News

November 7, 2011

Release the Culture Genie

To thrive Chinese culture needs much more than a favorable regulatory or financial framework. The strength of culture comes from freedom of the mind more than the overflowing of capital. China experiences mushrooming of grand theaters across the nation, the envy of performing arts programmers the world over. However, infrastructure can be bought, but what happens inside these magnificent halls of art requires more than money. In short, it needs an environment. The vim and vigor of Chinese culture would come from the unleashing of individual creativity. If you put an athlete in a straightjacket and shove him onto a sports arena, he will lose hands down. Likewise, if you confine Chinese writers and artists to certain subject matters or creative styles, they will be at a huge competitive disadvantage.
The article by Raymond Zhou has been published in China Daily.

September 1, 2011

The King Abdulaziz Center in in Saudi Arabia launches iSpark

The King Abdulaziz Center Youth Master Plan iSpark summer program has been successfully piloted. iSpark consisted of a one-month summer program with a total of 96 one-week courses (12 for girls and 12 for boys, ages 12 – 17) in science, technology and multimedia. Each of the section’s Saudi facilitators were trained, coached, mentored and certified by the following international entities: California Science Center, ID Tech Camp and University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.
Under the supervision of 70 staff members from trainers, lab technicians, educators and a registration team, 1,600 students completed the iSpark program, each receiving a certificate from the King Abdulaziz Center recognizing the respective international entities. The official iSpark promotional video is now online.

August 31, 2011

QR Codes Offer Guided Tour of New Canadian Museum for Human Rights

You can now take a self-guided tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights construction site in Winnipeg, MB with your smart phone or a blackberry with the QR code reader application. "Just click a photo of one of five Quick Response (QR) code signs attached to the fence around the massive site at The Forks and you can hear what workers are building on the other side. The five QR code stations outside the museum's work site provide an explanation of its design and architect Antoine Predock's intention to create a building that swirls upwards like a cloud. Now, the 260,000-square-foot building planned to open in 2013 looks like a big plate of spaghetti, but that will change in the coming weeks as its glass exterior is attached. That work will continue through the winter. The CMHR also offers free guided group tours until Sept. 4." The article was published by Bruce Owen on August 24, 2011 in Winnipeg Free Press.

August 25, 2011

Museum draws back the Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain Museum has opened in a former Communist police border control building on the Czech/German border. The museum documents the Cold War with more than 800 photographs on display.

Museum Director and founder Vaclav Vitovec explained: “The exhibition starts with World War One, which was the catalyst for many of the events of World War Two. Soviet forces were involved in 70 percent of the fighting, and following the Soviet victory, communism was introduced across all Soviet occupied territories. Czechoslovakia became socialist. In fact it was the outcome of World War Two that led to the construction of the Iron Curtain in Europe.”

Vaclav Vitovec said the restrictions on freedom of movement from behind the Iron Curtain are difficult to imagine now: “You needed a valid passport, visas, and valid exit visas, which was the main problem, confirmation that you would return, an army ID (for men), bank statements about the permitted sale of currency and valid and stamped currency and duty declarations. You couldn’t leave the country without these papers. Young people today absolutely cannot imagine this.”

The exhibition also looks at other walls and barriers around the world. The article was published by euronews.net.

June 16, 2011

Museum Is Recycling Its Building

No one in the U.S. has ever attempted to "recycle" a museum building after a flood, no one except the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. On June 8, 2011, exactly three years since the flood of 2008, the Museum began to move its 1,500-ton building to a new location. Patterson Structural Moving firm is in charge of the move of the building. Three years ago, this 16,500-square-foot museum built in 1995 along the Cedar River was doused in 8 feet of water – part of a disaster that also consumed the surrounding Czech Village and no less than 10 square miles of the city. “This is a pinnacle moment, not just for us, but for the entire city of Cedar Rapids.” said CEO/President Gail Naughton. “Three years ago, we all watched as flood waters devastated the city. This year, so many communities have been affected by terrible storms and flooding and today we can show them, and the world, that there is hope; you can recover from such catastrophic events.”

By 9 a.m. the world’s largest museum move ever attempted was under way – a 480-foot journey on 40 sets of dollies to a new foundation 11 feet higher. The Czech Museum crawled along at one-eighth of a mile per hour. It was slow enough that staring at the lug nuts on the dolly wheels was about the only way to sense movement from beyond the construction site fencing. The museum had rolled 220 feet off its original slab by midday Wednesday, at which point workers rotated dollies to prepare to pivot the building on its axis for the second leg of the journey. Rain and hail Wednesday night halted any progress Thursday. The museum was left waiting for a sunny day with its eventual goal of reopening in summer 2012. Steel plating, ranging from one-quarter to five-eighths of an inch thick, helped keep the Wednesday morning rain from muddying the museum’s compacted dirt roadway. But it also increased the risk of lightning strikes. “We’re sitting on the biggest ground rod in the world right now,” said Jeremy Patterson, chief mover for the project. He added in all seriousness that there was enough steel on site (about 1,000 tons) to construct a bridge across the Mississippi River.

Live webcams on http://www.NCSML.org allow viewing of the operation around the clock.

May 5, 2011

Toronto’s Future Culture Shock

The City of Toronto's latest report on culture - Creative Capital Gains - focuses on economy. It concludes that Toronto’s hopes for future prosperity depend on maximizing its cultural riches. The report states that private sector support cannot replace public investment and recommends an increase in the city’s spending on culture from $18 to $25 per capita. The findings of the report are in contrast to the mayor’s stance during last year’s civic election campaign that funding the arts should be entirely left to private benefactors.

"Culture is an economic catalyst we can and must maximize," noted Michael Thompson, chair of the city’s economic development committee, who commissioned the report. The three co-chairs of the study that produced the report include Karen Kain, artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada; Robert J. Foster, CEO of Capital Canada; and Jim Prentice, former federal minister of the environment. The study advisors included Gail Lord, Co-President of Lord Cultural Resources; Richard Florida, author and professor who became internationally famous for his groundbreaking theory that the prosperity of cities depends on their ability to attract the creative class; and Jeff Melanson, special adviser to the mayor on arts and culture.

The report states that without increased spending on culture, Toronto will be left behind in the competition for talent, tourism and investments. "The stakes are high. All major cities clearly understand this. We cannot afford to lose ground. To win and become a strong, economically successful city, we must take hold of the creative capital concept and drive it forward aggressively." warn the three co-chairs of the study.

March 11, 2011

At-Bristol Science Centre to Launch a Real Human Brain Exhibit

At-Bristol science centre got a green light from The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) to launch an exhibit featuring a real human brain. The Real Brain exhibit will include a large tank, engraved with the image of a person on one side and the skeleton and central nervous system on the other. In the position of the brain will be the real human brain, showing both the right and left hemispheres.

The exhibition is part of the "All About Us" exhibition that has been developed in-house by the At-Bristol exhibitions team and will be based around the seven themes - cardiovascular, reproduction, locomotion, senses, digestion, DNA and brains. The Real Brain exhibit will feature as one of the key exhibits within the Brains zone.

Goery Delacote, chief executive officer for At-Bristol, said: "There is nothing more interesting than to see something for real. As a science centre, it's our role to bring the real world, and especially that not easy to see, to the attention of our visitors".

January 28, 2011

The Museum of Underwater Modern Art in Mexico

La Evolución Silenciosa (The Silent Evolution) is an exhibition placed underwater in The Museum of Underwater Modern Art in Mexico. Mexico has built the largest underwater museum in the world, with around 400 figures made of concrete submerged in the Caribbean sea, near Cancun to create a new tourist attraction that would be a good alternative to the deteriorating coral reefs. The Museum strives to demonstrate the interaction between art and environmental science by having formed a complex reef structure for marine life to colonise and inhabit. Each of the sculptures is made from specialized materials used to promote coral life, with the total installations occupying an area of over 420sq metres of barren sea bed and weighing over 180 tons. Every year over 750,000 people visit the Cancun Marine Park placing immense pressure on its resources. The location of the sculptures promotes the recovery of the natural reefs by redirecting visitors to the underwater exhibition.

January 19, 2011

A new TV Show, The Mask (Niqab) Attempts to Change Cultural Attitude Towards Women in Afghanistan

The Mask (Niqab) is a new TV show in Afghanistan that attempts to change cultural attitude towards the women of this country. The show is inviting women to speak on taboo subjects such as rape and domestic violence from behind the safety of a mask. Hidden behind the blue and white face mask to conceal identity, Afghan women tell about their personal experiences of being victims of rape, domestic violence, and human rights violations exposing the horror of abuse against women. It is the first show of its kind in Afghanistan. The producer of The Mask is Sami Mahdi, a 28-year-old Afghan who is part of a wave of producers directing new programming at Afghan women. In his interview with CBC's Q cultural affairs show, Mahdi explained that "It is a taboo in Afghanistan for a woman to talk about domestic violence. We made an opportunity for women to come and talk about their problems on our show.

There are thousands of painful stories in Afghanistan, but the producer believes that the show can help women by showing them they are supported and is optimistic his program can educate the society and change attitudes towards women. He stresses that the male violent behaviour towards women in Afghanistan is against Islam, against the law and against Afghani culture and human rights. According to Nelofer Pazira, a Canadian filmmaker and journalist, TV has proved a powerful tool in reaching people of Afghanistan who are predominately illiterate.

October 25, 2010

The Museum of African Diaspora (MoAD) selected "Best of San Francisco 2010 (Museum)

Did you know? - MoAD was selected Best of San Francisco 2010 (Museum). "There is nowhere else like this. Its mission and reason for being are so rare, and the execution so flawless, that the 2005 addition to the downtown museum district has become a flaming jewel in the area's already-crowded art crown" states SF Weekly.
The Museum seeks to teach visitors that Africa was the birthplace of humanity. “We start with Africa, with the premise that we are all African, which is factually correct,” explains executive director V. Denise Bradley, ’81, referring to archaeological evidence that humankind evolved on that continent. “It is empowering to learn how deep your roots go.”
Lord Cultural Resources is very proud of this achievement. It's a great success story for our planning, concept and exhibition development services.

October 25, 2010

Spadina House Revitalized

Manse restored to glory days. The re-restoration project will reflect new developments in historical scholarship and museological practice. The goal of the project is to ensure that Toronto’s heritage houses evolve to remain relevant and engaging to modern audiences by developing exhibitions and programs that are responsive to changing visitor needs and interests. Spadina House is the first of the City museums to reopen on October 21 after an exhaustive ten-month restoration.

October 19, 2010

Museum of Broken Relationships

Heartbreak Museum, in which people could kind of store their feelings, is Croatia's Latest Attraction. Every exhibit in the Museum of Broken Relationships has one thing in common - it tells the story of a lost love. The items on display, such as an iron used for a wedding suit, a rear-view mirror broken in a jealous fit and a lower leg prosthesis, are the remnants of failed romances.

October 12, 2010

David Staples reviews "Artists, Patrons and the Public: Why Culture Changes"

Read the review of Artists, Patrons and the Public: Why Culture Changes by David Staples, Chairman of Theatre Projects Consultants, in the online magazine "ArtsProfessional".

October 1, 2010

Museum of Innocence

Museum inspired by a novel. The Nobel Prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk has turned his fictional Museum of Innocence into fact. The new museum is an example of a new type of collection - one based on a novel (not an author). Orhan Pamuk is standing among a sea of objects that will soon go on display in The Museum of Innocence, a four-storey building in the Çukurcuma neighbourhood, central Istanbul. This venue, not just a chamber of curiosities, is the real-life incarnation of the museum painstakingly assembled and detailed in his book The Museum of Innocence (2008).

September 28-29, 2010

Barry Lord presents “Cultural Change and Museums in the Arab World”

Barry Lord is Keynote Speaker at the Opening Ceremony of the First International Conference of Museums in the Arab World at Balamand University, Lebanon, September 28-29. For the speech, click here. For the presentation, click here.

September 21, 2010

Scott Kratz reviews "Artists, Patrons, and the Public: Why Culture Changes"

Modern Patron. Scott Kratz, Vice President for Education for the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., reviews "Artists, Patrons, and the Public: Why Culture Changes" in the September-October issue of Museum.

July 29, 2010

Smithsonian museum director hopes to rewrite history books about the life of American Indians

Native American history to be retold. Kevin Gover, director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., hopes to rewrite history books about the life of American Indians. Gover said he is in the beginning stages of designing an exhibition on American Indian treaties. He meet with tribal council leaders and community members to hear their feedback on the future exhibition. The Smithsonian has enormous potential to change people’s understanding of Native American studies – what we’re taught in school. “We knew the time would come when we’d have to tell the whole story,” Gover said. “There will be some who don’t want to hear it, but we think it’s time. This treaties exhibit will be our first venture into telling that difficult story.”

July 28, 2010

Gail and Barry Lord's book launch got coverage in Canadian Architect

Culture Club. For three decades, Barry and Gail Lord have wielded their formidable knowledge and immense influence in the planning and management of cultural institutions worldwide. Read the article about Gail and Barry's book launch at the July issue of Canadian Architect magazine.

July 8, 2010

Moscow Curators Face 3 Years in Prison for 2007 Exhibition

Censorship of the arts. Trends, tastes, and taboos change much faster in the art world than in the wider society. It has always been, and perhaps will always be the case that agents of culture change will face censorship, accusations of immorality or political subversion. However, the globalized jury created by fast and wide-reaching Internet news may find these accusations and convictions outrageous and outdated, mobilizing larger masses of contemporary art appreciators against these conservative attacks.

July 5, 2010

Queen unveils 'Magna Carta' cornerstone for Canada Museum for Human Rights

Queen unveils human rights cornerstones. While a major trend of culture change is the defusing and reinterpreting of symbols, a countertrend is the use of traditional symbols in new contexts as a means of stressing cultural and ideological continuity. A great example of this is the Queen’s donation of a cornerstone from the fields near Windsor Castle for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR). The fields were the site of the signing of the Magna Carta, one of the fundamental blueprints for human rights charters in the Western world. With this cornerstone as a symbol, the CMHR gains symbolic credibility as a role-player in the historical fight for human rights.

July 1, 2010

NY's Met Museum draws 5 million visitors amid recession

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As this Washington Post article reveals, traditional art museums like The Met in New York are enjoying tremendous success, even in times of serious recession. Who says that the “average person” isn’t interested in art and culture? And if some museums and cultural institutions are enjoying great success, what sets them apart from those that are barely surviving? Are museums meeting the plebeian tastes of the masses, or are people cultivating new tastes in art?

June 2, 2010

A portrait of a new kind of Artist: Spotlight on M.I.A.

M.I.A.’s Agitprop. The article in The New York Times features Maya Arulpragasam, known as M.I.A., a songwriter, record producer, singer, rapper, fashion designer, visual artist, political activist, and artist of Tamil Sri Lankan heritage. M.I.A. fuses world beat with militant rage to create a unique blend of politically charged music.

May 20, 2010

Book Preview at AAM

Artists, Patrons and the Public: Why Culture Changes by Gail Dexter Lord and Barry Lord previews at the American Association of Museums Annual General Conference, Convention Centre, Los Angeles, Sunday May 23-Wednesday May 26th.

The much anticipated book by Gail and Barry Lord will be available at the conference at booths #1319 (Lord Cultural Resources) and #1418 (AltaMira Press) of the MuseumExpo. Gail and Barry Lord will be available to sign copies at booth #1319 on:

Monday, May 24 from 12-2 PM
Tuesday, May 25 from 1-12 PM
Wednesday, May 26 from 12-2 PM

May 21, 2010

Toronto Book Launch

Artists, Patrons and the Public: Why Culture Changes by Gail Dexter Lord and Barry Lord: Thursday, May 27th 2010, 7 pm Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art.

Click here for more information on the book launch.