Vancouver

B.C. arts community "galvanized" over funding cuts

“Jane Danzo’s resignation last week from her position as chair of the B.C. Arts Council and her ensuing criticism of provincial cuts to the arts, have prompted a wave of other individuals and groups to go public with their calls for reform.” Georgia Straight, August 26, 2010

Tom Durrie asks Assembly of B.C. Arts Councils to refuse to disperse spirit festival funding

“In a letter addressed to the president of the B.C. Arts Council, council member, Tom Durrie has asked Joan Richoz to refuse to disperse funds for B.C. spirit festivals.” Georgia Straight, August 24, 2010

Mina Totino and Derek Root exhibitions reveal lively abstraction in Vancouver

“Once condemned for its formalist preoccupations and its inability to engage with social issues, abstract painting is now seen as speaking a universal visual language of form, colour, and gesture. As revealed in two concurrent exhibitions, one by Mina Totino at the Charles H. Scott Gallery and the other by Derek Root at the Monte Clark Gallery, abstraction in Vancouver is looking very lively, indeed.” Georgia Straight, August 24, 2010

Museum of Vancouver exhibit exalts the joys of local food

As part of the exhibit Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food, the Museum of Vancouver is showcasing 39 of Brian “Harris’s images in a vibrant and joyous celebration of back-yard farming and local food.” Georgia Straight, August 24, 2010

Winnipeg

Every day person

“Few [photographers] have brought an art consciousness to the endeavour like Winnipeg photographer Larry Glawson--his quiet, everyday-relationship views have melded deep with domestic for 30 years.”  National Post, August 24, 2010

Toronto

AUDIO: William Thorsell ends ROM run

“Thorsell spoke to Metro Morning host Matt Galloway about why he chose to step down, the spirited cultural renaissance he has witnessed in downtown Toronto, and sparking controversy with Daniel Libeskind's challenging and radical crystalline addition.” CBC News, August 26, 2010

Michael Snow sues over axed public art

“Canadian visual artist Michael Snow has launched a breach of contract lawsuit against the developers of a condo project attached to Lightbox, the forthcoming new home of the Toronto International Film Festival.” CBC News, August 25, 2010

Denver

Artist’s Work, Out of Attics, Goes to Walls of a Museum

“In the mid-1800s, Charles Deas specialized in portraits and multilayered scenes of life on the frontier as American Indian and European heritage collided and intermingled. He painted brilliantly and prolifically for a decade and became, briefly, a sensation on the New York art scene. Then, at age 29, he went insane.” New York Times, August 24, 2010

Vienna

North Korea's Art-House Enablers

“The idea of art serving an end beyond the stimulation of the visual senses informs the exhibit Flowers for Kim Il Sung: Art and Architecture from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, currently on display at the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art (MAK) in Vienna.”  National Post, August 26, 2010

Cairo

Egypt to Improve Museum Security After Van Gogh Theft

“Egypt plans to set up a security control room to monitor all museums after the theft of a $55 million Vincent van Gogh painting in Cairo, Zahi Hawass, head of the country’s antiquities agency said today.” Bloomberg News, August 25, 2010

Tokyo

Satoshi Kon, Anime Filmmaker, Dies at 46

“Satoshi Kon, a Japanese filmmaker and comic-book artist whose dazzling visual compositions and humane, emotionally resonant stories won him a devoted following in animation circles and beyond, died in Tokyo on Tuesday. He was 46.” New York Times, August 24, 2010

Miscellaneous

Study: Recession Takes Toll on Museum Workers

“Nearly 40 percent of nonprofit organizations—and 53 percent of museums—lack adequate staffing to deliver programs and services. According to a national survey released yesterday by the Nonprofit Listening Post Project at Johns Hopkins University, arts and culture organizations have been particularly hard hit by the nation’s economic downturn.”  AAM Aviso, August 3, 2010