live music venue, café and bars, gifting suite, plus a skater built and designed concrete bowl, mini ramp and street course. Two of the five tunnels on the site were previously occupied by the Old Vic Theatre – these have been dedicated to skating alone – while the rest of the venue features are located in the remaining three spaces:”
Rotterdam canal being converted into artificial river Leisure Management, 15 August 2014
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — "Plans have been announced to convert a section of canal in the heart of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, into a wave simulator to be home to surfing, kayaking, scuba diving and a host of other aquatic sports and activities. The artificial river RiF010 – being built by Waveloch at a cost of €3.3m (US$4.4m, £2.6m) will be able to generate a 1.5m (4.9ft) wave while creating naturally-purified water inside the canal (replacing the existing pond water in the process). Also included will be a beach house, designed by Den Haag-based Morfis Architecture.”
UNESCO, Culture Ministry build national museum Talk of Sudan, 14 August 2014
JUBA, SUDAN — "UNESCO says it has started a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports to establish a national museum. The museum will play a big role in the national healing process in the country. “We have started with the first Phase which is the conventional design of the project,” said Ellen Lekka, UNESCO Culture Specialist. Ms Lekka said they have visited many places in Western-Bahr el-Ghazal and Eastern-Equatoria states and have collected cultural objects from different communities. She said the artifacts will be displayed in the national museum, in Juba. Ms Lekka added that the construction of the museum is a community-led project that will ensure full representation of the communities.
Tai O looks to build its own heritage museum as private showroom closes South China Morning Post, 13 August 2014
TAI O, CHINA — "While a privately owned folk museum in Tai O faces closure, the rural committee there is planning to build its own heritage showroom in the Lantau town famed for its stilt houses. The committee hopes the tentatively named Tai O Heritage Centre will serve as a visitor information facility for the growing number of tourists visiting the town as well as showcasing the area's history.
Kremlin Undergoing Major Renovation to Lure Tourists The Moscow Times, 12 August 2014
MOSCOW, RUSSIA — The Kremlin's historic building complex in the heart of Moscow is undergoing a series of changes to make it more accessible to tourists, and the presidential administration's unused offices may be torn down to restore the world heritage site's ‘historic look.’ Most of the presidential administration has already been moved outside the Kremlin as part of the ongoing renovation project, and President Vladimir Putin has declared that their offices will remain outside the compound, property manager Lt. Gen. Sergei Khlebnikov said in an interview published Tuesday.
India oceanarium would be largest in country pending government approval Leisure Management, 12 August 2014
DIU, INDIA — "Plans for a Rs500 crore (US$81.7m, €61m, £48.7m) oceanarium in Diu, situated in the west of India's Saurashtra peninsula, would be the largest of its kind anywhere in the country should plans come to fruition. The large seawater aquarium will be used for scientific study and as an attraction. India’s central government has agreed, in principle, to build the aquarium in Diu – an island on the Indian coast accessible by bridge – which is looking to kickstart its tourism potential and increase commercial activity for the island."
Harper Government Formally Protects Ukkusiksalik National Park Parks Canada, 12 August 2014
OTTAWA, ONTARIO — "The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment and Minister Responsible for Parks Canada, today announced that the Government of Canada has taken the final step to create and protect Ukkusiksalik National Park of Canada by enshrining it in the Canada National Parks Act through an Order-in-Council. The formal establishment of Ukkusiksalik National Park under the Canada National Parks Act will result in greater ecological protection for important northern ecosystems and contribute to the completion of Parks Canada’s National Parks System by protecting a representative portion of the Central Tundra Natural Region. This final step legally brings Ukkusiksalik under Canada’s strongest legislation for the protection of natural areas and provides Parks Canada with full administrative and legal authority to manage Ukkusiksalik as a national park.”
Over £11m handed out by Heritage Lottery Fund for key projects Leisure Opportunities, 11 August 2014
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — "There's no such thing as a summer lull at the Heritage Lottery Fund, which last week awarded just over £11m to three projects, while one of its previously-funded sites opened on 9 August after receiving a final £950k. Here’s a round-up of what took place last week: Walthamstow Reservoirs London Wetlands project has been awarded £4.4m grant. A report in 2013 found that 57 per cent of freshwater and wetland species have declined over the last 50 years - as a result - this project in northeast London, aims to open up ten of Walthamstow’s reservoirs, transforming them into urban wetlands and a nature reserve. The size of the project means it will be one of London’s biggest outdoor public spaces – there will also be a visitor centre, cafe and exhibition space in a repurposed pumping station.”
Salina Turda salt mine in Romania is now an underground theme park news.com.au, 7 August 2014
TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA — "LOCATED more than 100 metres underground in an old salt mine in Romania is an amusement park that looks like something out of space. Salina Turda sits in the Romanian region of Transylvania and is one of the world’s oldest salt mines, dating back to the Middle Ages. Now a defunct salt mine, the area has been transformed into an amazing underground theme park with a ferris wheel, mini golf course, bowling lane, boating on the underground lake and a sports arena."
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