Dispatches

Creating Possibilities in Emergencies

Emergency management is a critical function of local government. As emergencies increase and evolve, the methods by which we prepare, respond, and recover from emergencies must adapt as well. (ICMA)

What Southeast Asia Art Scene Tells Us About the Uphill Road to Pandemic Recovery

The adverse impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asia’s art scene is inevitable, but its severity varies from country to country. From rising inequity and political turmoil to the inherent traits of specific local arts communities, the reasons are myriad. (CoBo Social)

Benchmarks on Finishing 2021 and Reopening

Advisory Board for the Arts’ recent Arts Executive poll surveyed leaders about their goals, predictions, and worries for the rest of the year. What they found was that arts organizations are still making progress on DEAI objectives, leader confidence for pre-COVID capacity grows, and most organizations are satisfied with sales although they are down, among other highlights. (Advisory Board for the Arts)

The Elusive Dream of the 15-minute City

The concept that everything should be within a short walk or bike ride keeps coming up, but making it a reality raises challenging questions. (Governing)

How to Redesign Our Cities to Make Them Heatwave-Proof

Neighbourhoods can also be heatwave-prone or heatwave-resistant in more literal ways. A city block with tarmac and concrete, little shade and rapid drainage of water can be several degrees hotter than one with the shade of trees or patches of vegetation that catch water and let it evaporate. It will surprise no one that leafy, richer neighbourhoods tend to be cooler. (Financial Times)

Dasha Zhukova’s New Real Estate Venture, Ray, Makes It Night at the Museum Every Night

Ray’s buildings will offer cultural programming like master classes, events and workshops drawn from local institutions and artists to encourage creative synergy with rents pegged at or below market rate. (Wall Street Journal)

The Concerts and Live Entertainment Industry: A Significant Economic Engine

Oxford Economics has developed a framework to analyze the economic impact of concerts and live entertainment in the United States. Read the full report and view individual states' impact summary reports. (Oxford Economics)

The UK Creative Industries

The UK Creative Industries is the first report of its kind, exploring the power and potential of the UK’s creative industries to regenerate places, rebuild the economy, drive innovation and create jobs in all parts of the UK. (Creative UK Group)

The Roads to Justice: Building New Bridges

The new era of planning infrastructure projects includes a goal of rectifying past wrongs and increasing inclusion in decisions. (Engineering News-Record) 

Colonial Legacy: Where do Africa’s Treasures Belong?

Commentary on the Humboldt Forum and the ongoing provenance research projects and the debates that have been stirred surrounding displaying foreign objects in ethnological museums, particularly in Bamum, Cameroon. (Deutsche Welle)

Unpacking the Museum of African Liberation

The planned Museum of African Liberation in Zimbabwe was conceived as a monument of the epic struggle to liberate the African people from European colonialism and apartheid. The Museum will inform Africans and the world of the history and fight for freedom that each colonized country in Africa had waged. (Sunday Mail)

Hermitage Museum Mints Leonardo, Monet, Van Gogh NFTs to Raise Funds

Among the hurdles the museum had to clear in setting up the sale was Russia's recent cryptocurrency law according to which digital assets are virtually banned as a monetary currency. (The Art Newspaper)

Is This Our Future? A Robotic Installation by Jason Bruges Studio

The Jason Bruges Studio will be presenting 'The Constant Gardeners', an unprecedented, large-scale, performative robotic art installation as part of the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL. In this futuristic installation, Jason Bruges Studio explores the interrelationships among people, data, technology, and nature, creating spatial interventions that disrupt urban life and encourage visitors to slow down and reconnect with their surroundings. (The Artling)

Frieze CEO Simon Fox: ‘Digital Art is Not Replacing Everything’

Ahead of an online Los Angeles edition, the art fair group’s first chief executive Simon Fox discusses how he has kept business going, saying, “The pace of digital change in news was extraordinary with the physical product substantially replaced by an online experience. In music, digital products have completely replaced CDs or cassettes. For books, the Kindle took a huge chunk out of the fiction market before it found its level. For art, the development of digital work is interesting and will grow as digital natives get older, but it is not replacing everything, it is additive.” (Financial Times)

National Black Theatre

AEA is currently working with National Black Theatre to create a business and operating plan for their new venue along 125th St. in Harlem. NBT is seeking applications to join the team on their journey to use theatre arts to enrich, educate, entertain and empower. Available positions and job descriptions can be found at the below links:

Development Director

Marketing & Communications Director

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

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