Dispatches

Theatregoers’ Willingness to Return Is Trending Down, Data Show

Studies see a decline from already low numbers, with the comfort zone stretching to spring 2021. (American Theatre)

How Risky Is Visiting a Museum? This Graphic About COVID-19 Transmission Provides Some Answers

From going to a library or museum, to visiting a concert, the Texas Medical Association created a graphic to assess the scale of risk, on a scale of one to 10. (Hyperallergic)

Museums and Disaster Risk Reduction

Curating Tomorrow has released a report, which examines how museums may use Disaster Risk Reduction approaches, safeguard themselves, and enhance their contributions to the wider world. (Curating Tomorrow)

Tim Crouch: ‘Theatre will grow if we plant a different crop’

As the writer and actor takes I, Cinna (the Poet) on to Zoom, he talks about how the pandemic may result in shaking up the structure of theatre for the better. (The Guardian)

Will the Art World Ever Be the Same? A Brief Oral History of a Tumultuous Year

From the coronavirus to Black Lives Matter protests, the first half of 2020 shocked and shoot the art world. Prominent artists, dealers, collectors and executives discuss what happen and what the future might hold. (The Wall Street Journal)

Winning Streak of Big Cities Fades With 2020 Crises

Coronavirus, anger over policing and strained budgets pack triple punch in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Boston, but don’t count cities out, urban experts say. (The Wall Street Journal) 

BIPOC Demands for White American Theatre

As the calls for long overdue change sweep every aspect of our society, BIPOC theatre workers are meeting the moment, developing a new social contract for work environments. (weseeyouWAT.com) 

The Pandemic Has Pushed Aside City Planning Rules. But to Whose Benefit?

Questions about who has a say in shaping cities, and what that process should look like, are not new, and the calls to treat those spaces with racial equity in mind could force cities to reconsider their answers. (The New York Times)

The Default Nonprofit Board Model is Archaic and Toxic; Let’s Try Some New Models

Rethinking boards for nonprofits, including several examples of alternative approaches to governance. (Nonprofit AF)

Germany Will Disband One of the Biggest Cultural Organizations in Europe in a Bid to Make Museums More Autonomous

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees 15 collections holding millions of objects, has been deemed too unwiedly. (arnet News)

As Galleries Reopen, Will They Need to Get Creative with Admission Prices to Survive?

Free admission to the UK’s museums and galleries has long been held up as a touchstone for cultural access, but could it be under threat post-lockdown? From subscription models to tiered pricing, alternative solutions might just provide the reboot that the arts sector has been looking for. (Elephant)

Evolve or Die: Time to Think the Unthinkable

COVID-19 has only accelerated what has bound to happen in the arts world – the collapse of unsustainable economic models. It’s time to think again about where income comes from – and what we spend it on. (Arts Professional) 

How Will Advanced Technologies Impact the Art World? 3 Takeaways from the Serpentine’s Future Art Ecosystems Report

The Serpentine’s chief technology officer and its curator consider the future of art technology from an infrastructural perspective. (artnet News)

Famous Paintings Go on Show, Without a Canvas in Sight

The French company behind flashy digital shows of Klimt, Klee, van Gogh and others is bringing fine art to a mass audience. And it’s turning a profit. (The New York Times)

Industry Leaders Will Be Judged on How They Use the Government’s £1.57 Billion

Theatre critic, Lyn Gardner, advocates that the UK government’s financial package for the arts protects the entire theatre ecology rather than the interests of the nation’s cultural leaders. (The Stage)

Rebuilding the Creative Economy with Conscious Capital: A View from the United States

Laura Callanan, Founding Partner of Upstart Co-Lab, shares experiences of how creatives used their businesses to get their communities during the COVID-19 crisis, and how investors can help the creative economy. (Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre)

Support Relief for Nonprofit Opera Companies and Artists Impacted by COVID-19

OPERA America is running an ongoing campaign to ensure the opera field is supported in the federal COVID-19 Relief Packages. (The Performing Arts Alliance)

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