Holy Canadian Arts News, Batman!

The past couple of days seem to have yielded a bumper crop of Canadian art headlines. Here ye be:

The Ontario government gives a surprise $43 mil to some cultural institutions. The Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum get the biggest boosts -- does this mean the AGO will be rehiring the folks they just laid off? That the ROM will drop its $22 admission fee? I'm watching, but doubtful.

The head of the National Gallery says they'll be running a public consultation on what to do with the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, which recently lost its leaky, if purpose-built, facility to government uses.

Palestinian leaders object to an upcoming, much-much-promoted exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Royal Ontario Museum

The Art Gallery of Windsor puts out a call for funds, then rejected by Windsor City Council

Vancouver artist Liz Magor wins the $30,000 Audain prize for prominent BC artists. Deservedly, I say.

The Alberta government does away with the 8.5 mil lottery funds granting pool The Wild Rose Foundation

The Hope colour processor at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design is retired for inkjet -- a nice look at the significance of these now-commonplace shifts

Image of the Dead Sea Scrolls from CBC.ca