Latest news with #DepartmentofCulturalAffairs
India Gazette
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Gazette
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis sings 'Abhi na jao...' song with legendary singer Asha Bhosle
ANI 21 Jun 2025, 22:59 GMT+10 Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 21 (ANI): On the occasion of World Music Day, the government of Maharashtra's Department of Cultural Affairs organised the Maharashtra Radio Festival 2025 and the Maharashtra Asha Radio Gaurav Awards 2025. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended the ceremony, where he talked about how radio gave a voice to our expression and shaped our cultural heritage. 'Expressing through an audio-visual mode is easy because it is visible. The best thing about a radio is that everything is expressed, even when no one is visible... The new technology is letting us experience 3D, 4D and 17D, but when there was only 1D, only music, at that time, radio gave a voice to our expression and shaped our cultural heritage,' CM Fadnavis said. Interestingly, at the event, he tried his hand at singing with legendary Asha Bhosle. He sang a few lines of Asha Bhosle's iconic song 'Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar'. Elated about the the launch of Maharashtra Asha Radio Gaurav Awards, Asha Bhosle said, 'Today is the day of music. An award named after me has been issued today and it will be given to those who perform well in the field of radio...' The event was conducted at Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium, Nariman Point in Mumbai on Saturday. (ANI)
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Maharashtra to establish Shahir Sable research centre for experimental arts
The Maharashtra government will set up an independent research centre at the Mumbai-based P. L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy to facilitate in-depth academic study of the state's experimental arts, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar announced on Thursday. The centre will be named after the legendary Marathi folk artist Shahir Krishnarao Sable, renowned for his iconic song Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha — officially recognised as the state song in 2023. A Padma Shri awardee (1998), Sable was a prominent figure in Maharashtra's folk art tradition and played a key role in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. 'Maharashtra boasts a rich legacy of experimental arts, and this centre will serve as a hub for scholarly research,' Mr. Shelar said. The state's Department of Cultural Affairs has already documented various folk art forms —including shahiri, powada, jagran, gondhal, tamasha, vag natya, dashavatari, bharud, and keertan — in audio-visual formats through collaborations with universities. 'There is a pressing need to systematically classify, analyse, and academically explore these resources,' the minister stated. The initiative aims to support undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD scholars from Maharashtra and beyond who wish to delve into this field. Mr. Shelar chaired a meeting at Mantralaya to discuss the proposal and directed officials to prepare a detailed blueprint for the centre. 'Maharashtra's experimental arts are a source of immense pride, carrying deep historical and cultural significance. These traditions hold the power to inspire humanity, and it is our duty to bring their essence to light through rigorous research,' he said.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House could close due to city budget cuts
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House could soon be closed to the public and lose its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site if budget cuts proposed by Mayor Karen Bass are passed by the City Council. The architectural landmark, perched atop Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood, is managed by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, with two full-time staffers running tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays as well as handling the maintenance of the building, which is an early example of California Modernist architecture. The mayor's proposed budget, which attempts to close a nearly $1-billion shortfall in part by laying off more than 1,600 city employees, eliminates one of those two staff positions and also cuts two vacant positions at Hollyhock House. Read more: Bass proposes laying off about 1,650 city workers, a quarter of them civilians at LAPD The Cultural Affairs Department had been interviewing candidates for the vacant positions and had made an offer for the job of arts manager. But after the mayor released her proposed budget, the department had to rescind the offer and pause other job interviews. "A single full-time staffer would not be able to manage both the tour program and preservation, necessitating the suspension of public tours until additional full-time staff could be restored," said Juan Garcia, a spokesperson for the department. Amid the massive budget shortfall caused in large part by rising personnel costs, soaring legal payouts and a slowdown in the local economy, department heads have been testifying before the City Council's budget committee about how the mayor's proposed cuts would affect city services. The Cultural Affairs Department would face 14 layoffs and the elimination of 10 vacant positions, out of 91 total positions. The cuts also could lead to the closure of the Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center, said Daniel Tarica, the department's general manager. Oil heiress Aline Barnsdall commissioned the Hollyhock House in 1918. She never lived in it, donating it to the city in 1927. In 2019, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the only man-made World Heritage Site on the West Coast. The house was closed for more than two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, reopening in August 2022 after undergoing major renovations. The monumental fireplace, which brings together the four classical elements of earth, air, fire and water, was restored, as were the art-glass balcony doors in the master bedroom. Read more: Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House will soon reopen to the public Two Wright-designed sofa tables, which the architect had said he considered 'part of the house design itself,' were reinstalled. The improvements also included a major restoration of the guest house. The UNESCO designation required the house to have four full-time staffers, said Garcia, the spokesperson. The department has requested that the City Council restore the three positions in its final budget, which it must pass by June 1. "The proposed staffing cuts will severely impact the management of Hollyhock House and subvert the baseline staffing commitments made by the City of Los Angeles as part of the site's 2019 World Heritage List inscription," Garcia said. The proposed cuts shocked preservationists. "UNESCO World Heritage status is a great honor that needs to be nurtured, not lost by taking public access away," said Kim Cooper, one of two people behind Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles, a tour company and preservationist blog. "Hollyhock House is the only one of Wright's Los Angeles houses that people can tour, recently restored at great cost." Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who represents the area, said it's imperative to keep the house's UNESCO status in light of the upcoming Olympic Games and World Cup. "We're exploring all options through the budget process to save our dedicated Hollyhock House staff and preserve its protected status," he said in a statement. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House could close due to city budget cuts
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House could soon be closed to the public and lose its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site if budget cuts proposed by Mayor Karen Bass are passed by the City Council. The architectural landmark, perched atop Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood, is managed by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, with two full-time staffers running tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays as well as handling the maintenance of the building, which is an early example of California Modernist architecture. The mayor's proposed budget, which attempts to close a nearly $1-billion shortfall in part by laying off more than 1,600 city employees, eliminates one of those two staff positions and also cuts two vacant positions at Hollyhock House. The Cultural Affairs Department had been interviewing candidates for the vacant positions and had made an offer for the job of arts manager. But after the mayor released her proposed budget, the department had to rescind the offer and pause other job interviews. 'A single full-time staffer would not be able to manage both the tour program and preservation, necessitating the suspension of public tours until additional full-time staff could be restored,' said Juan Garcia, a spokesperson for the department. Amid the massive budget shortfall caused in large part by rising personnel costs, soaring legal payouts and a slowdown in the local economy, department heads have been testifying before the City Council's budget committee about how the mayor's proposed cuts would affect city services. The Cultural Affairs Department would face 14 layoffs and the elimination of 10 vacant positions, out of 91 total positions. The cuts also could lead to the closure of the Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center, said Daniel Tarica, the department's general manager. Oil heiress Aline Barnsdall commissioned the Hollyhock House in 1918. She never lived in it, donating it to the city in 1927. In 2019, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the only man-made World Heritage Site on the West Coast. The house was closed for more than two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, reopening in August 2022 after undergoing major renovations. The monumental fireplace, which brings together the four classical elements of earth, air, fire and water, was restored, as were the art-glass balcony doors in the master bedroom. Two Wright-designed sofa tables, which the architect had said he considered 'part of the house design itself,' were reinstalled. The improvements also included a major restoration of the guest house. The UNESCO designation required the house to have four full-time staffers, said Garcia, the spokesperson. The department has requested that the City Council restore the three positions in its final budget, which it must pass by June 1. 'The proposed staffing cuts will severely impact the management of Hollyhock House and subvert the baseline staffing commitments made by the City of Los Angeles as part of the site's 2019 World Heritage List inscription,' Garcia said. The proposed cuts shocked preservationists. 'UNESCO World Heritage status is a great honor that needs to be nurtured, not lost by taking public access away,' said Kim Cooper, one of two people behind Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles, a tour company and preservationist blog. 'Hollyhock House is the only one of Wright's Los Angeles houses that people can tour, recently restored at great cost.' Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who represents the area, said it's imperative to keep the house's UNESCO status in light of the upcoming Olympic Games and World Cup. 'We're exploring all options through the budget process to save our dedicated Hollyhock House staff and preserve its protected status,' he said in a statement.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
State Marathi film awards postponed
Mumbai: In light of the gravity of the unfortunate incident in Pahalgam, the ceremony scheduled for April 25, organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs at Dome, NSCI, Worli, for the Lata Mangeshkar Award, the late Raj Kapoor and late V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution Awards 2024, along with the State Marathi Film Awards , has been postponed minister Ashish Shelar informed. The new date for will be announced in due course. tnn
