A group of academics and cultural commentators recently called to close every second (1 of every 2) state-subsidised cultural center in Germany, particularly related to art museums and theater, in order to help in the economic recession, but artists are are out in numbers against the call, claiming it would "destroy the base of public funding of culture". Take a look.
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Call-to-close-every-other-museum-raises-storm-in-Germany/26303
While I don't support simply closing half of the museums in Germany, I do see where they are coming from. While public funding is good and we need it for many places to survive, if a certain institution isn't pulling it's own weight, it needs to be evaluated. As artists, we need to care about these institutions, but also realize that money isn't free. In some instances closing some places might be a big benefit to other institutions that could use the money for better purposes or more effectively. It's not about simply shutting the doors to one place and having a stack of cash. It's removing a broken component so that the other parts can work better.
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