On 30 September, the new laws on cultural promotion came up for debate at the National Council (Nationalrat). In its preparatory work, the commission responsible had integrated the Pro Helvetia law into the federal law on cultural promotion with the aim of achieving a clearer definition of who is responsible for what.

Times are tight and nonprofits are searching for answers. They desperately need to address their budgets that are simply not sufficient enough to meet current demands, never mind the increases to come as a result of our current economic climate. We all know the reality: more and more people in communities all across our country are losing their jobs...their homes...their basic lifeline services.

April 15-17.2009

The Cultural Management Programme at HUMAK University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland invites academics and practitioners as participants for the 3rd international symposium on topics concerning the field of arts and cultural management.

More than 150 cultural policy researchers from nearly all parts of the world came together in August of this year in Istanbul to present current research results, to have discussions with each other and to speak about unsolved questions. They presented more than 100 high quality papers on 13 different subject areas. Thus, it was no wonder that towards the end of the conference, this variety and abundance of offerings led to a search for a general theme that could be used as the signature of todays cultural policy.

Alvin H. Reiss, perhaps the most prolific writer on the business of the arts, has donated his vast collection of materials on the arts and arts management to The Ohio State University Fine Arts Library, in Columbus, in support of the Department of Art Education's graduate-level Cultural Policy and Arts Administration Program. The collection includes thousands of books, periodicals, reports, studies, clippings, tapes, and papers of historical significance.

Arts & Business, the national charity dedicated to increasing private investment into the arts will, on 4th October, launch an on-line tax guide with Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, explaining how to give efficiently and effectively to the arts. The on-line tax guide is for arts fundraisers, donors and wealth managers. A&B's guide includes simple information demonstrating that, contrary to popular belief, it has never been easier to give to the arts and the tax benefits have never been greater.

After the hype for contemporary Chinese art, the scene's interest seems to be shifting to India. Therefore the next UBS Arts Forum will look at the trends in contemporary Indian art and provide insights by top-experts like Ranjit Hoskoté (writer and co-curator Gwangju Biennale), Nitin Bhayana (collector, New Delhi), Elaine Ng (editor and publisher ArtAsiaPacific) and Hugo Weihe (International Director Asian Art, Christie's, New York).

For the first time, all major performing arts-oriented organizations got together in Denver from June 10 to 14, 2008 at the National Performing Arts Convention. Over 3500 delegates attended, gathering under the motto "taking action together", ready to take part in a wide offering of presentations, caucuses, forums, etc. and, as usual at these events, to network...

The EUConsult conference was held in Rome from Friday June 20th through Sunday June 22nd, 2008. The leadership of the group should be congratulated for their wise choice of location - Rome was more exquisite than ever and the hospitality of Pasquale Pesce (conference host) and Dr. Franco Pavancello, President of John Cabot University, where the meetings convened, were outstanding.

Independent theatre producer Sherrie Johnson and Santee Smith, artistic director of the Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, are the first two recipients of the John Hobday Awards, which celebrate outstanding achievement in the field of arts management.