Trafficking In Ideas - It's Getting Complicated Debates over who owns ideas and creative work are getting fierce. "As a result of the move from a manufacturing and service economy to a knowledge and creative economy, intellectual property is now being asked to play a primary role that it is not capable of. Each kind of intellectual property, with its distinctive historical antecedents and unique characteristics, is under considerable strain. Multiple trends are undercutting and de-stabilising the entire system. We can see shifts and changes in how we have and share ideas and especially in how we develop and commercialise them." Cultural Commons 02/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 6:53 pm
Is Irish Caravaggio Real? Is a painting thought to be a Caravaggio in Dublin's National Gallery a copy or a fake? "The recent discovery of an identical work in Italy has sparked heated debate, with Italian art dealers convinced theirs is authentic and the other a copy. But art collector and historian Sir Denis Mahon said the Italian artist had painted at least two versions of The Taking of Christ and both were originals." Ireland Online 02/19/04
Posted: 02/19/2004 7:04 am
London Toy Museum In Trouble London's Toy Museum, which has been operating since 1876, is likely to close soon, if money is not found to rescue it. "Spread over two floors, six small rooms and several winding staircases, the walls of Pollock's Toy Museum are covered with an estimated 20,000 exhibits dating back more than a century." BBC 02/19/04
Posted: 02/19/2004 6:55 am
Protests Over Museum of Scotland Design Changes Plans for the Museum of Scotland won praise and awards in 1998 when they were unveiled. "But recent changes to the £50m Museum of Scotland have been labelled as crude, perverse, wretched, and tacky by leading figures in the architectural community." Glasgow Herald 02/19/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 9:07 pm
Debating The Tunnel Through Stonehenge The approach to Stonehenge is a miserable affair. So there's a proposal to dig a tunnel to remove cars from the immedtiate area. But there's controversy about the tunnel, so an inquiry's being held. "Although the proposed tunnel will take the road out of sight of the stones, its entrance portals will still be within the Stonehenge world heritage site, which many archaeologists regard as one vast, man-made, sacred landscape. The inquiry will pitch the partners in the Stonehenge Project against one another." The Guardian (UK) 02/19/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 7:40 pm
The CD Will Be Dead By 2007 "New studies show that young people have little interest in owning prepackaged music when just about every recording they want can be had as a download. For people stricken with the collecting disease, this plastic-free vision of the future sounds a little alarming. Sure, we smirked when Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin was urged to go into plastics in "The Graduate." But we've really come to love our plastic, especially when it contains the audio and visual stimulation we crave." San Francisco Chronicle 02/19/04
Posted: 02/19/2004 8:32 am
In RoadTrip: High And Dry In Dusseldorf Sam Bergman on tour with the Minnesota Orchestra: "The first element in Düsseldorf is always the concert hall. The Tonhalle is quite striking, visually, with an all-wood design, a conical ceiling that gives the whole room something of an observatory look, and every seat located quite close to the stage. However, this is probably the dryest hall we will play on the tour, and everyone in the orchestra remembers it from previous trips. Sound seems to die six feet in front of the stage in Düsseldorf, and the loudest, most resonant chord can dissipate so quickly that you feel as if you're performing in an airlock." RoadTrip (AJBlogs) 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 10:57 pm
Norah Jones' Blockbuster Week Norah Jones' second album has sold more copies in its first week than any other release in the past 2 1/2 years. "Ms. Jones's second album, "Feels Like Home" (Blue Note), sold 1,022,000 copies during the week ending Sunday, the best performance since 'N Sync released "Celebrity" in July 2001, according to Nielsen SoundScan." The New York Times 02/19/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 10:22 pm
English National Opera Trying To Get On Track The English National Opera has had a rough couple of years. Perhaps it's coming out of its slump (and a string of bad luck). But there's plenty of work needed to recover. "It seems crucial for the company to strengthen its sense of purpose and identity, particularly at a time when not only is the Royal Opera on a high, but impresario Raymond Gubbay is launching his cheap and cheerful Savoy Opera in the West End, featuring young voices performing opera in English." The Guardian (UK) 02/19/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 7:34 pm
Yerba Buena Lays Off Curator, Staff San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center has laid off its chief curator and eight others because of financial concerns. Curator Renny Pritikin, "who got his pink slip last week and left Friday, was widely respected by artists and curators, who admired his keen eye for contemporary art and willingness to blur the boundaries between so-called high and low art. Pritikin will not be replaced. Nor will the other laid-off employees, who worked in various departments - finance, operations, marketing and development." San Francisco Chronicle 02/19/04
Posted: 02/19/2004 6:59 am
A Trio Of Jobs Three of New York's most important cultural institutions have vacancies in their top jobs. Running Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera and the Public Theatre are among the most difficult arts jobs there are. And it's not immediately obvious who the should get the jobs. The New York Times 02/19/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 9:30 pm
French Intellectuals Protest Government "Anti-Intellectualism" "More than 20,000 French artists, thinkers, film-makers, scientists, lawyers, doctors and academics have signed a petition accusing the centre-right government of 'waging war on intelligence' and instituting 'a new state anti-intellectualism'." The Guardian (UK) 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 7:44 pm
Florida Arts Groups Fighting To Restore State Funding Cuts Last year the Florida State Legislature cut its arts funding by 75 percent. This year Arts and cultural groups are "fighting back to restore money that had been legally set aside for cultural and historic preservation. They have found surprisingly strong support, convincing many legislators that the arts are not just about culture but are also an economic issue important to tourism and jobs." The Sun-Sentinel (South Florida) 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 6:02 pm
Gioia: Of Arts And Logistics Dana Gioia says his job as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts is to take charge of logistics. "He points out that it was Nancy Hanks, the endowment's chair during the Nixon administration, who spread the money that helped build dance companies, opera companies, and museums. As Gioia sees it, there is no fight: Most people want the arts in their communities and schools. The only real issues are logistical." Boston Globe 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 9:51 am
The Marine/Rancher Poet Laureate Cleatus Rattan is a former Marine and rancher. He's currently Texas' Poet Laureate. "Writing poetry in Texas, though, doesn't win you many friends. In fact, he says, his poems about how dead his hometown of Cisco is (population: 3,183) have made him unpopular there. It's a town, he writes, 'with no plans to rebuild. The streetlights dim'."
Dallas Morning News 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 8:40 am
Theatre Development Fund Hid Deficit By Diverting Government Money The Ontario government has taken contral of a theatre development fund out of the hands of the Toronto Theatre Alliance "after an internal forensic audit revealed $161,000 had been diverted from the fund" into the TTA's budget to cover up a deficit. "The annual operating budget of the organization is $350,000, but for the past two years, roughly $90,000 per annum was siphoned into it from the Commercial Theatre Development Fund and the Dora Support Fund to make it appear the books balanced." Toronto Star 02/19/04
Posted: 02/19/2004 8:43 am
Auditions Swamped With Kids For Mary Poppins There was an open audition for kids wanting to be in a new West End production of Mary Poppins. "By the time the doors of the Prince Edward theatre opened, the queue stretched twice around the block: the producers estimated that more than 1,000 children turned up." The Guardian (UK) 02/19/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 7:36 pm
Pasternak To Be Published In Russia Again The works of Boris Pasternak were banned from publication for 30 years by the Soviet government. Now the writer's complete works will be published in Russia. "All 11 volumes are set to be published by February 2005 to mark the 115th anniversary of Pasternak's birth. The first two volumes, including poems written between 1912 and 1959, have already been printed by Slovo publishers. The nine others will also be published before February next year." BBC 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 6:57 pm
When Biographers Over-Identify With Their Subjects A biography of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson leaves Daniel Asa Rose distrustful of biographer Susan Cheever. "Can a biographer be said to have so much understanding that she overidentifies with her subject? Is the biographer’s function to plead her subject’s case ("he was not a perfect man, but he was the perfect man for the job," his "humanness does not diminish him, it makes him a writer, guide, and teacher," etc.), or to let the unvarnished facts speak for themselves? When does discretion become a veil? Is there such a thing, in a biographer, as too much heart?" New York Observer 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 5:57 pm
Book Groups Petition To Get Rid Of Patriot Act Provision The American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, and the writer's group PEN American Center are mounting a signature drive to petition lawmakers to remove the section of the Patriot Act that allows law enforcement officials to see records of what library and bookstore patrons read. Boston Globe` 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 7:39 am
Muppets To Disney The Jim Henson estate has agreed to sell TV and movie rights for the Muppets to Disney. "In the months before his death in 1990, my father, Jim Henson, pursued extensive discussions with the Walt Disney Co., based on his strong belief that Disney would be the perfect home for the Muppets." BBC 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 6:49 pm
Universal Ballet Comes Of Age In only 20 years, Seoul's Universal Ballet has become a company with which to reckon. "Many people still associate the company with its founder, Rev. Moon Sun Myung of Unification Church. But over the years, UBC has substantially shed the image of its ties to the religious group through its quality performances and contribution to Korea's ballet development. 'Year after year, we put on repertoires that were deemed above our capacity, which speeded up our growth. We also had a lot of influence from our series of foreign teachers, not only with dance but the whole production, including stage arts, lighting and costume design, because ballet is a composite art'." Korea Times 02/19/04
Posted: 02/19/2004 7:07 am
Gottlieb: City Ballet Misfires Robert Gottlieb is getting downright cranky about New York City Ballet's Balanchine celebration: "If only we could blame the erosion of the Balanchine repertory on these injuries, but for the most part, the girls who are still on their toes are having their troubles, too: They either aren’t ballerina material to begin with, or they’re not being helped to understand the ballets they’re appearing in." New York Observer 02/18/04
Posted: 02/18/2004 6:14 pm
