In the Arts: Pew Reportedly Opts Out of Philadelphia Orchestra Campaign

The Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia’s largest foundation, will not contribute to the city’s financially ailing orchestra’s recovery plan, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports based on information from people close to the situation.

Pew has financed the Philadelphia Orchestra for several years, though it has provided smaller sums than it has given many of the city’s other major cultural organizations.

Neither Rebecca W. Rimel, the foundation’s president, nor an orchestra spokeswoman would say whether Pew has rejected giving to the organization’s effort to gird its finances.

A Pew insider said the orchestra’s lingering deficits weigh in the decision. The orchestra is seeking to cut labor costs while angling for greater philanthropic support and exploring a bailout plan that could include filing for bankruptcy, which could be decided this weekend at a special board meeting.

In other arts news:

● Amid the weak economy and debates over cutting government cultural aid, the Colorado arts scene is experiencing an unlikely building boom, according to The Denver Post.

The daily notes that government and private money are paying to build new performance centers or renovate existing venues in Denver, Grand Lake, Fort Collins, and other communities across the state.

● Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts faces many challenges as it seeks a replacement for Peter C. Marzio, the charismatic 28-year director who built the institution into the country’s sixth-largest museum before his death last year, The Texas Tribune reports.