We always knew that art had the power to inspire wonder, hope, greed, fear and anger. Now, we can add bankruptcy negotiations and terrorist threats to the list.
Improving Access: New York’s Municipal ID Cards (and other September stories)
Following in the footsteps of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New Haven, in 2015, New York City will begin issuing municipal identification cards to undocumented immigrants, with an arts-oriented twist.
Early spring public arts funding update
FEDERAL In the recently released federal budget for fiscal year 2015, President Obama proposes a meager increase in allocations for the arts compared to last year. Federally-backed museums will enjoy the bulk of that increase, while funding for NEA and NEH is essentially unchanged after factoring in inflation. Speaking of those agencies, President Obama also announced his plan to appointRead More
Around the horn: POLAR VORTEX edition!
ART AND THE GOVERNMENT In a major victory for New York’s arts education advocates, Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill requiring the city’s department of education to report on the availability and accessibility of arts education in each of its schools. This annual report will make public the degree to which schools meet current instructional requirementsRead More
Thanksgiving public arts funding update
FEDERAL The biggest news on federal support for the arts is a lack of news. Following the 16-day shutdown in early October, the federal government was reauthorized at last year’s budget levels (post-sequester) until January 15. Which means we get to do this all over again in just a month and a half! Woohoo! Congress hasRead More
Around the horn: stop and frisk edition
ART AND THE GOVERNMENT The Future of Music Coalition has a great roundup of takeaways from a recent congressional hearing on copyright law and the technology sector. Big ones include the very different challenges posed by copyrights versus patents, and that for the most part, technology companies don’t see copyright restrictions as stifling their ability to innovate.Read More
Around the horn: A-Rod edition
(Assembled collaboratively by the Createquity editorial team) ART AND THE GOVERNMENT The US Bureau of Economic Analysis, following new international standards, has adjusted the official method for calculating GDP to “include the amount of money business invest in … intellectual property.” This involves some tough calls: development costs for hit TV shows with potential forRead More
What am I worth to you?
Earlier this year, the New York Times reported on the controversy over the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Theatre’s policy of not paying its performers. UCB is almost universally considered the leading improv theater in New York, and attracts much of the top talent. It’s not a small side project, or an isolated community; it shapesRead More
Watching Gentrification Unfurl
Cultural, civic, and private sector forces are on display in the evolution of two New York City neighborhoods.
Public arts funding update: May
FEDERAL The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has decided a potentially landmark copyright case in favor of an artist who had been sued for appropriating images from a book in his art. While this would seem to be a victory for fair use, the court’s opinion doesn’t provide much in theRead More