The Odd Decline Of Raphael In recent years, the art of Raphael seems to have fallen out of favor with the public. "While Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo leap out of the past as living men - their lives intense and fascinating, their works disturbingly immediate - Raphael has become remote. The recent fuss over the National Gallery's bid to buy his Madonna of the Pinks revealed just how distant we are from him. No one could say why he is so special." Could it be that Raphael's embrace of a style which attempted to impose order on chaos is so foreign to us, in an age in which chaos is the accepted norm, that we have forgotten how to view it? The Guardian (UK) 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 12:14 pm
A Museum That Will Be All It Can Be The U.S. Army is planning a $200 million museum in Virginia, to be funded entirely by the government. "After a competition among many elite architects, the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has been chosen to design the 255,000-square-foot museum complex. Opening day is planned for June 14, 2009." The Army insists that recruitment is not the aim of the museum, although the video-game aspect of warfare will apparently have a role, with plans including "a parade ground for simulated battles and an annex for 4-D simulators like those found on the most advanced new amusement park rides." The New York Times 10/10/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 11:20 am
D.C. City Museum To Close Washington, D.C.'s City Museum, which was designed to showcase the history and heritage of the city's neighborhoods, has announced that it will close its exhibit galleries next spring, less than two years since the museum opened to the public. The materials exhibited at the space will remain available for viewing by appointment, but the museum was forced to acknowledge that it had failed to develop any sort of audience for itself. "It [had] hoped to be a gateway for tourists whose interest in the city would be whetted by the materials there and who in turn would discover areas off the Mall by themselves." Washington Post 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:59 am
The Art of Living Dangerously You don't often think of art as a physically dangerous profession, but the fact is that artists of all stripes routinely work with a wide array of exceedingly hazardous machinery and chemicals, and many are not well-trained in coping with the dangers involved. From acids to paint fumes to turpentine, artists exposed to chemicals over time are at risk for a variety of long-term illnesses. Toronto Star 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:39 am
Reinventing Government, Or At Least Its Look Architect Enric Miralles died in 2000, four years before his design for the new Scottish Parliament building was realized. And the reaction to the building from the general public has been widely negative. Still, says Christopher Hume, the complex "reverses the notion of the national legislature as a place that towers above the landscape, a beacon of state power. The Scottish Parliament reinvents the political system as a city within a city, a community set apart yet deeply connected to its surroundings." And the public distaste for the project may well have much to do with the widespread antipathy towards the government itself. Toronto Star 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:29 am
- Imperfect, Yes, But That's Politics Designing a government building is always a dicey proposition, but in Scotland, where the long march towards some measure of self-rule has been a particularly painful one, the new Parliament building seems to evoke much of that struggle. "As a composition, it is disjointed and rambling; much of its detailing is overly fussy... Yet the building, which Queen Elizabeth will formally open on Oct. 9, is mesmerizing nonetheless. Its sometimes tortured forms are able to convey, with remarkable emotional force, the sense of a first-rate creative mind struggling to come to terms with myriad ideas and practical challenges." The New York Times 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 9:56 am
Public vs. Expert Opinion: Who Should Judge Public Art? The massive sculpture that stands in front of Baltimore's train station is, to put it mildly, unpopular. In fact, nearly 100 locals gathered at a public forum recently to demand the removal of Male/Female, sculpted by Maine resident Jonathan Borofsky. But the forum turned out to be mainly an opportunity for art experts to tell the unhappy citizenry that they'd "get used to" the piece, and to highlight other examples of public art that were initially reviled. Baltimore Sun 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 9:13 am
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NY Phil Settles Contract, Sets Up Possible Domino Effect The musicians of the New York Philharmonic have agreed to a new three-year contract, ending the speculation over which of the largest American orchestras would settle first. The new deal, which is expected to set the pace for bargaining at the other major orchestras, calls for weekly salary increases which will eventually raise the minimum weekly scale to $2,180, and improvements to the musicians' benefit package. The New York Times (AP) 10/10/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 11:10 am
Mediation For SF Chorus The management of the San Francisco Symphony and the union representing the professional members of the orchestra's chorus have agreed to mediation in an effort to avoid a work stoppage which could have begun this coming week. San Jose Mercury News 10/08/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 11:04 am
- Previously: SF Symphony Chorus May Strike The professional members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are threatening to strike next week's performances if progress is not made in their ongoing contract negotiations. 30 of the chorus's 180 members are paid, and those singers are members of the American Guild of Musical Artists. There is no word on whether the unionized musicians of the symphony itself would cross a potential picket line. San Francisco Chronicle 10/08/04
Sacramento Controversy Has Arts Groups Looking For Distance Since the Sacramento Bee began to raise serious questions about the business ethics and practices of the new Sacramento Symphony, the arts community has been forced to choose sides in the increasingly divisive debate. A glance at the newspaper's letters page reveals that, while some in the community just want to listen to music, there is a distinct desire on the part of other orchestral groups in the area to completely disassociate themselves from the beleagured symphony. Sacramento Bee 10/08/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:10 am
LA Phil Boosts Endowment Less than a year ago, the endowment of the Los Angeles Philharmonic was barely as large as its annual operating budget, and the lowest among major U.S. orchestras. But this week, the Phil announced that it has raised $75 million for its endowment, and plans to raise $25 million more over the next three years. The largest single gift in the endowment drive is from the Disney Foundation. Big News Network (Australia) 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 8:45 am
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Canada's Paltry Support For The Arts Canada prides itself on its willingness to pay high taxes to support a considerable social safety net, but according to some in the arts industry, the country has a long way to go to approximate the level of arts support appropriate for a developed nation. "The Canada Council's grants for all cultural organizations across the country... totals $142 million — about half the annual subsidy received by Berlin's three opera houses." Toronto Star 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:48 am
Well, That'll Do Wonders For Their Credibility The scholars who emerge every year or so to reassert that William Shakespeare didn't write the plays attributed to him are not what you would call the popular kids in academic circles. But that's never stopped the Shakespeare Fellowship Foundation from calling attention to itself, with its efforts focused mainly on the logical-sounding notion that an uneducated glovemakers' son simply would not have had a wide enough world experience to write such worldly plays. But at its annual convention this month, the SFF has waded hip-deep into a new controversy, claiming that the man they believe to have written the Shakespeare plays was also the lover of Queen Elizabeth I. Baltimore Sun 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 8:51 am
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Voigt Pulls Out Of Vancouver American soprano Deborah Voigt has withdrawn from a Vancouver Opera production, citing hurricane fatigue. Voigt lives in Vero Beach, Florida, which was hit hard by the recent series of hurricanes, and had been scheduled to be on the road until Christmas. The Globe & Mail (Canada) 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 12:04 pm
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Names Matter, Even On Broadway "The news that the Shubert Organization will rename two of its Broadway theaters after two of its executives - one living, one dead - is not likely to cause major confusion, or even consternation, among theatergoers... But the city's and the country's theater lovers can only be dismayed. For them - for us - the lexicon of Broadway, including the names of specific playhouses, conjures not just a street or a business but also a history, a cultural tradition and even an ideal. The word Broadway may now be used chiefly as a marketing tool for producers, but it still has historical resonance for many theatergoers." The New York Times 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 9:53 am
- Previously: Broadway Theaters To Be Renamed For Bean-Counters The Shubert Organization has announced that it will be renaming two of its Broadway theaters after the company's own executives. "The Royale will become the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater, and the Plymouth will be renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater." Theaters have traditionally been named after those who impact theater on the artistic side of things, and the reaction to the announcement has been mainly in the realm of disbelief. "Several prominent producers and publicity agents, all of whom refused to be identified for fear of angering the powerful Shubert Organization, responded with disbelief, laughter or both." The New York Times 10/08/04
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Roth Novel Gets New Cover The cover of Philip Roth's new novel, The Plot Against America, has run up against the German government's ban on any display of the swastika. The cover features a black stenciled swastika superimposed over a U.S. postage stamp. A shipment of the book was held up by customs at the German border last week, and the publisher announced that a new cover would be printed for the German market, with the swastika replaced by a black 'X'. The Globe & Mail (AFP) 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 12:08 pm
What Good Is The Nobel? Certainly, great writers deserve wide recognition, but does the Nobel Prize for Literature really come close to delivering such immortality? "Even the most erudite among us will have a hard time naming a single book by a great chunk of past laureates. How about that Sigrid Undset (1928)? Who could ever forget her, right? Or how about Par Lagerkvist (1951)? Or Jaroslav Seifert (1984)? Got those names tattooed on the brain, don't you?" Even if you see the Nobel's mission as bringing attention to unjustly neglected authors, the prize could be considered a failure in that regard as well. San Francisco Chronicle 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:17 am
- Well, It Sells Books, Anyway "Readers are eager to learn more about Austria's Elfriede Jelinek, who was virtually unknown in the United States before the announcement that she had received the Nobel Prize for literature. Within 24 hours of Thursday's citation by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, four of her books had jumped into the top 70 on Amazon.com's list of best sellers." Chicago Sun-Times (AP) 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:15 am
Charges Of Anti-Semitism In Frankfurt "Publishers from Arab countries came to the Frankfurt Book Fair as the guests of honor, seeking understanding and tolerance as well as a greater appreciation of Arab culture and literature. But several publishers, as well as the book fair itself, have attracted criticism and charges of anti-Semitism for their display of at least a dozen books with strong anti-Zionist themes." The New York Times 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 10:01 am
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Supreme Court To Decide Where File-Swapping Blame Lies Several major Hollywood studios and record labels have filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court of a recent federal court decision which held that the makers of file-swapping software are not liable for the illegal actions of their customers. Free speech advocates are encouraging the high court not to review the case, saying that it represents a direct attempt to intimidate software makers and the public. There are also timing questions surrounding the petition, which was filed after the controversial Induce Act stalled in the U.S. Senate last week. Wired 10/08/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 11:39 am
- Previously: Induce Act To Make Progress, Talks Don't "After four days of painstaking negotiations, technology and consumer groups said they have failed to reach a consensus with the entertainment industry on the language of the Induce Act, a proposed bill making it illegal to encourage copyright infringement." Wired 10/07/04
NPR Seeking More Krocs As National Public Radio continues to make use of the $236 million bequest from philanthropist Joan Kroc, the network is pursuing more such gifts, using the reach of its affiliate stations to attract ultra-high-rolling donors. At the same time, NPR's priorities regarding the money are becoming clear: news is where the money is, and news is primarily where the new money is going. Dallas Morning News 10/09/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 9:46 am
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Joffrey: No Ownership Disputes Here Recent high-profile legal disputes over the ownership of specific dances after the choreographer's death have many top companies scrambling to insure their hold on the work produced by their employees. At Chicago's Joffrey Ballet, choreographer Gerald Arpino's advanced age has caused such concerns, but "Arpino and the troupe's response is unequivocal: The Joffrey Ballet here has the rights to all Arpino and Joffrey ballets 'in perpetuity.'" The company is also stressing that, while Arpino is not scheduled to retire anytime soon, there is a succession plan in place. Chicago Tribune 10/10/04
Posted: 10/10/2004 11:56 am
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