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The Olympic Torch and the Royal Wedding Dress: The Designs of
the Year announced
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 12 January 2012
LONDON, UK –
"The Design Museum announces the longlist for the fifth annual
Designs of the Year Awards. Showcasing a year in design, the 2012 longlist is
a celebration of the best in global designs. Industry experts have nominated
innovative and engaging designs across seven categories: Architecture,
Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Product and Transport. The longlist
covers an eclectic mix of designs including the Olympic Torch 2012 for
London, designed by Barber Osgerby, the Duchess of Cambridge’s Wedding Dress,
designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and a wind-propelled Landmine
Detonator which cost $40 to produce. Nominations also include the Kinect for
Xbox 360, the first ever Virtual Tesco Store, the Olympic 2012 Velodrome and
a pop-up cinema (Folly for a Flyover) in Hackney, East London. "
La
Maison de l’histoire de France remet son rapport
Artclair, 12 janvier 2012
PARIS, FRANCE – "Le Comité scientifique de la Maison de l’histoire de
France, dirigé par Jean-Pierre Rioux, vient de livrer son rapport final pour
l’établissement de la future institution nationale. Controversée depuis son
annonce par Nicolas Sarkozy en 2009, la MHF avance désormais à grands pas."
Grand Egyptian Museum to open August 2015, says minister
Reem Abdellatif,
Daily News Egypt, 11 January 2012
CAIRO, EGYPT -
"Expected to be a "monument" in itself, the Grand Egyptian
Museum (GEM) entered its third and final phase of construction this week
and will open in August 2015, the minister of antiquities said on Tuesday.
Mohamed Ibrahim, Egypt’s minister of antiquities, said at the signing
ceremony that there will be no delays to "the inauguration of the
museum, which is expected in August 2015. This is a commitment to ourselves
and to you all." Egypt’s Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) and the
Belgian BESIX Group announced Tuesday their dedication to completing the
project on time as they signed the official contracts. A joint venture
between the two companies was awarded the contract for phase three last
month, a deal valued at $810 million. Envisioned to be an architectural
masterpiece, the museum will be constructed over the plateau overlooking the
Pyramids of Giza." [see also Grand Egyptian Museum construction work to resume next week, Nevine El-Aref, Ahram Online, Monday 9 Jan
2012]
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation proposes building a museum
in Finnish capital
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
HELSINKI,
FINLAND – "The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation on Tuesday
proposed building a museum in the Finnish capital after a yearlong
feasibility study. The organization said that the board of trustees approved
the study last month.
"The
board's enthusiastic support reflects its conviction that moving forward to
the next stage of the project would strengthen the Guggenheim network,"
the report said. "It ... (will) make an outstanding contribution to the
cultural life of the Nordic and Baltic regions." The 190-page study was
commissioned in January 2011 by the mayor of Helsinki at a cost of $2.5
million. [text omitted] The organization
has several museums worldwide, including in Germany, Italy, Spain and
one under construction in Abu Dhabi." [see
also Report says Guggenheim museum could bring millions on tax
revenues, Helsingin Sanomat, 12 January 2012; Helsinque pode receber o próximo Guggenheim, PINI web, 10/Janeiro/2012; Un
musée Guggenheim ouvrira à Helsinki, Libération, 11 janvier 2012 ; and, Working group favours construction of Guggenheim museum in
Helsinki, Helsingin Sanomat, 11 January 2012]
$3 million gift to Denver Art Museum will fund new galleries,
major textile art initiative
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
DENVER, CO – "The Denver Art Museum announced
today a $3 million gift from the Avenir Foundation that will transform the
institution's textile art program. In addition to expanding the current
textile art gallery space to more than six times its current square footage,
the gift will allow for the development of scientific and educational spaces,
a staging area for exhibition preparation and conservation and storage of the
more than 5,000 textile objects in the DAM’s collection. "This gift will help us tell the story of
textiles as triggers of cultural exchange and creative expression from around
the world," said DAM’s Frederick and Jan Mayer
Director Christoph Heinrich. "It reinforces our commitment to textile art and
allows greater public access to this wonderful collection." [see also Denver
Art Museum gets $3 million gift from Avenir Foundation to expand its textile
gallery, by Claire Martin, Denver Post, 10 January 2012]
Art Institute of Chicago names new Vice President of
Marketing and Public Affairs
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
CHICAGO, IL – "The Art Institute of Chicago
announced the appointment of Gordon Montgomery as Vice President of Marketing
and Public Affairs, on January 3, 2012. Montgomery leads a team of more than
50 people that together manages the museum's programs in marketing, public
affairs, communications, graphics, and membership. Montgomery brings a wealth
of marketing and advertising experience gained from working with a variety of
companies--from start-ups to multinational corporations--to a position
charged with building new audiences and ensuring that the museum's outreach
efforts are consistent with the organization's mission and evolving strategic
vision."
$5 million gift marks 25th anniversary year of the
Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
WASHINGTON, DC –
"The Smithsonian has received a
gift of $5 million from Dame Jillian Sackler, the New York-based
philanthropist and widow of Arthur M. Sackler, for whom the Gallery is named.
The gift will be used to establish an endowment to support the position of
the director and programs at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer
Gallery of Art, which together constitute the Smithsonian's museums of
Asian art. In recognition of Jillian Sackler's generosity, the museums' director
position will be known as the Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art."
Waterfront officials cite signs of progress
Board OKs
canals, cultural plan for site
Buffalo News, 10 January 2012
BUFFALO, NY – "Declaring Canalside to be at a "tipping point," waterfront officials approved a contract Monday to
construct historically aligned canals, keeping the project on schedule for
completion late this year. Looking beyond that, Erie Canal Harbor Development
Corp. members approved a cultural master plan packed with ideas and
recommendations for bringing year-round, family-friendly attractions to the
waterfront. The board also approved seeking a company to develop a master
plan and capital campaign feasibility study for a "Buffalo Story Center," conceived as a visitor centerpiece at
Canalside with imaginative informational and interactive displays. [text omitted]
Two consultants,
Lord Cultural Resources and Ralph Appelbaum Associates, prepared the
115-page cultural plan for Canalside. The process involved the public,
with the report exploring hundreds of ideas while delving into market
demographics and other arts institutions to gauge future success." [See alsoECHDC Moves Forward with Public Canals and Cultural Master Plan, Official Website of Congressman Brian Higgins, Western New York,
9 January 2012]
Knelman: Bumps in the road for Human Rights Museum
Martin Knelman, Toronto Star, 6 January 2012
WINNIPEG, MB – "No one ever said that building a hugely ambitious, stunningly iconic
and scarily expensive museum for human rights in Winnipeg, of all
places, was going to be easy. And when news of turbulence, obstacles and
awesome new challenges were revealed in the final weeks of 2011, it was
interpreted by willing naysayers as a potentially fatal blow for what had
seemed to them from day one as an impossible and preposterous dream. Call me
a cockeyed optimist, but I'm still a believer in the ultimate success of this
unique project. My prediction: After years of surmounting overwhelming
roadblocks, the museum will open in 2014. And if all partners play their
proper roles, this will turn out to be an inspiring triumph not just for
Winnipeg but for all of Canada, letting the world look to this country as the
global centre in the near-universal struggle for human rights."
Campbell River Museum director retires
Mia Heitland, Campbell
River Mirror, 6 January 2012
CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – "Lesia Davis, the executive director of the Museum
at Campbell River, has announced her retirement and the search is on for
a replacement. Davis, who said she initially moved to Campbell River
imagining a five-year stint at the museum, is hanging up her hat after 14
years, but says she has no plans to move away the city – although a
cross-Canada trip is in the works. The Museum at Campbell River board
president Norm Fair credited Lesia for transforming an empty shell into an
award winning museum."
Union workers protest federal cuts
CTV Ottawa, 5 January 2012
OTTAWA, ON – "Union workers angry at spending cuts for federal departments staged a
protest at the Canada Museum of Science and Technology Thursday.
Seventeen workers have been laid off from the east-end museum as the federal
government seeks to trim millions of dollars from its budget to cut the
federal deficit. The museum lay-offs come after several similar job losses."
Canoe museum opens its doors
Dale Clifford, Peterborough
Examiner, 9 January 2012
PETERBOROUGH, ON
– "It just wasn't another open house offered
the Canadian Canoe Museum on Monaghan Rd. Sunday. It was a little different
this year as along with the annual show of model trains and layouts created
by the Peterborough Model Railroaders, was the addition of other miniature
attractions for the first time such as European castles made of card-stock ,
cathedrals, vintage doll houses, ships and World War Two models. The day,
which ran for about six hours from noon to 5 p.m., featured free admission,
tours and local artisan demonstrations. Visitors, about 1,200 in all, were
able to view all the latest exhibits."
Natural History Museum of Utah (Ennead Architects; Salt Lake
City)
An elegantly powerful structure reflects its dramatic natural setting
and the mission of the institution housed within.
Joann Gonchar (AIA), Architectural Record, January 2012
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – "From the first glimpse of the $103
million Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City, the metaphor is
unambiguous: The 163,000-square-foot building is both literally and
figuratively rooted in the landscape. The terraced structure is anchored into
its sloping site at the edge of the University of Utah campus, a few miles
from downtown, while the folded and subtly canted exterior walls mimic the
scrubby hillside rising behind it. But even though the references to its
environment are readily recognizable, the museum holds its own as man-made
object against the rugged backdrop. It is an interpretation and abstraction
of nature rather than a facsimile, explains Todd Schliemann, partner at New
York–based Ennead Achitects (formerly Polshek Partnership), which designed
the building in association with local firm, GSBS."
City seeks Arts Court tower input
Planners look to developers for zoning advice
David Reevely, The Ottawa Citizen, January 9, 2012
OTTAWA, ON - "Expanding Arts Court will require a $3.5-million
profit from adding a privately owned tower to a corner of its Sandy Hill
site, but the city is asking private developers' advice on just what sort of
tower it ought to be. The project is to cost $36 million in all, be complete by
summer 2015 and is to result in a huge expansion for the Ottawa Art Gallery
and improved space for Arts Court's other tenants, from the SAW Gallery to
the headquarters of numerous arts organizations like Opera Lyra and Odyssey
Theatre. The tower is an integral part of the plan, both for the money it's
to bring into the budget and also the people it's to bring into the
neighbourhood, which is now a half-dead space between the Rideau Centre and
the University of Ottawa."
Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opens new Renzo
Piano-designed wing
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 12 January 2012
BOSTON, MA –
"On January 19, 2012, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will open to the
public a new addition to its original building, kicking off an inaugural
season of exhibitions, performances, and events that highlight the Museum's
wide range of programming. The new 70,000-square-foot wing was designed by
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano to preserve the historic 1902
building and alleviate pressures caused by years of use. Situated behind the
original building on its site along the Fenway, the new addition provides
purpose-built spaces for concerts, exhibitions, and classes, along with
enhanced visitor amenities. Following special advance previews for Museum
members on January 15-18, the grand opening celebration will begin with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony with City of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino on January
19, followed by three days of free Bank of America Community Opening Days
from January 19-21." [see also There’s no gain without loss at the Gardner: Renzo Piano’s
extension to the Isabella Stewart Gardner meant her carriage house had to go,
By Erica Cooke, The Art Newspaper, Issue 231, January 2012, published
online 11 January 2012]
Palace Museum chief named
Head of scandal-plagued Forbidden City scheduled to retire this year
Cheng Yingqi, China Daily, Updated: 2012-01-12 07:51
BEIJING - "China appointed a replacement for the retiring head
of the Palace Museum on Tuesday, which was hit by a series of scandals last
year. Shan Jixiang, former director of the State Administration of Cultural
Heritage, will replace Zheng Xinmiao, the current director, a museum official
told China Daily on Wednesday. The appointment was announced by the Minister
of Culture Cai Wu during a meeting at the Palace Museum on Tuesday, Chang
Lingxing, a spokesperson for the museum, said. But Chang added there has been
no mention of any plans to replace or reorganize the museum's six vice-directors."
MoMA Attendance Falls, Met Museum Rises With Help of
‘Blockbuster’ Shows
Philip Boroff, Bloomberg, Jan 12, 2012 12:01 AM ET
NEW YORK CITY - "Attendance at the Museum of Modern Art dropped
11 percent last season to 2.8 million, as the previous year’s designs from
movie director Tim Burton and the marathon motionlessness of Marina Abramovic
proved to be hard acts to follow. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
admissions rose to a record 5.6 million last season -- the year ending in
June 2011 - - buoyed by the wild outfits and accessories of the late fashion
designer Alexander McQueen. "We may be seeing a return to the era of the
blockbuster," said Lisa Dennison, a Sotheby’s executive and former
director of New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum."
A growing museum prepares for the future
Mark Bergin, EMC Kingston, Jan 12, 2012
PERTH, ON - "EMC News - Big things are on the horizon for the
Perth Museum. There's an expansion on its way and staff is already preparing
for the year-long celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the Perth
Military Settlement, which rolls around in 2016. The settlement included what
we know today as the Town of Perth and the surrounding area. "The Perth
Museum has been in existence since 1925 and we will play a large role in this
celebration as we celebrate 200 years of Perth history," said Karen
Rennie, the Heritage Manager and Curator for the Town of Perth. "We're
looking at expansion over the next few years. The museum's grown as has the
collection we've acquired since 1925. There's a point where a museum reaches
its maximum, and we're there." "
National Air and Space Museum opens new archives facility at
the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
WASHINGTON, DC –
"The National Air and Space Museum opened
the new Archives Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to the
public Tuesday, Jan. 10. The opening of the reading room is the culmination
of a massive move that took place during Fall 2011, when the Archives
Division consolidated the majority of its collections from the Museum in
Washington, D.C., and the Paul E. Garber Facility in Suitland, Md., into one
location at the Steven F. Udvary Hazy Center. Visiting researchers will be
able to access more than 2 million technical drawings, 1,600 cubic feet of
technical manuals, more than 2 million photographs and 700,000 feet of motion
picture film chronicling the history of aviation and spaceflight."
Museum with a view
Joanne
Shuttleworth, Guelph Mercury, 11 January 2012
GUELPH, ON - "It’s got that
new museum smell and from its vantage point halfway up Catholic Hill, the new
Guelph Civic Museum has some of the most impressive views of downtown Guelph.
On a clear day you can see the red roof of the Turfgrass Institute way over
on Victoria Road. The steeples of Guelph’s stone churches poke above the rest
of the roof line. And when landscaping outside the museum is complete, it
will be one of the few green spaces in the city’s core as well. "I’m
particularly pleased with the feel of it," said museum director
Katherine McCracken as she offered Coun. Todd Dennis and the Mercury a tour
inside. "I worried about having too many modern materials inside this
historic old building. But glass and stone go together, the architects always
say. I think it turned out really well." " [see
also Guelph museum set for soft launch with pilot tours, Joanne Shuttleworth, Guelph Mercury, 9 January
2012]
Le
ministère de l’Industrie annonce la création d’un Centre national du design
Artclair, 11 janvier 2012
PARIS – "Après le plan d’action en faveur des métiers
d’art, le gouvernement poursuit sa promotion des produits "fabriqués en France". Eric Besson, le ministre de l’Industrie, a
annoncé, le 9 janvier 2012, la création d’un Centre national du design grâce
à une subvention étatique de 1 million d’euros. Il sera constitué à partir de
l’Agence pour la promotion de la création industrielle (l’APCI)."
Renovation of four Chinese galleries at the Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art complete
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
KANSAS CITY, MO
– "The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas
City has completed renovation on four of its Chinese galleries, and they will
be opened to the public at the start of the Museum’s Chinese New Year
celebration, which begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27. The main Chinese
gallery and the Temple Room re-opened in 2010 and involved a complete
re-organization of displays, along with the addition of a number of important
pieces that have been off display for decades, including a 6th-century stone
tomb gateway and three-color-glazed Tang dynasty tomb figures."
City should preserve aviation home: Group
Mike Whitehouse,
Sudbury Star, 11 January 2012
SUDBURY, ON – "The historic home of Austin and Ramsey
Airways in Bell Park has been given a verbal and tenuous reprieve, but that's
enough for a local group hoping to reuse the building. The property, one of
the last remaining links to the bustling aviation industry that helped build
Northern Ontario, was purchased by the city in August and readied for
demolition. The plan is to extend the Jim Gordon Boardwalk through it. The
city's planning committee heard Monday the building has little heritage
value, but the site's long association with bushplane aviation in Sudbury and
Northern Ontario should be commemorated. A local group headed by Dan Melanson
has petitioned the city to turn the building into an aviation museum. Local
memorabilia, artifacts and photos are readily available and the former Austin
Airways building is the perfect place to house them, he said. However,
without a heritage designation, the city is free to demolish the building any
time. As well, the building has been disconnected from hydro and water, so it
is deteriorating quickly, Melanson fears. Nevertheless, he's been assured he
will have a chance to present a business plan to the city's community
services committee Jan. 23 before the fate of the building is sealed."
Met Gears Up to Be a Player in Contemporary Art
Carol Vogel, The New York Times, 10 January 2012
NEW YORK CITY - "Sending a signal that it intends to become a
serious competitor in the field of contemporary art for the first time in
half a century, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has recruited a prominent
London curator to oversee a new department devoted to art of the 20th and
21st centuries. She is Sheena Wagstaff, chief curator of Tate Modern since
2001, who has been responsible for programming there and for helping to
organize exhibitions devoted to artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Barnett Newman,
Jeff Wall and Eva Hesse. Ms. Wagstaff’s appointment was approved by the Met’s
board on Tuesday afternoon. It comes as the institution prepares to take over
the Whitney Museum of American Art‘s Marcel Breuer building, at Madison
Avenue and 75th Street, in 2015, when the Whitney opens its new museum in the
meatpacking district of Manhattan. The Met plans to use this Breuer landmark
as an outpost for Modern and contemporary art while it renovates its existing
Modern and contemporary art galleries." [see
also Four Suggestions for How the Met Could Become a Contemporary
Art Powerhouse, by Andrew M. Goldstein, ARTINFO, 11 January 2012]
Meryl Streep Campaigning For Museum Home At National Mall
Elizabeth Willoughby, Look to the Stars, 10 January 2012
WASHINGTON, DC - "Noting that the USA has never been modest
about its achievements, actress Meryl Streep laments that there is no museum
in the country’s capital that recognizes the contributions of the female half
of the population through whose efforts, over the past 300 years, the status
of American women has evolved. The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM),
currently administered from office space in nearby Alexandria, VA, says its
mission is to fill the void of information about women’s contributions and
accomplishments that “have been overlooked and consequently omitted from
mainstream culture”. “We at the National Women’s History Museum are
determined that the stories of women will be chronicled,” says Streep, “and
their achievements honored in monument and in our new museum on our nation’s
Mall where our foremothers’ stories deserve to be.” "
Scottish museum strategy to launch in March
Focus groups test draft strategy as government announces £1m for
museums in 2012/13
Rebecca Atkinson, Museums Journal, 10.01.2011
SCOTLAND - "Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) will hold two focus
groups later this month to test “the emphases, language and the level of
ambition” of the draft Scottish national strategy. The focus groups are being
held in Edinburgh on 17 January and Inverness on 19 January."
Regional galleries pull in the crowds
Baltic and Fitzwilliam hit the jackpot
Simon Stephens, Museums Journal, 10.01.2012
ENGLAND - "Regional museums and galleries are proving that good
temporary exhibitions can pull in the crowds, with the Baltic in Gateshead
and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge both achieving notable successes. The
Turner Prize exhibition at the Baltic attracted nearly 150,000 visitors by
the time it closed on 7 January. This was only the second time that the
Turner Prize exhibition was shown outside London following the successful
show at Tate Liverpool in 2007-08. The exhibition usually attracts less than
100,000 when it’s in London. [text omitted]
Vermeer’s Women: Secrets and Silence at the Fitzwilliam Museum had attracted
about 117,000 people by 6 January, with a week to go before the exhibition
closes on 15 January. The museum reacted to the high demand by introducing
later opening hours from 3 January. The exhibition focuses on the
17th-century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer and explores the appeal of the
women in his paintings, contrasting four of his works with 28 paintings by
other master painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Fitzwilliam's director Timothy
Potts said: “This is the first time any exhibition at the Fitzwilliam has
achieved over 100,000 visitors."
British Museum experts to train Indian museum professionals
The Economic Times, 9 January 2012
NEW DELHI, INDIA - "In a first-of-its-kind initiative that will
help equip museum professionals with best practices in the field, a
five-month long training programme for senior and mid-level officials from
across India kicked off today with involvement of top experts from the
British Museum, led by its renowned director Neil MacGregor. The ambitious
programme launched as part of the Ministry of Culture's museum reform agenda
puts a group of Indian museum professionals in touch with one of the best in
the world to help groom a cadre, which will in turn pass on the benefits of
the hands on training to others."
Saskatchewan school, museum receive boost
Chad Gibson, Lloydminster
Meridian Booster, 9 January 2012
SASKATCHEWAN,
CANADA – "Two local projects have been recognized by the Saskatchewan
Community Initiatives Fund, and have received money to help them on their way
to completion. The CIF's Community Vitality Program chose Lloydminster's
Father Gorman Community School and the St. Walburg and District Historical
Museum as two of 88 recipients across the province. Tracy Mann, executive
director of CIF, said projects are chosen based on what they will mean to
their communities as well as the amount of volunteer work put in."
Crocodiles Museum to open in Aswan by end of January
New Aswan museum to share significance of crocodiles and ancient
Egyptian god Sobek in bid to attract tourists
Nevine El-Aref, Ahram Online, Monday 9 Jan 2012
ASWAN, EGYPT - "After three years of construction, the
Crocodiles Museum in Aswan will share the significance of crocodiles and the
ancient Egyptian crocodile god Sobek with visitors by the end of January.
Overlooking the Nile and across from the historic temple of Kom Ombo in the
upper Egyptian City, the museum aims to become the next big tourist attraction.
Minister of State for Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim told Ahram Online that the
official inauguration of the museum will coincide with Aswan National Day in
January."
History, The Canadian Air and Space Museum Teeters
Elizabeth Howell, SpaceRef
Canada, Posted January 9, 2012 9:32 AM
TORONTO, ON - "It's hard to fathom what path of miscommunication
forced heritage airplanes, including an Avro Arrow replica, a DHC-2 Beaver
and the world's oldest DHC-1 Chipmunk, outside of the Canadian Air and Space
Museum on Sept. 20, 2011. According to the board of directors who run the
museum, they were told by personnel they had to get the artifacts out of the
Downsview Park facility, north of Toronto, by the end of the day or risk
losing everything inside."
Les musées réclament plus de financement au fonctionnement
Pierre Wilson, Nouvelles
Saint-Laurent, 9 janvier 2012
OTTAWA, ON – "La situation des musées n'est financièrement pas très drôle ces
temps-ci. Quoique ces institutions soient essentielles pour la sauvegarde de
notre patrimoine et responsables d'une importante production culturelle,
elles se retrouvent tout en bas des priorités gouvernementales de
financement. À telle enseigne que plusieurs musées reconnus n'ont pas encore
accès à du financement de fonctionnement récurrent et que ceux qui en
reçoivent ne voient pas ces fonds augmenter au rythme de l'inflation d'où,
évidemment, malaise."
Artist Charles Sowers transforms the facade of the Randall
Museum with 500 wind-activated sculptures
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 9 January 2012
SAN FRANCISCO,
CA – "The San Francisco Arts Commission and the
Randall Museum announce the installation of Windswept, a wind-driven kinetic
façade by Charles Sowers. An artist and exhibit developer at the
Exploratorium, Sowers has created thought-provoking, beautiful experiences
for visitors for 15 years. Consisting of over 500 freely-rotating directional
arrows, Windswept transforms a blank wall into a large-scale observational
instrument that reveals the complex interactions between the wind and the
environment."
Truro museum receiving funding towards upcoming exhibit
Truro Daily News, 8 Jan 2012
TRURO, NS - "Fourteen heritage projects from across the province
will receive funding, including one at the Colchester Historical Society in
Truro. About $200,000 in total will be given to the 14 projects through the
Strategic Development Initiative Program. About $30,000 will go to the local
museum to hire a design company to create the Colchester: Life in the Heart
of Nova Scotia exhibit."
UCD
museum given funds
Richard Bammer, The Reporter, Posted: 01/08/2012 01:03:46 AM
PST
DAVIS, CA - "The University of California, Davis, has received a
$10 million gift to name a new art museum that will serve as a teaching
resource, allow for more art in the school's permanent collection to be shown
publicly, and perhaps be a tour stop for traveling exhibitions. Slated to
open its doors in 2015, the museum will be named for donor Jan Shrem, owner
of Clos Pegase winery in Napa Valley, and his friend and arts patron, Maria
Manetti Farrow. Tentatively sized at 40,000 square feet, the Jan Shrem and
Maria Manetti Farrow Museum of Art will be a contemporary space for
galleries, seminars, research and public gatherings, Karen Nikos, a
university spokeswoman with the UC Davis New Service, said in a press
release."
First-class science museum opens in Taguig
Stephen Norries A. Padilla, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8:55 pm
Sunday, January 8th, 2012
TAGUIG, PHILIPPINES - "Interest in science may rise
significantly among Filipinos with the formal opening this March of The Mind
Museum at Taguig (TMMT), the first world-class science museum in the
Philippines. The 12,500-square-meter educational facility is at the J.Y.
Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City. It aims
to make visitors more interested in science by showing its "beauty,
clarity and intriguing character. " "With the creation of The Mind
Museum, more young Filipinos will take interest in science and
technology," said Vice President Jejomar Binay in his keynote address
during the pre-launch of TMMT."
Auschwitz sees record number of visitors in 2011
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 7 January 2012
WARSAW, POLAND –
"The memorial site of Auschwitz-Birkenau
says it saw more than 1.4 million visitors in 2011, a record high for the
former death camp. The figure released Friday underlines how the death and
labor complex that Nazi Germany built in occupied southern Poland during
World War II has become one of Europe's most visited Holocaust remembrance
sites. While the large number of visitors is seen as important for Holocaust
education, mass tourism there is also adding strain to the barracks and other
structures. Many are already in a state of severe dilapidation due to the
passage of time, and the officials overseeing the site are struggling to
preserve what they can."
Museum Food Services: Serving up our Missions and Eating our
Words
AAM’s Center for the
Future of Museums, Friday, January
6, 2012
UNITED STATES - "What
do visitors eat, when they come to your museum, and what messages do they
take away from the experience? We’ve devoted many posts on this blog, over
the past year, to celebrating how museums can help their communities improve
their health through an exploration of food and healthy eating. And We’ve
spent many column inches documenting how museums are tackling issues of
conservation and green design. How can we embody our mission and values in
those parts of our operations devoted to actually feeding our visitors? This
is one of the themes we will explore in our free webcast “Feeding the Spirit:
Museums, Food & Community” on February 17."
Top museums in Spanish capital post record attendance numbers
last year
The China Post, 5 January 2012
MADRID, SPAIN - "Madrid's top three museums — the Prado, the Reina
Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza — received a record number of visitors last
year as blockbuster exhibits drew crowds despite a weak economy. The private
Thyssen-Bornemisza, which displays works by artists ranging from El Greco to
Picasso, posted the biggest rise in visitor numbers of the three museums that
make up the Spanish capital's so-called "Golden Triangle of Art." It drew 1,070,390 visitors, a
30.4 percent jump over the previous year and the biggest number since the
museum opened its doors in 1992. [text omitted]
Spain's top modern art museum, the Reina Sofia which houses Picasso's
masterpiece Guernica, drew 2,705,529 visitors in 2011, a 17 percent increase
over the previous year, it said in a statement. The Prado Museum, which
houses works from before the 20th century, received the most visitors of the
three but its rise over the previous year was the smallest. It drew 2,911,767
visitors, a 6.6 percent increase over 2010 with the majority of visitors, 59
percent, from outside of Spain."
Canadians more trusting of museums than the web: Survey
Randy Boswell (Postmedia News), canada.com, 25 December 2011
CANADA - "Even at the dawn of the digital age, Canadians are
least impressed by Internet sites and most trusting of museums when judging
the reliability of information about the country's past. In responding to a
nationwide survey of more than 2,300 Canadians — commissioned by the
Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies and carried out by the firm
Leger Marketing — 84 per cent expressed either "very strong" or
"somewhat strong" levels of trust in the way museums present
historical eras, issues, people and events. At the bottom of the ranking —
behind museums, books, teachers and direct witnesses of the past — were
Internet sources of historical content."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower's family ask to delay
Washington, DC memorial
Brett Zongker
(Associated Press), Recent News, artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
WASHINGTON, DC –
"President Dwight D. Eisenhower's family wants a memorial in the nation's
capital redesigned, saying the current plans overemphasize his humble Kansas
roots and neglect his accomplishments in World War II and the White House.
Architect Frank Gehry has proposed a memorial park framed by large metal
tapestries with images of Eisenhower's boyhood home in Abilene, Kan. In the
park, a statue of "Ike" as a boy would seem to marvel at what would
become of his life, leading the Allied forces, integrating schools and the
military, and creating NASA and interstate highways. Smaller sculptures would
depict Eisenhower as general and president."
Architect Frank Gehry residence selected to receive the AIA
Twenty-five Year Award
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
WASHINGTON, DC –
"The Gehry Residence in Santa Monica, Calif., has been selected for the
2012 AIA Twenty-five Year Award. Recognizing architectural design of enduring
significance, the Twenty-five Year Award is conferred on a building that has
stood the test of time for 25 to 35 years as an embodiment of architectural
excellence. Projects must demonstrate excellence in function, in the
distinguished execution of its original program, and in the creative aspects
of its statement by today’s standards. The award will be presented this May
at the AIA National Convention in Washington, D.C."
Newsmaker: Michael Graves
The architect
discusses winning this year’s Driehaus Prize, which honors classical
architecture and traditional urbanism, and how he plans to spend the $200k
award
Laura Raskin, Architectural
Record, 11 January 2012
NEW YORK &
NEW JERSEY – "Michael Graves is better known for appropriating
traditional forms in his monumental Postmodern compositions than for being a
strict classicist, so it may seem surprising that in December he was named
the winner of the 2012 Driehaus Prize, which celebrates architects who
advance classicism in their work. Graves, the founding principal of the New
York- and New Jersey-based firm Michael Graves & Associates, joins
previous winners Léon Krier, Allan Greenberg, Quinlan Terry, and last year’s
recipient Robert A.M. Stern."
City of San Francisco launches Golden Gate Bridge 75th
anniversary celebrations
Beth Duff-Brown
(Associated Press), Recent News, artdaily.org, 11 January 2012
SAN FRANCISCO,
CA – "The city on Monday launched a yearlong 75th anniversary
celebration of the opening of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge with a string of
parties, guided tours and festivals to be held along the waterfront graced by
the burnt-orange span since 1937. "The Golden Gate Bridge stands today
as a testament of innovation and imagination, a bridge built by the people
during the Great Depression," said Janet Reilly, president of the bridge
district board."
Polémique
autour de la rénovation du Colisée
Artclair, 11 janvier 2012
ROMA, ITALY – "Il y a 2 000 ans, le Colisée était le théâtre de
batailles de gladiateurs ; aujourd’hui ce sont les membres de
l’Association des restaurateurs-conservateurs d’Italie qui se sont mobilisés
contre les autorités en charge de la restauration du monument antique. Mais
le Conseil d’État ne leur a pas donné raison."
Il
n'y a pas que le volcan qui menace le site
Le Monde, 9 janvier 2012
POMPEI, ITALY – "Amoureuse de Pompéi - pour y avoir travaillé quatre ans - Patrizia Nitti,
directrice artistique du Musée Maillol, a décidé de braquer les projecteurs sur la petite ville antique,
classée sur la liste du Patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco et dont les vestiges
sont menacés, pour aiguiser "l'intérêt du
public"."
Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Unveil Their Nature-Inspired
Design for the Kimball Art Center
Bridgette Meinhold, Inhabitat, 01/09/12
PARK CITY, UT – "New York-based firm Tod Williams & Billie
Tsien Architects are in the running for the renovation and expansion of the
Kimball Art Center in Park City, UT. Their design is inspired by the
surrounding alpine and mountainous landscape and attempts not to recreate it,
but to capture its spirit through framed openings of the mountains and sky.
Called the Box of Sky and Shadow, the simple concept recalls some of TWBTA's
other projects around the country and features an influx of natural daylight,
a copper clad exterior, energy efficient systems, and photovoltaics on the
roof." [see also Light as a Feather: Brooks + Scarpa reveals cloud-like
designs for Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah, World Architecture
News, 11 January 2012]
Military History Museum
Piercing A
Troubled Past: An expansion of a museum of military history in Dresden
results in a provocatively symbolic design
Hugh Pearman, Architectural
Record, 5 January 2012
DRESDEN, GERMANY
– "Dresden is a place of ghosts and unease,
the site of the most controversial and devastating series of Allied bombing
raids of World War II. But today, the city is also a symbol of rebirth and
reconciliation, epitomized by the painstaking reconstruction of its historic
center—most notably the famous Baroque-style Lutheran church, Frauenkirche,
(1726–43), designed with a virtuoso stone dome by George Bähr. A jagged heap
of rubble during the Communist East German regime, the church was finally
restored at a cost of $240 million in 2005, fifteen years after Germany's
reunification. The city remains a supremely charged territory. And it is here
that Daniel Libeskind has just expanded what had been a local East German
museum into the largest museum in Germany, with 215,085 square feet of space.
It is also now the official central museum of the German Armed Forces."
It’s Game On At The Louvre!
Naina Singh, Technology
in the Arts, January 11, 2012
PARIS, FRANCE - "This
March, it’s game on in the world’s most visited museum, the Louvre. A delivery
of 5000 Nintendo 3DS consoles shall be left at the footsteps of the museum in
an effort to revamp its audio guides, which are currently used by a mere 4%
of its total visitors. Not much is known regarding the content or how the
in-built 3D capabilities will be utilized but Mashable
reports that visitors will "have
access to themed itineraries and commentaries, including child-appropriate
ones, in seven languages."
The content of the tour is being developed by Nintendo in collaboration with
the Louvre, who will have editorial control."
Penn Museum launches online collections database for 125th
anniversary
The database will provide
students and scholars access to the museum's approximately one million
artifacts
Nicole Peinado, The
Daily Pennsylvanian, January 11, 2012, 10:03 pm
PHILADELPHIA, PA - "From
mummies to ancient swords to pottery from the Iron Age, the Penn Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology has offered visitors a look far back into the
past for over a century and a quarter. This year, the Penn Museum is kicking
off its 125th anniversary with the launch of a new online collections
database. Through the database, anybody with access to a computer can search
for information about "the
extraordinary range of artifacts that the museum houses," Williams Director of the Penn Museum Richard Hodges
said. "It seems only fitting that we should time our public
launch of the museum’s artifact database on this major anniversary year." Students and scholars can now look up the records
for the approximately one million objects that the museum houses."
The Guggenheim goes digital
Claudia Massie, Night
and Day (The Spectator Arts Blog), 11 January 2012
NEW YORK CITY - "The Guggenheim museum has so far resisted inclusion in the Google Art
Project but it has embraced the digital world in another way — by making
available online a selection of facsimile exhibition catalogues dating back
to 1937. The reproduction quality is faultless, and the system, which
presents the digital copy in the form of an actual book, allows a satisfying
turning page animation as the reader flicks through. It allows visitors to
view the images, and read the text, as if they were handling an actual
physical copy of each catalogue, up to a point at least. The essays here are
lengthy, solid and cerebral, and it is interesting to read early
interpretations of now-classic art such as Pollock or de Kooning."
Les
Français plus ouverts grâce au numérique
Libération, 10 janvier 2012
PARIS, FRANCE – "Rapport. Une étude sur les pratiques
culturelles dans l’Hexagone montre une percée des femmes."
Gayle Macdonald,
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail, Published Monday, Jan. 09, 2012 5:10PM
EST, Last updated Monday, Jan. 09, 2012 5:15PM EST
Tate Modern announces new and innovative art history game for
mobiles: Race Against Time
Recent News, artdaily.org, 7 January 2012
LONDON, ENGLAND - "Tate Modern announced an innovative free
iPhone game Race Against Time that blends mobile gaming with art history. The
user plays as a wily chameleon, travelling through the history of modern art
in order to defeat evil Dr Greyscale’s plan to remove all the colour from the
world. As the gamer races through time from 1890 back to the present day, the
background, platforms and enemies change to reflect major art movements and
works from the last 121 years of modern art. A bespoke soundtrack for the
game provides an audio journey through the time period – each decade has a
stylistic variant of the main theme and uses instruments appropriate to the
era."
Raiders of the Lost Art? George Clooney to Make Movie About
Nazi-Loot Hunters
Graham Fuller, ARTINFO,
11 January 2012
PALM SPRINGS, CA - "George
Clooney has announced that he will co-write, direct, and star in a big-budget
film about a group of museum curators and art scholars who put on uniforms to
rescue thousands of art treasures as the Allies liberated Europe during World
War II. Clooney and his business partner Grant Heslov are adapting the script
from Robert M. Edsel’s 2009 "The
Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in
History" (co-written by Bret Witter). The book’s main events
take place between D-Day (June 6, 1944) and Victory in Europe Day (May 7,
1945). "We're working on the screenplay right now," Clooney told The Wrap at the Palm Springs Film
Festival on Saturday. "I'm
really interested in telling the story of how these very unlikely heroes went
miles deep into a mine and found all the art and returned it."
Patrimoine religieux - Une monumentale murale de Joseph
Guardo a été détruite au début de 2011
L’oeuvre, située
sur le grand mur de l’autel de l’église Saint-Louis-de-France, avait été
peinte en 1952
Isabelle Paré, Le
Devoir, 11 janvier 2012
MONTRÉAL, QC – "L'église Saint-Louis-de-France, vendue il
y a deux ans à une Église évangélique, a perdu plus que ses paroissiens. Le
Devoir a appris que la murale monumentale de Joseph Guardo de 36 pieds de
haut, qui ornait le mur du maître-autel, a été démolie par les nouveaux
propriétaires, en dépit des démarches pour la sauvegarder. La gigantesque
oeuvre peinte sur toile marouflée a été arrachée sans préavis du mur qui la
supportait depuis sa confection, en 1952, par l'artiste montréalais d'origine
italienne Joseph Guardo."
EFA celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2012: the Jubilee Year
at a glance
European
Festivals Association, 11
January 2012
GHENT, BELGIUM –
"In 2012, the European Festivals
Association (EFA) celebrates its 60th anniversary. "60 Years On: Festivals and the World" is the motto of the Jubilee. To
celebrate the arts and to imagine the world, EFA is going to set up a broad
range of activities, building on the achievements and milestones of its long
history. "Since its foundation in 1952, the
European Festivals Association has grown into an open and dynamic network. 60
years of bold initiatives that aim to open doors to Europe and to the world.
Based in Brussels and Ghent, close to where international cultural policy is
made, EFA’s role is to support festivals in their important mission and to
position the role of culture in Europe," EFA President Darko Brlek underlines.
Art Dubai to launch 2012 edition with its most innovative and
dynamic programme to date
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 10 January 2012
DUBAI, UAE – "Art Dubai goes into its sixth year with a
dynamic, curated programme, consolidating its position as the key point at
which the international art world meets the art scenes of the Middle East and
South Asia. After welcoming over 20,000 visitors in 2011, the region's
leading fair features its biggest programme to date, expanding the Global Art
Forum, launching artists' and curators' residencies, and establishing a
year-round education programme."
$1 million angel investment for online art fair, expansion
includes three new fairs in 2012
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 10 January 2012
NEW YORK, NY – "VIP Art Fair, the world's first
contemporary art fair held exclusively online, announced the closing of an
initial round of angel funding by two international investors. The fair,
which launched in January 2011, will be hosting its second edition, VIP 2.0,
from February 3rd – 8th. Selmo Nissenbaum, Brazilian art collector and
Partner in Personale Investimentos, and Philip Keir, Australian collector,
media and arts specialist and former Founder of NextMedia, have invested a
total of $1 million into VIP Art Fair. With a new executive team including
CEO Lisa Kennedy and newly appointed Fair Director Liz Parks, and the
financial backing from this substantial investment, VIP Art Fair is well
positioned to develop and expand their unique contemporary art brand. As a
first move towards expansion, VIP Art Fair is launching three new art fairs
to take place later this year."
New study shows Toronto lags far behind in arts funding
Jennifer Pagliaro, The Toronto Star, 10 January 2012
CALGARY/OTTAWA/MONTREAL/TORONTO/VANCOUVER – "A new study ranks
Toronto at the bottom in municipal arts investment, one day after the city’s
budget committee approved an operating budget that would see 10 per cent in
cuts to the arts. The study, released Tuesday and prepared by Hill Strategies
Research Inc. in partnership with five Canadian municipalities, shows
Toronto’s 2009 investment level at $19 per capita. At the top, was Montreal
with $55 per capita, followed by Vancouver ($47), Calgary ($42) and Ottawa
($28). “We knew we were at the bottom for the last few years, but the gap has
grown considerably,” said Claire Hopkinson, executive director of the Toronto
Arts Council. The study reports Toronto ranked third in 2006 and 2007. But
Toronto’s per capita investment has increased only $2 since 2006, while the
other five cities showed growth between $11 and $27." [see also Toronto lags in municipal funding for the arts: study, James Adams, The Globe and Mail,
12 January 2012; Culture: Montréal fait figure de leader au pays, Daniel Lemay, La Presse, 11 janvier 2012; Ottawa arts funding rose under O'Brien, CBC News, 10 January 2012; and Hill
Strategies’ site for their press release and full report
Municipal Cultural Investment in Five Large Canadian Cities.
State alters arts funding, links business impact
Brad Kane, Hartford Business Journal, 9 January 2012
CONNECTICUT - "Private cultural and arts programs in Connecticut
must play a greater role in revitalizing communities and attracting new businesses
to receive state funding under a pilot program. On July 1, the Connecticut
Office of the Arts will consolidate four of its local arts funding programs
into one initiative; double total funding to $3.1 million; hand out fewer but
larger grants; and focus on recipients’ place-making. "Instead of the
money going out with no strings attached, we are placing the goal of creating
a more vibrant community," said Kip Bergstrom, deputy commission of the
state Department of Economic & Community Development, which runs the
Office of the Arts. "We want to put our money behind folks that are
doing this well." " [see also Are Artists the Next Best Business Venture? Connecticut is
Banking on It, Liza Eliano, Hyperallergic,
9 January 2012].
2nd Forum on Festivals in the Arab Countries to take place
1/2 March in Bahrain
European Festivals Association, 9 January 2012
MANAMA, BAHRAIN - "The Second Forum on Festivals in the Arab
Countries is the only state-level festival event hosted in the Arab region.
With experts from various fields, this Festival Forum is one of the
highlights for festivals in the Arab countries. The second edition on 1 and 2
March 2012 in Manama/Bahrain is organised by the Ministry of Culture in the
Kingdom of Bahrain, in coordination with the Arab Administrative Development
Organization, to celebrate Manama, the Arab Capital of Culture in 2012. The
Forum is committing itself to both innovation and originality and builds on
its first successful edition in Beirut in December 2009."
Challenges Ahead for UN Slavery Memorial
Jamaica's ambassador is determined to build a tribute despite some
setbacks.
Julie Walker, The Root, Posted: January 9, 2012 at 12:11 AM
NEW YORK CITY - "One day, a memorial to the millions of slaves
wrenched from their homes in Africa and transported to the Americas will
stand on the plaza at the United Nations in New York. That is the goal of an
ambitious ambassador to the United Nations from Jamaica. However, the project
does face some challenges. The design competition that was scheduled to end
in December has now been extended to Jan. 23, and the United States, which
co-sponsored a resolution proposing the memorial in 2007 (pdf), has yet to
commit any funding to the project, which will cost millions to build."
Public Works of Art Face New Challenges
Sean Bowie, Technology in the Arts, January 9, 2012
ARIZONA - "When looking at the great cities of America and the
world, one of the things that give these places the kind of culture and
character they are often known for is public works of art. These exhibits,
often unique and memorable, provide a focal point for tourists and a sense of
civic pride for residents. However, in these tough economic times, a new
problem has emerged for cities everywhere: with cities struggling
financially, these works of art are suffering from neglect, acts of vandalism
and normal wear and tear, and often do not have the funds necessary to
properly maintain them."
Arts cuts could cause economic ‘tailspin’: councillor
Paul Irish, Toronto
Star, 9 January 2012
TORONTO, ON – "Budget cuts to city-funded arts groups,
theatres and galleries will hurt the cultural fabric of Toronto as well as
the local economy, says Ward 36 Councillor Gary Crawford, chair of the
mayor’s task force on arts and theatres.
City council
decides next week if a suggested 10 per cent reduction in arts funding will
go ahead, affecting everything from the Art Gallery of Ontario to local theatre
groups."
London exhibit of Canadian art closes on a high note
James Adams, The
Globe and Mail, 9 January 2012
LONDON, UK – "An exhibition of 123 paintings and oil
sketches by Canada's Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven has proved a
sensational success at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, drawing more
than 41,000 visitors over a 12-week run that concluded late Sunday afternoon.
According to Dulwich officials, that translates into an average of 553
visitors a day – making the show, called Painting Canada, the second
most successful in the history of the Dulwich, inaugurated in 1817 as
England's first purpose-built public gallery."
Multimillion dollar tax case against China's Ai Weiwei to get
review by authorities
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 8 January 2012
BEIJING, CHINA –
"Outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said
Friday that Beijing tax authorities have agreed to review their ruling that
he pay a multimillion dollar fine for alleged tax evasion. The
internationally acclaimed conceptual artist said tax officials informed him of
the decision Wednesday by telephone and said the review would be completed
within two months. Ai said he was hopeful that the case would be handled
earnestly and transparently."
New report says art dealers with an e-tailing or online
auction presence are well-positioned to take advantage
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 8 January 2012
LOS ANGELES, CA
– "Art dealers with an e-tailing or online
auction presence are well-positioned to take advantage of consumers'
preference for online shopping, according to a new report from IBISWorld.
During the past five years, the ease of e-shopping has grown the E-Commerce
and Online Auctions industry at double-digit rates. The growth of this
overarching industry is forecast to continue through 2016 on the back of
growing consumer spending and increased access through more broadband
connections. Mobile apps are anticipated to provide further room for
innovation through 2016, with industry leader Christie's paving the way
through the development of their iPad app in late 2010. For this reason,
industry research firm IBISWorld has added a report on the Online Art Sales
industry to its growing Online Furniture & Home Furnishings Report collection."
United Kingdom government protects site that housed World War
II codebreakers
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 8 January 2012
LONDON, UK – "The British government has acted to
protect a crumbling piece of wartime — and computing — history.
The government
said Friday that it has given protected status to the derelict Block C at
Bletchley Park, the site northwest of London where mathematicians and
cryptographers toiled in secret to crack Nazi communications codes.
Historians believe their work shortened the war by as much as two years. The
steel-and-concrete Block C contained high-speed data processing machines that
helped the British crack Germany's Enigma encryption device. Heritage
Minister John Penrose said Friday that Block C "can be viewed as the
birthplace of modern information technology." Bletchley Park's guardians
are fundraising to restore the site and turn it into a museum."
En
France, une révolution culturelle de velours depuis 35 ans
Le Monde, 7 janvier 2012
PARIS, FRANCE – "Il y a des fois où les statisticiens du
ministère de la culture se transforment en funambules. Une mission ô combien
vertigineuse les attend : observer, quantifier les comportements culturels des personnes
âgées de plus de 15 ans, à Paris, en région, en milieu urbain, en zone
rurale... Garçons, filles, commerçants, étudiants, ouvriers, cadres
supérieurs."
Bernard Lamarche au MNBAQ: en amont et en aval de l’art
actuel
Josianne
Desloges, Le Soleil, 7 janvier 2012
QUÉBEC, CANADA – "Le Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ)
s'apprête à accueillir un nouveau commissaire de l'art actuel, Bernard
Lamarche, ex-critique d'art et, pour une vingtaine de jours encore,
conservateur de l'art contemporain au Musée régional de Rimouski. Nos
impressions? Disons simplement qu'a près une bonne heure de discussion, on a
un (très) bon feeling."
Houston's DiverseWorks announces Elizabeth Dunbar as new
Executive Director
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 7 January 2012
HOUSTON, TX – "The Board of Directors of DiverseWorks
ArtSpace announces the appointment of Elizabeth Dunbar as the new Executive
Director of the visionary arts organization, taking over from Interim
Executive Director William Betts. Most recently, Dunbar served as Associate
Director and Curator at Arthouse, a non-collecting experimental art space in
Austin."
2012 Drawing Prize of the Daniel & Florence Guerlain
Contemporary Art Foundation
Recent News,
artdaily.org, 6 January 2012
PARIS, FRANCE – "Following the deliberations of the
Contemporary Drawing Prize's committee, the Daniel & Florence Guerlain
Foundation has announced the names of the three selected artists for the 2012
award.
Marc Bauer
Marc Bauer was
born in 1975 in Geneva. He lives and works in Berlin. He studied at the Ecole
Supérieur d'Art Visuel of Geneva and was in residence at the Rijksakademie of
Amsterdam, then the Swiss Institute in Rome." [text omitted]
Marcel Dzama
Marcel Dzama was
born in 1974 in Winnipeg, Canada, where he also did his studies. He lives and
works in Brooklyn. In 2010, he had a solo show at the Montreal Museum of
Contemporary Art. [text omitted]
Jorinde Voigt
Jorinde Voigt
was born in 1977 in Frankfurt. She first studied philosophy and literature
before studying the plastic arts at the University of Berlin, the city where
she lives and works today."
What Does Unesco Recognition Mean, Exactly?
Steven Erlanger, The New York Times, 6 January 2012
WORLD - "WORLD HERITAGE is big business, bringing hordes of
tourists to poor countries that can use the jobs and the cash. It can also
overwhelm the very sites it is designed to protect with all the less-savory
aspects of mass travel, from chain hotels and restaurants to the impact of
thousands of sport-shoed feet treading on fragile ground. But World Heritage
can also be an odd business, giving recognition to traditions (like premodern
tribal dances and giant French family meals) that might have little aesthetic
value to any group except the one that practices it. Whatever the merits, the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has
embraced the concept. In fact, Unesco loves heritage so much that it has
created two treaties to enshrine it. The first, the World Heritage Convention,
dating from 1972, builds on the notion of the United States national parks
system, which was set up to defend a wild landscape before it disappeared.
The second, the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural
Heritage, was introduced in 2003 to defend traditions, not places, and is
more controversial."
ACE appoints new executive director for arts
Geraldine Kendall, Museums Association, 06.01.2012
ENGLAND - "Former head of Manchester International Festival
takes on key role Arts Council England (ACE) has announced the appointment of
Simon Mellow as its new executive director, arts. Mellor, the former
director-general of the Manchester International Festival (MIF), will replace
outgoing arts director Andrew Nairne, who left the position in November to
take the helm at Kettle’s Yard gallery in Cambridge. "
Pitching up: where is the place for art?
Susan Jones asks the
question: are traditional arts organisations the best vehicles for meaningful
participation or should we be looking elsewhere?
Susan Jones, The
Guardian: Culture Professionals Network (blog), 6 January 2012
UK - "These are dangerous times for people and for our world of
arts values. Uncertainty can cause us to be safe, edit complexity, be
secretive, conservative. No waves please, the arts are in crisis. Let's just
put our heads down, noses to the grindstone, and aim for preservation.
"We're all in this together" – though some of us seem to be more
'in it' than others – gives way to "I want to make sure my institution
survives to live another day". Battered and bruised, we go ten rounds.
But what of our missions, our 'greater good', our altruism to support the
things we really believe in? In my case, it's a passion for, and commitment
to, doing whatever it takes to make things better for artists in society. Not
to any particular product or infrastructure, that is 'of its time', in a
fast-changing world."
B.C. Sports Hall of Fame an Olympic refresher
New attraction
at BC Place opens Friday, with uniforms from 24 nations among attractions
Gary Kingston, Vancouver
Sun, 5 January 2012
VANCOUVER, BC
– "As Olympic/Paralympic 2010 artifacts go,
it's hard to top the sequined skating suit worn by the courageous Joannie
Rochette, the Quebecois sweetheart who jumped and twirled her way to a bronze
medal in an emotional performance just days after her mother died
unexpectedly. Or, the skis used by men's downhill gold medalist Didier
Defago, the lucky purple socks of snowboard gold medalist Jasey-Jay Anderson,
or the helmet of quintuple Paralympic gold medal skier Lauren Woolstencroft.
All of those will be on display Friday when the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, shuttered
since April 2010 during the renovation of B.C. Place, re-opens with a
spectacular gallery commemorating the 2010 Games, a rebuilt Hall of Champions
for honored members and the revitalization of several existing galleries."
Brazil's
economy marching to samba beat
Will Smale, BBC News, 9 January 2012
RIO DE JANEIRO - "Brazil's economic future appears to be as
impressive as the view from Francisco Itzaina's high-rise office in downtown
Rio de Janeiro. The South American boss of engine-maker Rolls-Royce's windows
provide a panoramic vantage point over the city's vast Guanabara Bay. With
cargo ships, ferries and cruise liners plying their trade on the sea, and other
skyscrapers rising in the foreground, it is a picturesque sight. The giant
scale of everything is also indicative of Brazil's growing economic might.
"God blessed Brazil with huge amounts of natural resources," says
Mr Itzaina. It is blessed with minerals and fresh water, and now we have just
found huge reserves of oil and gas."Brazil is very well placed for the
future." "
National tourism indicators: Third quarter 2011
Statistics Canada, The Daily, 9 January 2012
CANADA - "Tourism spending in Canada increased 0.8% in real
terms in the third quarter. This was the ninth consecutive quarterly increase
in tourism spending, for a cumulative gain of 8.2%. Higher spending by
Canadians at home contributed the most to the third-quarter gain, as foreign
travel spending in Canada was virtually unchanged."
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