Victorien Bornéat : « De l’échec de la démocratisation culturelle est né un sentiment d’exclusion »

Victorien Bornéat has published a manifesto arguing that French cultural democratization policy, rooted in André Malraux's vision of making masterworks accessible to all, has failed. He cites budget cuts by regional presidents Laurent Wauquiez and Christelle Morançais, police raids on bookshops like Violette and Co, and statistical studies showing that working-class audiences still do not spontaneously attend theaters, museums, or opera. Bornéat contends that the policy's emphasis on direct confrontation with canonical works ignored the need for cultural codes and institutional literacy, creating an exclusion that politicians now exploit for electoral gain.

Sustainability charity Gallery Climate Coalition launches new consultancy to support climate action

The Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), a sustainability charity founded in London in 2020, has launched a new consultancy called Climate Action Services International (Casi) to help galleries, museums, and cultural organizations turn climate commitments into measurable action. Casi offers services such as carbon auditing, decarbonisation strategies, governance advice, and staff training, and follows a pilot phase working with institutions including English Heritage, Hauser & Wirth, and Art Fund. The consultancy is structured as a mission-driven social enterprise that will reinvest 51% of its profits into GCC.

Why Italy's cultural wealth never really enters public accounts and budgets?

Perché la ricchezza culturale italiana non entra mai davvero nei conti e nei bilanci pubblici?

Italy has exceeded the European Commission's structural adjustment path by 0.1 percentage points of GDP, reopening fiscal scrutiny. Amid this debate, the article highlights a deeper issue: Italy's immense cultural heritage is drastically undervalued in public accounts. For example, the Pompeii Archaeological Park is recorded at just €48.9 million, the Colosseum at under €15 million, and the Uffizi at about €2 billion—figures based on outdated 2002 ministerial criteria that bear no relation to actual economic or cultural worth. The State General Accounting Office, with the University of Roma Tre and EU technical assistance, has proposed a new methodology to value cultural assets by discounting their future net financial flows, including direct revenues and indirect tourism-related returns.

Berliner Kulturverwaltung arbeitet an Reformen

Berlin's cultural administration is pressing ahead with reforms to make funding for projects against antisemitism legally secure, following the resignation of Culture Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson. Cultural State Secretary Cerstin Richter-Kotowski told the culture committee that a working group established under Wedl-Wilson is now implementing recommendations from the state audit office report, which had found serious legal violations and omissions in the allocation of funds for antisemitism prevention projects. Richter-Kotowski emphasized that the administration continues its normal operations despite the leadership change, and she publicly thanked both Wedl-Wilson and the recently dismissed State Secretary Oliver Friederici for their service.

Aumenti salariali e welfare per i lavori della cultura. È stato firmato il nuovo Contratto Nazionale di Lavoro. L’intervista

A new national labor contract for Italy's cultural sector has been signed. The Federculture National Labor Contract, finalized on April 30, 2026, includes a 7.5% increase in minimum wages (effective December 1, 2024), doubled welfare contributions for healthcare, and a simplified job classification system. The agreement was reached between Federculture and major unions including FP CGIL, CISL FP, UIL FPL, and UIL PA, with negotiations for the 2025-2027 term set to resume on May 26.

Lights, Funding, Action – Film Grant Open Call

The Sharjah Art Foundation has launched the ninth cycle of its Short Film Production Grant 2026, issuing an open call for applications from filmmakers worldwide. The grant provides financial support, with a total fund of AED 120,000 (approx. USD 30,000), for the completion of short films of 50 minutes or less across all genres. Selected projects may also premiere at a future edition of the Sharjah Film Platform festival.