Barack Obama was sworn in on 20 January with a
historic mandate for change. Extraordinary times
call for bold actions and visionary ideas. Big
government is back. Hopes are for an
administration that is not only more progressive, but also smarter.
This could be good news for the arts—as long as
they can build a convincing case that they serve
thee public interest. Long banished to the
periphery of public affairs, arts policy is
poised to make a comeback under various
21st-century guises: from economic stimulus
programmes to "soft diplomacy" initiatives to
digital-age intellectual property regulation. The
opportunity to rethink government's role comes at
a time when it is readily acknowledged among arts
professionals that cultural support in America is
outdated in its assumptions, sclerotic in its
methods, biased in its outcomes, and inefficient
in its use of philanthropic and taxpayer dollars.
It's time to move on. But where?
<http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article.asp?id=16896>Link
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Posted By johannes to
<http://www.monochrom.at/english/2009/01/what-obama-government-might-mean-to.htm>monochrom
at 1/30/2009 09:59:00 PM
