The Problem With Cultural Democracy (Or, At Least The Idea Of It)
Given the renewed interest in the ideas and practices of cultural democracy and their potential to address longstanding issues of cultural policy, it seems clear that, as Owen Kelly, a key figure from the community arts movement, has recently argued, arguments about cultural democracy still resonate. But for Arts Council England, they are not unproblematic. … Read More
The Problem With Time
Time can now be sliced into slivers as thin as one ten-trillionth of a second. But what is being sliced? Unlike mass and distance, time cannot be perceived by our physical senses. We don’t see, hear, smell, touch, or taste time. And yet we somehow measure it. As a cadre of theorists attempt to extend and refine the general theory of relativity, Einstein’s momentous law of gravitation, they have a problem with time. A big problem. … Read More
Are Bert And Ernie Gay? Er… No – They’re Puppets!
“As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.” … Read More
Is Contemporary Art The Kale Of The Art World?
It is no better-tasting and no healthier than many other vegetables. It is but one vegetable. The same is true of contemporary art. The public has shown, through its attendance at major shows of older art, that it wants a range of options. So it is time for museums to return to their true mission: the presentation and teaching of art from all significant periods and cultures, oblivious to temporary market trends and distortions. … Read More
Spotify Says It Will Let Artists Upload Their Music Directly
The new upload feature won’t work like SoundCloud, where songs can be instantly available. Instead, Spotify views it as a way for artists to have control over their own music in advance of its release date. Those who are part of the program will be shown an interface where they can upload their music and accompanying artwork, pick a release day, input additional information (like if it’s a single or an album), and then preview how it will look once published. Direct upload is being offered as a free service. … Read More
Orange County CA Demographics Have Radically Changed. But Its Arts Culture?
Profound demographic shifts have happened quickly. A place with a 78.6 percent white majority in 1990 has become more than half Hispanic and Asian, according to the 2010 census. But in one highly visible area Orange County still seems mired in the past: arts leadership. … Read More
Exit Interview: Steven Woolf, Artistic Director Of Repertory Theatre Of St. Louis
Q: "You've said the theatre was in trouble [when you arrived in 1986]. How did you save it?" A: "It was about stabilizing the programming. I don't think there was anything magical. We were in crisis, so we had to pick some titles that people would respond to." … Read More
Jeffrey Deitch’s New Vision For An LA Gallery
"There was tremendous enthusiasm from a broad audience about what I did there — not just kids who went to “Art in the Streets,” but patrons, all kinds of people. And I remain friends with so many of these people. So it was a very strange situation where there was a lot of enthusiasm in part from the public for what I was doing, and from people in the universities and city government, and it is a very narrow group, even before I got there, that for whatever reason didn’t want me there. And they succeeded in driving me out. But that was not enough to topple my mission. This is like a museum-type space; I don’t need the board and all that trouble. I can do whatever I want here. I have zero bitterness. I love L.A." … Read More
What’s In Agnes De Mille’s Unopened Letter? Choreographers Will Get To Speculate
The cover note accompanying this mysterious missive, sealed with wax and dated 12/02/1963, says, "Please file it unopened, with the date carefully noted. It is the outline for a play, and I have no means of copyrighting it except this way. The material is eminently stealable and I'm discussing the matter with people of similar ambitions." The current possessors of the letter, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, don't plan to open it just yet, but they are choosing five choreographers to create short pieces based on what they imagine the letter says. … Read More
How One Theatre Is Mobilizing Theatre To Protect Public Lands
In addition to mobilizing civic engagement at a grassroots level, the plays also act as an indelible record of the largest loss to public lands our country has ever seen. They document a community’s unique history and culture at a particularly urgent moment in that community’s journey. Because they are based on true stories, the plays are marked by an authenticity of character and voice, and a sometimes-disarming honesty. They are very real and very accessible, and have the rare power to touch people on a deeply personal level, galvanizing communities to take action. … Read More
Facing Cuts, Austin Arts Groups Push For Revamp Of City’s Funding Process
"Local arts groups facing dramatic cuts in their funding levels from the city could get some relief this budget year, and possibly an earlier heads-up in future budget years if their funding allocations appear headed for a decrease. ... The cuts were brought about by a combination of more than 100 new applicants for funding, increased administrative costs and lack of reserves that are typically rolled over from the previous budget year." … Read More
Giving Shakespeare’s Longest Female Role The Play It Deserves
"Shakespeare gave Queen Margaret more lines than any other female character, and more lines than King Lear. Now, she's finally been given her own play" — one assembled from her scenes in the Henry VI plays and Richard III. … Read More
Artnet Analysis: How Much Underrepresented African-American Artists Are In US Museums
Since 2008, just 2.4 percent of all acquisitions and gifts and 7.6 percent of all exhibitions at 30 prominent American museums have been of work by African American artists, according to a joint investigation by In Other Wordsand artnet News. … Read More
Reading Is Good For Your Health, Especially If You’re Older: Research
Studies released over the past decade indicate that reading regularly can increase the odds of longevity, bolster blood flow to the brain, maintain vocabulary and critical thinking skills, and even hold off dementia. What's more, books provide more benefit than even long-form newspaper or magazine articles. … Read More
Media Trolls Tried To Shame This TV Actor For Working At Trader Joe’s. They Got Him Acting Jobs Instead
Geoffrey Owens, who had a recurring role on The Cosby Show in the '80s and '90s, was photographed last month bagging groceries, a between-gigs job he took to make ends meet; the pictures ended up on Fox News and The Daily Mail Online. Owens actually got an outpouring of support (Fox and the Mail got the shaming) — and then producers, reminded of his existence, started offering him jobs. He tells Sopan Deb what's happened since and what else he's been doing (like teaching Shakespearean acting). … Read More
Premium Classifieds
Master’s in Arts Management in NYC – for Active Performing Artists
The New School's MA in Arts Management & Entrepreneurship is designed for active performing artists seeking the business skills, strategies & inspiration to drive new careers in arts … [Read More]
Webinar – Wed, Sept 26 – Take a Closer Look at LiveNote®
Join us for a special tour of LiveNote® - the interactive performance guide for delivering commentary, translations, program notes, and images to audiences in real-time via mobile devices. Earlier … [Read More]
Executive Director, Onassis Foundation USA
Onassis Foundation USA, dedicated to promoting cross-cultural relations through the lens of Greek tradition, seeks a sophisticated and intellectual arts and cultural impresario to serve as Executive … [Read More]
Publicity Manager, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center seeks a creative, high energy Public Relations Manager, with proven success achieving consistent high visibility for a classical arts or other … [Read More]
The Death Of Traditional Celebrity Journalism?
When stars’ comings and goings began to be documented on a minute-by-minute basis, those changes triggered celebrity reticence. On its own, that wouldn’t signal the death knell of celebrity journalism as it’s been practiced for decades. But the pressure being applied to celebrity journalism from the top might pale in comparison to the threat surging from below, where a new generation of celebrities — YouTube stars, SoundCloud rappers, and various other earnest young people — share extensively on social media on their own terms, moving quickly and decisively (and messily) with no need for the patience and pushback they might encounter in an interview setting. … [Read More]
ABT’s Season At Met Opera House Will Be Cut By Three Weeks
One consequence of the Metropolitan Opera's recently-announced changes to its season schedule — Sunday performances, going dark in February, adding weeks in May and June — is that the available time for American Ballet Theatre's spring season there is being reduced from eight weeks to five. Marina Harss explains why the move might just make sense to the company, and she offers a suggestion for where they might go instead. … [Read More]
City Of New York To Commission Artists To Make The Construction Sheds And Fences Everywhere Less Ugly
"The [City Canvas] program was designed to beautify New York City's visual landscape by installing large-scale – and temporary – artwork on its endless construction fences and 270 miles of sidewalk sheds. ... Buildings Commissioner Rick D. Chandler said 'If anyone can bring some love to the sidewalk sheds New Yorkers love to hate, it's our city’s artists.'" … [Read More]
Watching Jaap Van Zweden Get Started At The New York Philharmonic
Reporter Michael Cooper and photographer Nina Westervelt follow the Phil's new music director through his first week on the job — unpacking his office, meeting with CEO Deborah Borda, strategizing with his publicist, taking selfies with passersby who recognize him from the ads around town, and (of course), rehearsing for the opening night concert. … [Read More]
Ian Buruma Explains Why He Resigned From New York Review Of Books After Ghomeshi Essay
"No, [the publisher] did not fire me. But he made clear to me that university publishers ... were threatening a boycott. They are afraid of the reactions on the campuses, where this is an inflammatory topic. Because of this, I feel forced to resign — in fact it is a capitulation to social media and university presses." Even so, he says, "I still stand behind my decision to publish." … [Read More]
The History Of ‘Salvator Mundi’ Just Got Clearer (And Stranger)
The recently authenticated Leonardo da Vinci painting, now the world's most expensive artwork ($450 million), spent nearly half a century in a family home in Baton Rouge before dealers purchased it in a 2005 estate sale for under $10,000. … [Read More]
Architect Robert Venturi, 93
"Over the course of a career that spanned more than 50 years, Venturi mounted a sustained counterattack on the high seriousness of modernism, praising the vernacular, the commercial, and even the avowedly ordinary in writings and buildings that he often produced in collaboration with his wife, Denise Scott Brown." Famously, he responded to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's pronouncement "Less is more" with the quip, "Less is a bore." … [Read More]
Seven Of Robert Venturi’s Top ‘Postmodern’ Projects
Yes, he disavowed the "postmodern' label, but nevertheless, here are seven signature examples of his style, from the house he created for his mother (the design that started it all), through his fire station in the modern architecture mecca of Columbus, Indiana and his museum buildings in London, Seattle, Houston, and San Diego to his "Queen Anne" chair. … [Read More]
London’s Royal Opera House Finished Its Major Renovation Without Missing A Single Rehearsal Or Performance
The venue's CEO, Alex Beard, describes the $66 million project as "a bit like having open-heart surgery while going for a run." The architect said that "We had meetings every day where we'd work out the little windows of time we could make noise." Alex Marshall reports on the results, including a much larger foyer, a cafe, more ladies' loos, and a complete upgrade of the ROH's 406-seat Linbury Theatre. … [Read More]
India To Have First-Ever Queer Literature Festival
In November, just two months after India's highest court decriminalized same-sex relations, the Awadh Queer Committee (which has already organized a pride march and a film festival in the past year) in Lucknow will present the first dedicated LGBTQ literary event anywhere in South Asia. … [Read More]