Speaking of social media, you can also follow Arts, my other Mountainair blogs and associated tweets all in one place on the Mountainair Online Facebook page. It's public: you don't have to join to access the page.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Daily content updates here and on Facebook
My blogger dashboard tells me I am behind on posting. Have I neglecting "1st born" Arts for Poets and Writers Picnic and other blogs ~ not to mention other social media and rss reading feeds?
Perhaps so. I'll try to do better but refuse to regiment the process by setting calendar reminders. Besides, page content updates daily. Just check the the sidebar features (shared feed reader items, tweets) and the video feed at the bottom of the page. I add to local, regional and other news, links and shared reader items every day.
Speaking of social media, you can also follow Arts, my other Mountainair blogs and associated tweets all in one place on the Mountainair Online Facebook page. It's public: you don't have to join to access the page.
Speaking of social media, you can also follow Arts, my other Mountainair blogs and associated tweets all in one place on the Mountainair Online Facebook page. It's public: you don't have to join to access the page.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Poetry Matters: #Mountainair Broadsided for March
While there is still some March left, before it leaves (supposedly like a lamb, which I doubt). April, National Poetry Month, is waiting on our doorstep. Expect more poetry blogged in April and not all of it on Poets and Writers Picnic, the poetry blog (aka plog for short). You too can be a vector ~ just print the broadside and post it.
Poem by Dan Rosenberg, art by Ira Joel Haber Though I don't think of you as separate you thread your screws into me anyway. Tender body, what basic state are you in? .....
Artist Ira Joel Haber iis a sculptor, painter, book dealer and teacher who sometimes writes poetry and movie reviews. His work has been seen in numerous solo and group shows both in USA and Europe. His work is in the collections of New York University, The Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum, The Hirshorn Museum and The Albright-Knox Art Gallery. In 2004 he received The Adolph Gottlieb Foundation grant. Currently he teaches art at the United Federation of Teachers Retiree Program in Brooklyn. New Vectors - Vector News: We have new Vectors posting in Shelburne Falls and Highland. Are you printing and posting Broadsided? You're a Vector. Email us at broadsided@gmail.com to tell us where. The vector map is filling out!  March's Vector Photo: Ahoy! -- This Vector posted in the crew lounge of a boat in Mexico. Have a vector photo to share? We'd love to see -- email it to us at broadsided@gmail.com. Nothing fancy required. We'll put it on the Vector Wall: (Gallery of Vectorhood) |
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Workshop: Basics of Archives
Only 10 seats remain open for "Basics of Archives", an intensive full-day workshop (full announcement below), to be held Tuesday, April 27th as part of the Society of Southwest Archivists Annual Meeting pre-conference activities in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
To RSVP, email rflahive@iaia.edu-for more information on the Annual Meeting and other pre-conference workshops, including "Caring for Native American Archival Collections in a Culturally Responsive Way" visit--http://southwestarchivists.org/HTML/Meeting.htm.
"The Basics of Archives" Workshop
"The Basics of Archives" Workshop
WHEN: Tuesday, April 27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
WHERE: Piñon Room, New Mexico State Library & Archives, 1209 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM 87507
WHAT: "The Basics of Archives" is designed to give organizations and individuals who are responsible for the care of historical records an introduction to the core aspects of managing and protecting historical records collections, using appropriate principles and best practices. You will learn how to acquire collections, process collections, properly house archival items, deal with copyright issues, and much more.
INSTRUCTORS: Christina Wolf, Archivist/Special Collections Librarian, Oklahoma City University and Brenda McClurkin, Manuscript Archivist, The University of Texas at Arlington
HOW MUCH: $50.00 - Includes workshop materials, refreshments, and entry into a drawing for two Gaylord Brothers Inc. workshop kits! Refreshments will be provided; lunch is on your own.
SPONSORED BY: Society of Southwest Archivists, Association for State and Local History, New Mexico State Archives.
Supplies graciously provided by Gaylord Brothers Inc., and Hollinger/Metal Edge.
RSVP: Ryan S. Flahive at rflahive@iaia.edu by Friday, April 16th. Only 10 spots left! Payment by cash or check on the day of the workshop.
WHERE: Piñon Room, New Mexico State Library & Archives, 1209 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM 87507
WHAT: "The Basics of Archives" is designed to give organizations and individuals who are responsible for the care of historical records an introduction to the core aspects of managing and protecting historical records collections, using appropriate principles and best practices. You will learn how to acquire collections, process collections, properly house archival items, deal with copyright issues, and much more.
INSTRUCTORS: Christina Wolf, Archivist/Special Collections Librarian, Oklahoma City University and Brenda McClurkin, Manuscript Archivist, The University of Texas at Arlington
HOW MUCH: $50.00 - Includes workshop materials, refreshments, and entry into a drawing for two Gaylord Brothers Inc. workshop kits! Refreshments will be provided; lunch is on your own.
SPONSORED BY: Society of Southwest Archivists, Association for State and Local History, New Mexico State Archives.
Supplies graciously provided by Gaylord Brothers Inc., and Hollinger/Metal Edge.
RSVP: Ryan S. Flahive at rflahive@iaia.edu by Friday, April 16th. Only 10 spots left! Payment by cash or check on the day of the workshop.
Ryan S. Flahive, Archivist, Library/Archives,
IAIA, THE COLLEGE OF CONTEMPORARY NATIVE ARTS
83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, NM 87508
P 505.424.2392 (office), P 505.424.5743 (Archives), F 505.424.3131
E rflahive@iaia.edu, http://www.iaia.edu
83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, NM 87508
P 505.424.2392 (office), P 505.424.5743 (Archives), F 505.424.3131
E rflahive@iaia.edu, http://www.iaia.edu
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tonight @ Mountainair Elementary: the 4-day school week
In case you missed the meeting announcement or can't make it tonight. Here's an overview + a few links.
Overview - Four Day School Week
With strapped state budgets and alluring promises of significant reductions in overhead and transportation costs, the four-day school week has been an increasingly attractive option for legislators seeking to cut education costs. According to the National School Boards Association (NSBA), a handful of states, with mostly rural school districts, are experimenting with altering their school calendar. For small, remote school districts, instituting a four-day school week may provide considerable savings by reducing transportation, heating, and other overhead costs.
Supporters of the shortened week also boast of improved morale and increased attendance (by both students and teachers), open Fridays for sporting events and doctor appointments, and more time to spend with loved ones.
Opponents of the four-day school week cite problems with long, exhausting class days and finding day care for children whose parents work outside the home. Additionally, educational experts worry that increased time outside of the classroom could lead to a digression in learned concepts while also making it more difficult to offer elective classes. However, the jury is still out, as there is a lack of comprehensive studies.
Will a four day school week undermine learning?
NPR report on 4-day school week (+audio)
Districts Explore Shorter School Week, WSJ
PD from Ed (me): I looked for a list with contact information for School Board members, Couldn't find one yet. Still looking, but you can call the district office at 847-2333
Overview - Four Day School Week
With strapped state budgets and alluring promises of significant reductions in overhead and transportation costs, the four-day school week has been an increasingly attractive option for legislators seeking to cut education costs. According to the National School Boards Association (NSBA), a handful of states, with mostly rural school districts, are experimenting with altering their school calendar. For small, remote school districts, instituting a four-day school week may provide considerable savings by reducing transportation, heating, and other overhead costs.
Supporters of the shortened week also boast of improved morale and increased attendance (by both students and teachers), open Fridays for sporting events and doctor appointments, and more time to spend with loved ones.
Opponents of the four-day school week cite problems with long, exhausting class days and finding day care for children whose parents work outside the home. Additionally, educational experts worry that increased time outside of the classroom could lead to a digression in learned concepts while also making it more difficult to offer elective classes. However, the jury is still out, as there is a lack of comprehensive studies.
Will a four day school week undermine learning?
NPR report on 4-day school week (+audio)
Districts Explore Shorter School Week, WSJ
PD from Ed (me): I looked for a list with contact information for School Board members, Couldn't find one yet. Still looking, but you can call the district office at 847-2333
Friday, March 19, 2010
Script Frenzy! What is Script Frenzy?
Script Frenzy is NaNoWriMo's cousin... but arriving on Vernal not Autumnal Equinox. Instead of the November novel, participants write a 100 page script between April 1 (Fool's Day ~ now there's an opening) and April 30. I think there is also a poetry something for April too what with being National Poetry Month. But not to worry, your script does not have to be in verse.
Script Frenzy is an international writing event in which participants take on the challenge of writing 100 pages of scripted material in the month of April. As part of a donation-funded nonprofit, Script Frenzy charges no fee to participate; there are also no valuable prizes awarded or "best" scripts singled out. Every writer who completes the goal of 100 pages is victorious and awe-inspiring and will receive a handsome Script Frenzy Winner's Certificate and web icon proclaiming this fact.
Even those who fall short of the word goal will be applauded for making a heroic attempt. Really, you have nothing to lose—except that nagging feeling that there's a script inside you that may never get out.
What with MMAC interest in Readers Theater, this is a natural for them. Consider the gauntlet thrown.
Rules and more about Script Frenzy: What is Script Frenzy? | Script Frenzy ... and a cheat sheet for getting started that includes:
Screenplay structure 3 acts, five key points8-beat sequenceThe Hero's JourneyScreenplay vocab sheetHow to format a screenplay handoutScreenplay outline (Hollywood version)Character WorksheetSupporting character sketch...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Flower Show
Consider these flowers from #Mountainair and across the ethernet my gift to you: an antidote to the snow headed our way for Vernal Equinox. This will put the verde back in your equinox and the primavera back in your perspective.
“A Flower Show” ~ featuring the work of Artists Edythe Zielinski, Water media, and Dianne Doan, Oils & Watercolor at Cibola Arts Gallery, 217 W. Broadway, Mountainair, NM, 505-847-0324. The Opening Reception will be Saturday, April 3rd, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
A Flower Show runs April 3rd - June 1st
MORE flowers ~ Click on the Flower Garden link. You will get a black page. Now click your mouse anywhere on the page and see what happens. Better yet, click and drag your mouse over the black page
And STILL more flowers... Spring Greens from Joanne Mattera Art Blog. Joan writes:
In homage to the Vernal Equinox, which takes place March 20, I've curated a post with a primavera palette of shoots and new growth. What's not to love about a hue that starts out so fresh from its push into the light that it's almost translucent, deepens with chlorophyll, and then embraces a spectrum of verdancy that explodes into bloom?
Another Irish mural
Too late I realized that I should have saved the famous Tain mural in Dublin for today, but I found another Irish mosaic mural for the occasion.
The Bray Mosaic Project started as a painted mural but was converted to mosaic for preservation. In 1987, Jay Roche and John Carter designed and painted the Mural on platform 2 of Bray Dart Station, County Wicklow. The popular public artwork that represents the history of Bray through the people that have used its train station. Each panel represents a decade between the opening of the station in 1852 up to the 1980's. Competing artists submitted a full design of The designs were displayed for a couple of weeks. The people of Bray decided which artists' designs would adorn the wall of platform 2. To preserve these images for the future, the mural was converted to Mosaic in 2008 by Jay, John and fellow artist, Anthony Kelly.
More good news ~ Tomas sent pictures of the two murals to be mounted this spring, the B Street Market produce mural panel and a quilt mural for the Senior Center (still in progress). I'll post those when I get more specifics to go along with them. I asked about the workshops too and hope to hear back on those. If you can't wait and have a yen to mural mosaically (but never prosaically), email Tomas at wolff.clayworks@gmail.com.
I still plan to blog the mosaic murals I've been collecting. I like looking for and sharing interesting murals I come across. I did the same during the painting of the train mural. My cousin (or rather cousin's wife) Leslie in Ann Arbor has been working on a large public art mosaic mural project in Ann Arbor (where I don't doubt outdoor art comes to a screeching halt in the winter). I'll check in on that one too.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
the public thing: town, murals, informatics
1st Town Council meeting of new administration, come out, 6:30 pm, Dr Saul Community Center. Support local government. No matter how you voted, it's time show up and show whatever print and broadcast media come out to cover a "Mountainair performance" that they've got it all wrong ~ and should ignore rumors and anonymous callers like the one that brought in the SP to fill their ticket quota, deal with imaginary chaos and cover for blue ~ not flu, something more infantile and trivial ~ sniffles.
There will be a certain amount of administrative protocol, acknowledgements such as of Open Meetings Act. This time I hope town gov't honors openness by observing not ignoring it. I'm looking forward to answered email and agendas in my mailbox or at least online. The last part of the meeting will go into executive session. I'll be there taking notes to report from tomorrow.
On another note, I get queries about the art council's mosaic mural project. Readers want to see pictures, know when the B Street Market mosaic will be mounted, what the next set of mosaics will be about, and where they will be. They also wonder why public art funded with public grant money is not more public. I can but direct them to Tomás Wollf, arts council board member and mosaic muralist. Email him at If the Wednesday morning mosaic workshops at Celeste Simon's (next to MyBank on Broadway) are still in session, then drop in and ask for yourself. Take notes to share with other inquiring minds.
Táin Mosaic Mural, Setanta Place in Dublin.
In the absence of pictures of current local mosaic project and to be Irish for St Patrick's Day
Is it a comfort or annoyance to know that lack of openness and information sharing is not limited to any single local group or institution? There's my 2010 blog initiative: promoting " local informatics" and information sharing. High marks go to Red Kingston and the MGR, Dennis Fulfer. Kristine Lauritsen at High Desert Eats and Stonehouse Gallery, Linda Filippi and the Mustang Health Center, Billie Clark at the Torrance County Project Office. Bonus points for pictures. There's a middle category for "could use improvement but better than the town and the arts council."
Friday, March 12, 2010
Mountainair, news coverage and Facebook
Yesterday I read a piece about the president of CNN claiming that he was more concerned about competition from Facebook than from Fox News. It may be true, locally at least. I picked this up on Facebook, although it was gone when I returned to check for new comments. Bless copy and paste ~ not just for the typing it saves.
Add email and grapevine to the list of sources and tools. I also shot off a few emails to confirm. The situation itself remains something of a mystery, more questions raised than answered. My own include wondering who pays for calling in State Police to cover local PD tasks.
Short version: someone ~ whether Town admin or PD ~ brought state police in to issue tickets to everyone who drives a vehicle, characterized by one observer as "nonsense which appears to be mostly harassment." Rumors, yes, but I won't recount them as local readers can guess most and none are particularly orginal.
I would have posted this sooner but was waiting to see if local. TV news covered the story. No story, probably not sufficiently "wild Mountainair" to make the cut. Comments and real information welcome, useless speculation less so.
Add email and grapevine to the list of sources and tools. I also shot off a few emails to confirm. The situation itself remains something of a mystery, more questions raised than answered. My own include wondering who pays for calling in State Police to cover local PD tasks.
Short version: someone ~ whether Town admin or PD ~ brought state police in to issue tickets to everyone who drives a vehicle, characterized by one observer as "nonsense which appears to be mostly harassment." Rumors, yes, but I won't recount them as local readers can guess most and none are particularly orginal.
I would have posted this sooner but was waiting to see if local. TV news covered the story. No story, probably not sufficiently "wild Mountainair" to make the cut. Comments and real information welcome, useless speculation less so.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
ABQ Arts Calendar, March 12-30
March 12 - 30 in #ABQ
Date Venue Event & Promoter
12th Historic El Rey Theater Steve Poltz CD release party, Puccini Productions
13th Johnson's Gallery, Madrid The Peripheries of the Baroque, Folie a deux
13th Historic El Rey Theater BlindDryve, Puccini Productions
14th St Thomas Episcopal Church The Peripheries of the Baroque, Folie a deux
19th The Cooperage Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, AMP Concerts
20th Old San Ysidro Church Carrie Newcomer, Music in Corrales
20-28 Historic KiMo Theatre Carmen, Opera Southwest
21st Cathedral Church of St. John Requiem and Stabat Mater, Friends of Cathedral Music
21st St. Paul Lutheran Church Spring Has Sprung, Albuquerque Chamber Soloists
22nd Historic El Rey Theater Apoptygma Berzerk, Puccini Productions
23rd N4th Theater Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade, AMP Concerts
23rd Low Spirits Bar and Stage Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade, AMP Concerts
24th Historic El Rey Theater The Infamous Stringdusters, Puccini Productions
26-4/18 The Adobe Theater The Lion in Winter, The Adobe Theater
26th Historic El Rey Theater Eufórquestra, Puccini Productions
26th The Cooperage Asylum Street Spankers, AMP Concerts
27th Historic El Rey Theater Mark Hummel & The Blues Survivors, Puccini Productions
28th The Cooperage T-Model Ford, AMP Concerts
28th Lensic Performing Arts Center "Sounds Like Mozart", SF Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
30th Main Library Walter Strauss & Mamadou Sidibe, AMP Concerts
30th Chroma Studios Walter Strauss & Mamadou Sidibe, AMP Concerts
From Albuquerque Community Live Art and Performance Services qCLAPS).
Monday, March 8, 2010
News from New Mexico Farmers' Markets
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OK folks, it is time to start planning for your spring gardens. It is also time to start thinking about your spring and summer weed problems. With the warm days, the weeds are thinking about getting a start on your gardens, yards, raised beds and everywhere else.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The true history of New Mexico
Tierra Encantado - New Mexico Cowboy
Cowboy up and see this fascinating documentary tracing the roots of our great New Mexico cowboy culture featuring local folks. See why after four centuries it's still going strong.
Screening at Harla May's Restaurant in old Oñate Theater, 710 Dalies Avenue, Belén, NM 87002. Saturday March 13th, 8 pm. For dinner before show call 505-864-2211. ADMISSION to film is FREE. More about Tierra Encantado: http://www.tapadero.com
Screening at Harla May's Restaurant in old Oñate Theater, 710 Dalies Avenue, Belén, NM 87002. Saturday March 13th, 8 pm. For dinner before show call 505-864-2211. ADMISSION to film is FREE. More about Tierra Encantado: http://www.tapadero.com
The Spaniards settled New Mexico territory four centuries ago. Don Juan de Oñate led 500 settlers from Spain and Mexico to forge a new road - the Camino Real - to the northern territories. His accomplishment established the foundation for the New Mexico Cowboy and American ranching, as we know it today. This is the subject of Tierra Encantado, a new documentary tracing the evolution of the New Mexico Cowboy from his Spanish roots to the present day.
The film will make its Belén debut at Harla May's Restaurant Saturday, March 13th at 8 pm. This unique restaurant is housed in the old Oñate Theater built in 1932. And yes, it was named after Juan de Oñate y Sálazar who brought those early colonizers here. Harla May's will feature a special menu if you would like to dine before the movie. The film showing is free and DVDs will be for sale.
When Oñate made his journey, the expedition resembled a moving city stretching two miles - with eighty wagons
and carts, and seven thousand head of horses, cattle, and pack mules. Needless to say, this huge caravan with all its livestock, required accomplished vaqueros.
and carts, and seven thousand head of horses, cattle, and pack mules. Needless to say, this huge caravan with all its livestock, required accomplished vaqueros.
Local historian Donald Chavez who has written numerous essays on those early vaqueros, reminds us, "It was the Spaniards who introduced horses, ranching and cowboying to the American West." Today, the style of branding cattle, roping and horsemanship that came from Spain and Mexico is still used on New Mexico ranches.
email: susanjensen@verizon.net
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Through Mar 19, Horsecapes: The Horse as Art,
Factory 5 Gallery, #ABQ
Presents an Art Exhibition and Opening
Horsescapes: The Horse as Art
The work of New Mexican artists McCreery Jordan, Lynne Pomeranz and Star Liana York
Running through March 19, 2010 -
Location: Factory 5 Gallery, 1715 5th St Albuquerque NM
Ticket(s): Free
Information: (505) 480-0833
Santa Fe's McCreery Jordan's honors include First Place for Oils at the New Mexico Art League 80th Anniversary Exhibition in 2009. Lynne Pomeranz of Corrales is a fine art equine photographer whose first book of photographs is titled Among Wild Horses. Her wild horse photography is featured in the March 2010 issue of New Mexico Magazine. Abiquiu's Star Liana York is a prominent sculptor who has been named one of the 30 most influential artists by Southwest Art Magazine. Her work has been featured on the covers of Southwest Art, Art Talk, New Mexico, and The Equine Image.
Quilt Exhibit: Uncommon Threads
New Mexico Art Quilters
Present an Art Exhibition
Uncommon Threads
Reception: Friday, March 5, 2010, 5:30 PM until 7:30 PM
On display through April 9, 2010,
Location: First Unitarian Church, 3701 Carlisle NE, Albuquerque
Ticket(s): Free and open to public
Information: http://www.uuabq.org/arts.html, or patriciagould@msn.com
The exhibition will be on display from February 21 until April 9. With the exception of Sundays, visitors must inquire at the church office to open the gallery. The church office is open Monday to Thursday from 9 AM until 4 PM and Friday from 9 AM until Noon. In addition to the works in the exhibition, the March 5th reception will feature a Mercado where the artists display handmade items for sale such as wearable art, purses, jewelry, note cards, and photography. Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Cut the arts at your peril
An interesting and relevant article from The Guardian, a UK paper with impressive Culture and Arts sections ~ also a valuable comparison of private endowments vs state sponsorship to support the arts.
The politics of the arts – a modest but fractious corner of the portfolio of Ben Bradshaw, secretary of state for culture, media and sport – will not decide the next general election. Yet the arts are a fascinating microcosm of the wider political theatre. We have an incumbent culture secretary who, largely through inattention, has created a vacuum into which has stepped the shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who has assiduously and politely haunted the arts world for the last two-and-a-half years. His ministrations have brought him friends in surprising quarters and culminated in a culture manifesto that is either admirably concise or characteristically lacking in detail, depending on your perspective.
The Tories acknowledge they will cut core arts funding – by how much, we do not know. Yet this admission is accompanied by the claim that over the course of a putative Tory parliament, arts funding will go up. Lottery money will – by 2012 at the latest, say the Tories – be redirected to its original good causes, bringing in £40m a year. At the same time extra income is to come through private sources, and they look to the US's philanthropic culture as an example. Arts organisations are to be encouraged to raise endowments. A system whereby the wealthy may give objects to museums in lieu of tax is to be brought in. Gift aid is to be improved.
I can think of no one in the arts who thinks fundraising from private sources is a bad idea. But the US has a philanthropic tradition, embedded in its culture. We do not; nor can it be created in the span of a parliament. In America, endowments are being seriously questioned – and not just because the economic crisis has left many "underwater". Jesse Rosen, the president of the League of American Orchestras, speaking at the annual conference for the Association of British Orchestras in Glasgow last week, warned British colleagues that though American donors of past generations may have deemed it the "right thing" to give to their local museum or orchestra, privately raised income is diminishing now – in part because younger donors prefer to give to environmental or health charities.
Some organisations are questioning whether funds raised for endowments could have been better spent on artistic projects. And, he warned, endowments must be raised on top of the usual fundraising targets required for arts organisations' annual income – an immensely difficult task, in reality achievable only for organisations that have the staff to undertake it. Shabby little fringe venues or shoestring-run avant garde groups – invariably the wellspring of artistic innovation – will be left out in the cold.
There's a further problem, and this is one of culture and ethos. The rich require a return on their donations – most often, power. This is not automatically a bad thing: there are enlightened, hands-off donors. But look at the US, and we see boards of trustees composed almost entirely of the wealthy, wielding extraordinary and not always positive potency. British national museums, by contrast, are tightly bound up with a progressive vision of civic culture and the people's shared stewardship. This is an ethos lacking in the US, where, in part as a consequence, the arts are fighting to justify their charitable status, with critics wondering why organisations apparently catering solely to the white middle class should be eligible for generous tax breaks. The US example is more eloquent on the perils than the advantages of a culture of private giving.
Hunt claims that Bradshaw is being disingenuous: Labour would cut too, he says, it is just that the Tories are being honest about it. But this is not a done deal. This week, arts minister Margaret Hodge, in a speech at the thinktank Demos, wondered why there is no discussion about ring-fencing the arts budget. Well, why not? Public spending on arts, architecture, museums and heritage is minute: together, just over 1% of the health budget.
And it's a bargain. With that tiny bedrock of public spending, the creative industries are growing by 4% a year. Despite a few failures, British arts organisations are lean, efficient and often brilliant. Yet there is much to be done: the brain drain of artists needs to be addressed, the poverty of regional theatre, the devastating effects of local authorities pulling budgets. At the same time there is a growing pride in publicly supported culture. National Campaign for the Arts ran a debate this week, the motion being: "This house believes that the country can no longer afford to subsidise the arts." Even the rightwingers speaking for the motion couldn't argue that arts subsidy should be swept away. Politicians cut the arts at their peril.
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