When it comes to Canadian electoral politics, this autumn was about as intense and intriguing as it gets. Being the political wonk that I am, I was very grateful that Canadian Art commissioned two feature articles from me to discuss the election from the perspective of cultural policy. In the
Continue readingAuthor: Rob Maguire
Art Threat: Artist says Nope to Stephen Harper (again)
Four years ago, Bob Preston found himself in the same position as millions of Canadians: he desperately wanted to see prime minsiter Stephen Harper turfed from office. Influenced by Shepard Fairey’s iconic
Continue readingArt Threat: Filmmakers pull out of Istanbul festival in government censorship protest
Nearly two dozen filmmakers have yanked their films from the 34th Istanbul Film Festival in response to the last-minute cancellation of documentary screening about the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The growing censorship protest, which now involves a majority of the filmmakers participating in the event, has led organizers to cancel
Continue readingRob Maguire: Touring Turkey with 18 litres of luxury
I’m sitting in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Istanbul with my carry-on bag resting on my lap. When I arrive at the Ataturk airport later today, I’ll pass through customs, stroll past the baggage area, and jump onto the metro. That carry-on bag — the Boreas
Continue readingRob Maguire: I’m teaching copywriting at UBC
This week I begin teaching a UBC Continuing Studies course on copywriting. While I’ve given plenty of workshops and conference presentations, I’m very much looking forward to working with the same group of students for a full two months. After all, the enjoyment I get from teaching communications skills is
Continue readingRob Maguire: Hugs With Arms: art for folks who give a damn
After a little more than a year quietly toiling away between client projects, I’ve finally unveiled my own pet project, Hugs With Arms. Spurred by stories of socially-engaged artists who struggle to make ends meet — the sort of creatives we feature in Art Threat – I wanted to do something
Continue readingArt Threat: Hugs With Arms will put affordable art on your walls
After seven years of putting political art on your computer screen, I’m now hoping to put some art on your walls. We started Art Threat in 2007 because we felt that artists creating socially-engaged work weren’t getting the attention they deserved. After 1200+ posts over the years (and many more
Continue readingArt Threat: Hot Docs 2014 preview: politically punchy program, diversity festival gap still needs work
It’s springtime in Toronto and that means Canada’s premiere documentary showcase is back for another jam-packed ten day event that will deliver the world of doc to eager local audiences and international festivalgoers. This is Hot Docs‘s first year with new Executive Director Brett Hendrie steering the ship (Chris McDonald
Continue readingArt Threat: Should artists be able to pay taxes with artwork?
As income tax filing deadlines approach across North America, many Mexican artists will be counting canvases instead of pay stubs. In Mexico, a country that has lost over $870 billion to tax evasion and money laundering, hundreds of artists aren’t required to pay a dime in tax. Instead, they pay
Continue readingArt Threat: Revolutionary singer banned from Egyptian arts festival
Mohamed Mohsen, an Egyptian musician who became popular during the country’s 2011 uprising, was prevented from performing at the Cairo Opera House during an arts festival this past week. Known for his political songwriting, Mohsen says he was given the boot by representatives of the Egyptian president’s office who escorted
Continue readingRob Maguire: What it means to bring home the bacon and schtupp the schoolteacher
Copywriting can lead you down some strange rabbit holes. While hacking together some draft web copy this morning, I typed out “bring home the bacon” as a reference to earning income. I then paused to wonder about the phrase’s origin. Pomodoro be damned; a quick Google search brought me to
Continue readingArt Threat: Banksy video asks that we stand #WithSyria on third anniversary of conflict
This week marks the third anniversary of the crisis in Syria, and a new campaign involving Banksy asks that we stand in solidarity with Syrians. #WithSyria asks the public to place pressure on political leaders to “do everything they can to make this the last anniversary marked by bloodshed.” The
Continue readingArt Threat: Michelangelo’s David takes up arms in American gun ad
An American weapons manufacturer is the subject of outrage in Italy — but this international offensive lies strictly within the cultural realm. ArmaLite, an Illinois-based small arms engineering firm, has bestowed indignity upon Michelangelo’s David by using the classical sculpture as a prop in a rifle advertisement. The tacky advert
Continue readingArt Threat: Contest: Win swag from Rhymes for Young Ghouls!
Rhymes for Young Ghouls, the debut feature film by Canadian director Jeff Barnaby that garnered well-deserved praise on the film festival circuit this year, including a top ten film nod from TIFF, is opening this month at theatres in Canada’s three largest cities. The movie is currently screening in Toronto
Continue readingArt Threat: Feminist Art editing marathon creates 100 new Wikipedia entries
Less than 13 percent of Wikipedia contributors are female, an uncomfortable imbalance that skews the content that is found on the tremendously popular resource. Last week nearly 600 volunteers around the planet stormed Wikipedia in a marathon effort to put a dent in this disparity by adding 100 new pages
Continue readingArt Threat: Pinko cyclists rejoice: Rob Ford film on the way
It was inevitable: a Rob Ford movie is coming soon to a theatre near you. Just one week after the book release of Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story, by Toronto Star journalist Robyn Doolittle, Canadian production company Blue Ice Pictures have snapped up the film and television rights to
Continue readingArt Threat: Skinny Puppy bills US military for music use in torture
The U.S. military is using a Vancouver band’s music to torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay — and the artists are working to make sure they pay for it. Electro-industrial act Skinny Puppy has learned through a former guard at Gitmo that inmates would be drowned in their unsettling sounds for
Continue readingArt Threat: Pussy Riot to be released from jail, leaked amnesty bill suggests
Rumblings out of Russia point to a possible imminent release of jailed Pussy Riot members Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. According to Russian media reports, the Kremlin is planning to release 1,300 people from prison as part of an amnesty dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution. A
Continue readingArt Threat: Video: Max Haiven on The Debt of Creativity
Activist and art professor Max Haiven recently delivered a TED talk at TEDxNovaScotia titled “>The Debt of Creativity, in which he elaborates on the ideas he discussed in his essay Privatizing Creativity. It’s worth 15 minutes of your time to tune in. Image: A Debtors’ Prison — William Hogarth.
Continue readingArt Threat: The Zombie Index explores the space between individuals and the collective
Artist George Pfau believes zombies are an irresistible cultural force. But while most of us limit our interest to binging on Walking Dead episodes, or perhaps taking part in a Zombie Walk, for Pfau the study of zombies makes up a huge part of his art practice. His most recent
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