Reposted from Artnet News

Performance artist Deborah De Robertis was charged with the damage and theft of “cultural property” after tagging five artworks, including Gustav Courbet’s L’Origine du Monde, with the slogan #MeToo. A French prosecutor announced the indictment of De Robertis, as well as two others, on Monday. In early May, the women entered the Centre Pompidou-Metz in northern France and graffitied the glass pane protecting Courbet’s 1886 painting of a women’s nude torso and exposed vulva. The painting was on loan from Paris’s Musée d’Orsay for the show “Lacan, the exhibition. When art meets psychoanalysis,” which examines theories of the unconscious proposed by the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, who once owned the Courbet painting. Five other works, by artists such as Valie Export, Louise Bourgeois, and Rosmarie Trockel, were also tagged. A photograph by De Robertis, taken during a performance of Mirror of Origin (2014), in which she poses nude beneath Courbet’s work, was also tagged. Meanwhile, an embroidered piece by the French artist Annette Messager, titled I Think Therefore I Suck (1991), was stolen from the museum. In a video taken of the action, protesters chanted “Me Too” as they were removed from the premises by museum security.  De Robertis later claimed to have orchestrated the action as part of performance work, titled You Don’t Separate the Woman from the Artist. The title references the ongoing debate about whether art can be appreciated in isolation from the behavior of its creator. 

The slogan #MeToo gained prominence in 2017 as part of a global movement against the sexual violence of women. At the peak of the movement’s momentum, a slew high-profile artist, as well as staff in the gallery and museum sectors, faced accusations of sexual harassment or assault.   De Robertis told the AFP that the performance at the Centre Pompidou-Metz was staged because “the very closed world of contemporary art has remained largely silent until now.” She had previously made headlines for exposing herself in front of L’Origine du Monde, Édouard Manet’s Olympia (1863), and the Mona Lisa.  In a statement shared via Medium on May 13, De Robertis wrote: “I violated museums, from the Orsay Museum to the Louvre Museum to the Pompidou Center. I entered them by force, without consent or permission, to claim my place in history.” Addressing “collectors, art critics, gallery owners, historians, directors of institutions, art centers and museums,” De Robertis denounced “predators” who leverage their power in the art world to exploit vulnerable women artists. Curator Bernard Marcadé, who co-organized the Centre Pompidou-Metz show, was the only person named in the post. According to AFP, De Robertis has not been detained, although she is barred by court order from entering exhibitions in the Moselle region, which includes part of France and Luxembourg.

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Reposted from Artnet News

A climate activist for the group Riposte Alimentaire (Food Counterattack) has been arrested after gluing a poster onto a masterpiece by Monet at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris on Saturday. This protest is the latest in a slew of actions claimed by Riposte Alimentaire that took place at high-profile cultural institutions designed to call attention to the climate crisis. “This destruction of art by delinquents cannot be justified in any way,” declared France’s culture minister Rachida Dati on X (formerly Twitter). “It must stop!” She added that she is in touch with the minister of justice to work towards implementing a new penal policy to punish these acts of protest, which often cause no long-term harm so evade prosecution for the damage of cultural property. The museum confirmed that the painting has been inspected by a restoration expert who reported no permanent damage. It is now back on display. The painting Coquelicots (Poppy Field) (1873) is a charmingly picturesque view of a woman and child strolling through a field filled with bright red poppies. It was painted near Argenteuil, a small-town northwest of Paris where Monet settled in 1871 and is currently part of the “Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism” exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay (through July 14th, 2024). As seen in a video of the attack posted by Riposte Alimentaire, the protestor stuck a poster over the top of the painting that showed a comparatively dystopian vision of the world as it might look in 2073, or even 2173, if urgent action isn’t taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The details of this scene are hard to make out but there appear to be no poppies in its barren landscape. Instead, it is the sky that is flushed with tones of fiery red. The activist wore a white t-shirt with the words “+4°[C] L’Enfer” (“+4°[C] Hell”) handwritten in black pen. After affixing the poster over the protective glass covering the canvas, she glued her hand to the wall just below the picture frame and began to address visitors milling around the gallery, who remained quiet and did not attempt to intervene. “This nightmarish image awaits us if no alternative is put in place,” she declared. “At four more degrees, hell awaits us,” referring to the serious consequences of global temperatures potentially rising to 4° Celsius (7° Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. According to reports by French news agency AFP, the museum plans to file a criminal complaint. It did not respond to a request for further comment by publishing time. “This is what Claude Monet would probably have painted in 2100 if no radical measures are taken to stop climate change by then,” Riposte Alimentaire wrote on X. “As a reminder, this IPCC scenario is not the most pessimistic, since a trajectory of more than +4°C is projected.” It drew attention to the role of “productivist and ecocidal agriculture” in contributing 21 percent of France’s greenhouse gas emissions. It called for substantial reform, opposing the new Agricultural Orientation Law, which is currently under discussion in French parliament. Last month it was reported that only some of its targets, like keeping 15 percent of farmland for organic agriculture, had been scrapped.
Just last month, two activists were arrested for scattering bags of orange powder over the floors of the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris. Just days later, the group targeted one of France’s most prized paintings, Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People at the Louvre. It has just been rehung following a major six-month restoration. In February, two protestors flung soup at Monet’s Spring (1872) at the Musée des Beaux-Art in Lyon, and the month before that they hurled pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.

Reposted from Lyrasis

The Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project is offering the free emergency preparedness webinars listed below that are tailored to the needs of performing arts organizations during June:
Webinars:
 
Community Recovery Through Arts and Culture, June 6 at 2:00
Description: Arts and culture - through the artists and organizations that bring them to life in communities - have a vital role to play in recovery from disasters. Whether connecting people through music, dance, theater or other experiences; providing moments of respite, joy, and humor; allowing people to tell their personal stories of the disaster through visual, verbal, or other means; or even just providing a place to congregate, gather information, or grab a cup of coffee, arts and culture and the organizations that produce them enable us to move from victimhood to personhood, even if only for a moment, and help us rebuild the social infrastructure of our individual and community lives.
In this webinar, we will focus on how artists and arts organizations can engage in this work. We will provide background in basic disaster management principles, share good practices, give guiding principles, brief how-tos, leave you with resources for further study, and answer any questions you may have. Rebuilding social infrastructure strengthens communities’ abilities to move forward after disasters. Learn how to be part of the process and gain a seat at the table in your community’s recovery.
Instructor: Mary Eileen Fouratt, Amy Schwartzman, and Mollie Quinlan-Hayes

Lessons Learned from the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival Shooting, June 12, 2024 at 2:00 ET
Description: Kelly Hubbard was attending day 3 of the Route 91 Country Music Festival with her daughter and a few friends when someone opened fire on the crowd of 22,000 attendees. 58 attendees died that evening, with hundreds more severely injured, making that night the worst mass shooting to date in our Country’s history. Kelly speaks as a survivor, but also as an emergency manager on the events of that evening to help others in her profession and in the entertainment and hospitality industry to improve large event planning and mass casualty response.
This session will reflect on lessons for all parties involved in large pop-up location event planning and mass casualty response. Learning outcomes will include considerations for security and safety in pop-up venues, coordination concepts with local government partners, understanding the response and recovery process, considerations for integration of non-traditional response partners and trauma care for survivors and staff. Concepts such as how to integrate those who may not think they have a role (such as the hotels that became triage and shelter centers with no warning) will be covered. Insight will be provided on how survivors of traumatic events get information regarding hospitals, Family Assistance Centers, and recovery resources, especially when watching the news is experiencing the trauma all over again.
Instructor: Kelly Hubbard

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Reposted from Tim Richardson

It happened in an instant. The speeding motorcycle slammed into the back of a delivery truck. It happened so quickly that there was no avoiding the accident. The motorcycle was going too fast, and the truck was traveling too slow. My wife witnessed this horrible event yesterday when she was a passenger in a car right behind the motorcycle. While she didn’t know either the truck or motorcycle driver, she was visibly shaken as she witnessed the aftermath on a busy road. The biker’s helmet and shoes had both flown off during impact and his bloody skin was exposed through his ripped clothing. He was begging for people to move him off the hot pavement. Thankfully, law enforcement and medical professionals arrived quickly. Their rapid response and knowledge may have saved his life. Sometimes a few seconds is all it takes for bodily injury or an accident to occur. However, there are other types of injury that aren’t as quick to appear like the aftermath of a motorcycle accident. It’s not as easy to identify them because they take time to develop, and the signs can be hidden. These are the internal injuries related to a person’s mental health and well-being. The causes can be so different and affect people in a myriad of ways. The symptoms can appear so slowly and subtly. Unlike the accident my wife observed, the victim may not ask for help. While organizations should always make it a priority, May is Mental Health Awareness Month which is a great reminder to keep tabs on the health of your team and others in your life. Below are a few common signs that someone might be struggling and needing help. There’s a complete list at https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/warning-signs-and-symptoms/

·      Excessive worrying or fear

·      Feeling excessively sad or low

·      Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning

·      Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria

·      Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger

·      Avoidance of friends and social activities

·      Difficulties understanding or relating to other people

·      Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress

It would be difficult to recognize these symptoms without having regular contact. Conscientious leaders are tuned in to those around them and check in regularly with those who may be suffering. They communicate available resources that can provide confidential help and support. They take time out every day to simply ask questions like; “How are you doing? Is there any way I can support you today? Do you need to take some time to pause to regain your stride?” When accidents or mental health issues occur, it’s not just the victim that suffers. Make workplace wellness and positive mental health a priority for your organization.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

Each year in the first full week of May, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) observes Arson Awareness Week. This year, the USFA and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) co-hosted a webinar with representatives from CISA entitled “Protecting Houses of Worship from Arson.” If you did not have the opportunity to participate in the webinar, the recording is now available within the NVFC’s Virtual Classroom. The recording can be accessed with a free NVFC Virtual Classroom account. The fire service can use the information from this year’s webinar to work with houses of worship in their communities to reduce the occurrence of arson and its devastating effects. The following is a summary of the key takeaways and links to highlighted resources that provide further guidance. Although arson is defined as a property crime, arson destroys much more than buildings. Arson can be economically devastating to communities and can result in loss of life. Additionally, the burning of property is only one way that fire can be weaponized. “Fire as a weapon” is defined as any time fire is used to cause chaos, destruction, damage to buildings and infrastructure, harm to people, or to force people to evacuate. Assailants use fire as a weapon to target public gathering events, critical infrastructure, and individuals directly. While incidents involving intentional fire setting are tracked nationally as “arson” incidents, tracking of incidents matching criteria where fire was used as a weapon is less robust. This year’s Arson Awareness webinar addressed national trends and risks associated with both arson and fire-as-a-weapon incidents and the implications of these incidents for houses of worship. Fire can be weaponized with little to no specialized skill or training. Precursors are inexpensive, legal and readily available. Unfortunately, this makes fire an appealing choice for those who wish to cause significant harm. Houses of worship are often locations for large public gatherings and are considered to be soft targets. These locations are easily accessible and often have minimal security, increasing their vulnerability to a variety of security risks. Due to their faith-based affiliations, houses of worship are also vulnerable to targeted attacks.

The webinar reviewed incidents of arson against houses of worship to illustrate the wide variety of motives and tactics of arsonists. Two of the most recent include a fire intentionally set inside the 100-year-old Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church in Verona, New Jersey on April 4, 2024, and an intentional fire on the grounds of the Las Olas Chabad Jewish Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 16, 2024. Whether criminal, ideological, financial, political, juvenile, or psychological, all arson has the end effect of instilling fear. The final segment of the webinar was presented by one of CISA’s Protective Security Advisors (PSAs). This presentation reviewed the role of a PSA as a mission partner with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and private sector stakeholders to protect critical infrastructure. PSAs can connect houses of worship and local emergency response agencies with CISA’s resources, technical assistance, training, and funding opportunities.

The presentation emphasized the critical role of local emergency services agencies in proactively developing relationships with leadership at every house of worship in their community. Emergency responders should be involved in the planning and risk assessment process with their local houses of worship. The presentation reviews best practices to counter arson threats, such as ensuring “no trespassing signs” are posted on the property so that police are authorized to investigate suspicious behavior and collaborating with houses of worship on their emergency operations plans. The presentation highlights several CISA resources to assist with planning and assessment.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

In last year’s May-September warm season, rates of emergency department visits for heat-related illness substantially increased across several U.S. regions compared with previous years, especially among males and adults aged 18–64 years, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Heat waves are becoming more frequent, hotter and longer lasting than in previous decades. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting above-normal temperatures across the midwestern, western and southern lower 48 states during the summer 2024 season. Heat-related illness will continue to be a significant public health concern. Extreme heat kills more Americans than any other weather event, but heat-related illnesses are preventable. The public often lack awareness about how dangerous extreme heat can be, and effective mitigation of the risks of extreme heat requires a multi-disciplinary response, shared across multiple agencies.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

On May 9, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the release of the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA). This annual report is DEA’s comprehensive strategic assessment of illicit drug threats and trafficking trends endangering the United States.

DEA’s top priority is reducing the supply of deadly drugs in our country and defeating the two cartels responsible for the vast majority of drug trafficking in the United States. The drug poisoning crisis remains a public safety, public health, and national security issue, which requires a new approach. Drug-related deaths claimed 107,941 American lives in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are responsible for approximately 70% of lives lost, while methamphetamine and other synthetic stimulants are responsible for approximately 30% of deaths. Fentanyl is the nation’s greatest and most urgent drug threat. The advent of fentanyl mixtures to include other synthetic opioids, such as netzines, or the veterinary sedative xylazine have increased the harms associated with fentanyl.  Seizures of fentanyl, in both powder and pill form, are at record levels. Over the past two years seizures of fentanyl powder nearly doubled. Last year, 30% of the fentanyl powder seized by DEA contained xylazine. Nearly all the methamphetamines sold in the United States today is manufactured in Mexico, and it is purer and more potent than in years past. The shift to Mexican-manufactured methamphetamine is evidenced by the dramatic decline in domestic clandestine lab seizures. The report provides in-depth profiles of the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels. These are transnational criminal organizations responsible for controlling much of the clandestine drug production, transportation routes, and smuggling corridors from Mexico into the United States.

While synthetic opioids and methamphetamines are currently the most concerning threats, the report discusses trends for a range of illicit drugs, including cannabis, psychoactive substances, and illicit use of controlled prescription drugs. The report also discusses the intersection of drug trafficking and illicit finance, and the DEA’s response to the nation’s current drug threats.

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Reposted from CISA/DHS

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) appreciates your response to the Critical Infrastructure Pilot Customer Survey. The information collected from this survey will inform the selection of cybersecurity services offered by CISA to CI organizations such as yours in the future. The link will go live on June 3, 2024, and will close on July 8, 2024. Congress has directed CISA to provide scalable commercial cybersecurity shared services to the CI community to detect and prevent cybersecurity threats and mitigate vulnerabilities to improve America’s risk posture. CISA is prioritizing innovative solutions to customers but requires more feedback to determine how best to support CI organizations. This survey represents an important opportunity to make your equities and needs known.

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Reposted from CISA/DHS

On April 30, the White House released the National Security Memorandum (NSM) on Critical Infrastructure and Resilience. This memo builds on the important work that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and agencies across the federal government have been undertaking in partnership with America’s critical infrastructure communities for more than a decade. It also replaces Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21), which was issued more than a decade ago to establish national policy on critical infrastructure security and resilience. The threat environment has significantly changed since then, shifting from counterterrorism to strategic competition, advances in technology like Artificial Intelligence, malicious cyber activity from nation-state actors, and the need for increased international coordination. This change in the threat landscape, along with increased federal investment in U.S. critical infrastructure, prompted for the need to update PPD-21 and issue the new memo. This NSM specifically:

• Empowers the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to lead a whole-of-government effort to secure U.S. critical infrastructure, with CISA acting as the National Coordinator for the Security and Resilience of U.S. Critical Infrastructure. The Secretary of Homeland Security will be required to submit to the President a biennial National Risk Management Plan that summarizes U.S. government efforts to mitigate risk to the nation’s critical infrastructure.

• Reaffirms the designation of 16 critical infrastructure sectors and establishes a federal department or agency responsible for managing risk within each of these sectors.

• Elevates the importance of minimum security and resilience requirements within and across critical infrastructure sectors, consistent with the National Cyber Strategy, which recognizes the limits of a voluntary approach to risk management in the current threat environment.

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Reposted from ICOM

May 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the first international treaty that focused exclusively on this issue. Today, at an increasing and alarming rate, many painful events have recently caused an immense loss of human life, and damage to the world’s cultural and documentary heritage. The International Council on Archives (ICA), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) express their profound concern about this escalating destruction of life and cultural heritage during armed conflict and political instability. We abhor the loss of life and reaffirm the priority of protecting all people. We also deplore attacks and destruction of museums, archives, libraries and heritage places, as they are a vital and unique part of the culture of the peoples affected by the conflict. ICA, ICOM, ICOMOS and IFLA urge all parties involved in conflict to respect and protect all libraries, archives and museums and heritage places. We recall that all cultural and documentary heritage is indispensable to the survival of our societies and that continuous international and cross-sectoral cooperation is essential for its effective protection. To this end, the four organizations formed the International Committee of the Blue Shield in 1996, through which, among other, they work together to prepare for and respond to emergencies that may affect cultural heritage. Throughout these emergency situations, our libraries, museums, archives and heritage places have demonstrated the important roles that they play in protecting and promoting tangible and intangible cultural heritage and in bringing communities together. Culture is an essential element for recovery and for promoting peace.

Archives and records provide evidence of the past and the present and contribute to a more transparent society and the strengthening of democracy. They stand for memory, truth and justice and play a crucial role in documenting human rights violations. In peacetime, they are essential for rebuilding society and consolidating peace, helping people to restore their lives, setting the record straight and providing trustworthy evidence.

Museums are active players in the conservation, protection, and dissemination of cultural heritage and thus have a central role in bringing communities together both in times of crisis and in times of peace. Museums and their collections are therefore important not only for their cultural and educational missions, as well as their social and economic roles in ensuring accessibility for wide audiences and future generations and promoting local development.

Libraries are spaces that connect the past, present, and future. They are hubs for community building and their services benefit people throughout their lives, especially the most vulnerable members of society. The destruction of libraries and their collections is a direct attempt to erase identity, memory, and spaces for people to come together in the spirit of reconciliation. To uphold the human rights of access to information, freedom of expression, and participation in cultural life, libraries must be protected.

Heritage places go beyond monuments and sites, including large complex areas, landscapes, settings and their intangible dimensions. Heritage belongs to everyone: men, women, children, indigenous peoples, ethnic and minority groups. It spans ancient to modern, rural to urban, every day to elite, encompassing value-systems, beliefs, traditions and lifestyles, together with uses, customs, practices and traditional knowledge. Conserving their significance, integrity, and authenticity requires people-centered, rights-based approaches.

Our organizations thus jointly recall the importance of protecting cultural and documentary heritage as an essential component of cultural rights and express the shared position that cultural and documentary heritage professionals play an essential role in building a peaceful, sustainable, and collective future. Archivists, librarians, museum and heritage professionals use available resources to protect the materials in their custody during times of war. We therefore urge all involved in conflict to respect the work of these professionals and to protect their lives and integrity.