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
Geta Brătescu, Superstar Of Romanian Contemporary Art, Dead At 92
"Brătescu's work has for years been a powerful influence on artists in the Romanian contemporary art scene, but it wasn't until the past few years that she achieved fame outside Eastern Europe ... [Her] output took the form of films, collages, photographs, installations, travel journals, drawings, and more over the course of her seven-decade career. Her primary interests included the body and the relationship between art and life, and her work often tackled these themes with a dry sense of humor." … Read More
Rio’s Police Department Gets An Artist-In-Residence
"I was very apprehensive and came with a stereotypical image of the police," says Tatiana Altberg. But, as she has done workshops with the staffers in her precinct, "I've tried to put myself in their shoes. As I listen to their side of the problems and issues facing them, I've realised that it is very hard to be a police officer in Rio de Janeiro." … Read More
Horror Is Having A Moment In The Arts
Our present era is one in which the heart of culture is blowing hard upon a coal of fear, and the fascination is everywhere. By popular consent, horror has been experiencing what critics feel obliged to label a ‘golden age’. In terms of ticket sales, 2017 was the biggest year in the history of horror cinema, and in 2018, Hereditary and A Quiet Place have been record-breaking successes. … Read More
Could Art Fairs Solve The Gallery Crisis?
The major art fairs should acknowledge that the nature of artist representation is changing and that the traditional model of a fixed gallery is losing legitimacy, in large part, ironically, because of the popularity of the fairs. A concomitant decrease in gallery visitor numbers has led several art dealers to turn to alternative, hybrid or nomadic galleries that depart from the traditional model centered around a fixed, expensive, exhibition space. The biggest art fairs should relax their admission criteria and open up their events to more curators and directors behind these new gallery models. … Read More
Grappling With Balanchine’s Treatment Of Women
"The fact is, Balanchine had much more than a “roving eye” and his behavior can no longer be ignored or rationalized. His toxic relationships with women are one of many reasons that NYCB finds itself in the position it is today, struggling to understand how bad behavior was allowed to flourish for so long, both at the highest levels of leadership and in the lower ranks as well. At this moment, coming to terms with this unflattering side of the Balanchine legacy is arguably more important than preserving his choreography for future generations. Without an honest reckoning about its past, NYCB will never truly be able to move forward." … Read More
New York Review Of Books Editor Out Over Decision To Publish Ghomeshi Essay
Buruma had defended his decision to publish Ghomeshi's essay in a widely criticized interview with Slate just five days before his ouster at the literary magazine. It is unclear if he resigned or was fired. He was named the editor of the magazine last May, following the death of NYRB's editor and cofounder Robert B. Silvers. … Read More
Academia’s Missing Republican Faculty
Democrats dominate most fields. In religion, Mitchell Langbert’s survey found that the ratio of Democrats to Republicans is 70 to 1. In music, it is 33 to 1. In biology, it is 21 to 1. In philosophy, history and psychology, it is 17 to 1. In political science, it is 8 to 1. The gap is narrower in science and engineering. In physics, economics and mathematics, the ratio is about 6 to 1. In chemistry, it is 5 to 1, and in engineering, it is just 1.6 to 1. Still, Lambert found no field in which Republicans are more numerous than Democrats. … Read More
20 Classic Movies And The Women Behind Them
"Women have been on the cinematic front lines from the start. While men took most of the credit for building the movie industry, women — on camera and off, in the executives suites and far from Hollywood — were busily, thrillingly, building it, too. That's the reason for our list of Movie Women You Should Know, which is not a canon or a pantheon but a celebration and an invitation to further discovery. Here are some of the art's other pioneers — its independents and entrepreneurs, auteurs and artisans." … Read More
Dance Pioneer Arthur Mitchell, 84
Mr. Mitchell, who described himself as the Jackie Robinson of the ballet world, was hired by choreographer George Balanchine in 1955 to perform with the New York City Ballet and won over audiences and critics with his technical brilliance and charisma. Still, in an era when segregation was just beginning to crumble, his ascent to the upper echelon of dance met with many obstacles, from instructors who encouraged him to abandon ballet and take up other dance genres to shocked theatergoers who wrote letters expressing outrage about Mr. Mitchell being paired onstage with a white woman. … Read More
New Trump Tariffs On China No Longer Include Chinese Art
On Monday (17 September), the Office of the United States Trade Representative issued a revised list of imported goods subject to the tariff—which is due to rise to 25% by next year—that no longer includes Chinese-made art and antiquities. … Read More
What’s The Job Of A Reference Librarian In The Age Of Google? Community Service
Sari Feldman, chief of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Cleveland: "Where is reference headed, and how is it being practiced in 2018? I asked some of my colleagues, and I heard a fairly consistent message: with so much information available online today, the value librarians add comes through their connection to the community," helping patrons with, for example, applying for government social programs, obtaining health information, or navigating immigration and naturalization issues. … Read More
City Of Calgary Weighs Olympic Bid Versus Funding Arts
"I guess the question that I have is we have so many fundamental organizations that provide incredible quality of life for Calgary and we're talking about cutting them and at the same time we're talking about the Olympics. And I'm really struggling to rationalize this austerity budget or the Olympics." … Read More
Journalist/Guinea Pig Tries Auditioning For Alvin Ailey Dance Company (Uh-Oh)
Madison Mills: "What does it take to make it as a dancer in New York? I have no idea. I've never done ballet, I prefer jazz hands to leaps, and I'm more uncoordinated than most. Regardless, I decided to find out. So I auditioned for Alvin Ailey, one of the most prestigious dance companies in New York. It wasn't pretty." (video) … Read More
Premium Classifieds
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]
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]
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]
Reconciling A Need For History With The Necessity For Contemporary Skills
Fact-checkers know that in a digital medium, the web is a web. It’s not just a metaphor. You understand a particular node by its relationship in a web. So the smartest thing to do is to consult the web to understand any particular node. That is very different from reading Thucydides, where you look at internal criticism and consistency because there really isn’t a documentary record beyond Thucydides. … [Read More]
A Year In The Life Of An Art Critic
"In which one writer, ARTnews Executive Editor Andrew Russeth, attempts to narrate life in the New York art world over the course of one full season, from September 2017 to September 2018, with brief forays to Miami, New Orleans, Basel, Buffalo, San Francisco, and a few other places. Along the way, countless exhibitions are visited, performances are witnessed, museum protests are reported on, art fairs are tolerated, and celebrations of various kinds are attended. Meanwhile, all sorts of surprises come in over the transom." … [Read More]
US Senate Passes “Music Modernization Act”
ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said: “Today’s unanimous passage of the Music Modernization Act in the Senate represents a Herculean industry-wide effort to promote and celebrate songwriters and ensure their right to a sustainable livelihood. We applaud Senators Hatch, Alexander, Grassley, Feinstein, Whitehouse, Coons and the entire Senate for recognizing the value music has in both society and our hearts.” … [Read More]
What’s Behind The Subgenre Of ‘Rock Star Romance’ Novels?
To figure it out, Rebecca Onion read a bunch of them: "Romance novels, as a genre, do a lot of thinking about the way power (wealth, intelligence, competence) drives attraction — for the women swooning over the male heroes, but also for the men themselves, who (in romance novels written recently, at least) often fall in love with heroines who can match their qualities of personal strength. Given that thematic interest, romance between civilians and stars is a natural fit. These rock stars are 'alphas' in the 'best at their jobs' sense; they need the women they meet to help them develop their private selves." … [Read More]
How Can Small-City Ballet Companies Develop Big Reputations? Here Are Answers From Three Who Did It
"Small- to medium-sized companies based in cities outside dance meccas ... are often written off as 'regional,' or somehow lesser than their big city counterparts. But in recent decades, a few have defied such categorization as they've gained traction on the national and international scene. So how does a company build an international profile without losing connection to its hometown? We asked the directors of Tulsa Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Sarasota Ballet to share their strategies." … [Read More]
Small Arts Groups Are Thriving In Salt Lake, And Local Gov’t Funding For Them May Change
"[Salt Lake County's] Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) program will fund more groups than ever this year with $2.2 million split among 183 organizations ... [Program director Kristen] Darrington said the growing applicant pool for Tier II, up from 156 in 2016 and 171 last year, is a 'really good problem to have.' It reflects the increased sophistication of small arts programs and demand for cultural programming across the county." … [Read More]
Broadway Roulette: You Can Get Cheap Advance Tickets To A Show, But They Won’t Tell You Which One
Liz Durand Streisand's online platform — which is, in fact, called Broadway Roulette — is basically the Hotwire of theatre: producers, like airlines, may be willing to release discount tickets in order to sell seats, but they don't want the whole world to know that they're resorting to cutting prices. So the customer will specify a date and order tickets, but the actual show will be a surprise. … [Read More]
For The First Time, The Frick Collection Will Put New Artwork In Its Permanent Galleries
"The Frick Collection in New York will have its first-ever intervention by a contemporary artist in its permanent collection galleries next May, when the UK artist and writer Edmund de Waal will install site-specific porcelain works." … [Read More]
After Mysterious Backstage Episode, Former Florida Grand Opera Boss Withdraws From New San Diego Job And Stays In Miami
The La Jolla Music Society, which presents touring classical and dance artists in metro San Diego, announced in late July that Florida Grand Opera executive director Susan T. Danis would become the Society's CEO and lead its move into a new venue. Seven weeks later, following a "defamatory letter" about Danis that was sent to the La Jolla board, and later retracted, by a former FGO staffer, the vindicated Danis decided nevertheless to give up the job in La Jolla and remain at FGO. George Varga explains (as far as possible). … [Read More]
David DiChiera, Founder Of Michigan Opera Theatre And Key Figure In Revival Of Downtown Detroit, Dead At 83
"DiChiera was small of stature and surprisingly soft-spoken for a man who came to have such an enormous impact on Detroit's cultural landscape. Indeed, the word people used most often to describe him was 'kind,' followed quickly by more grandiose words like 'visionary,' 'groundbreaker' and 'risk-taker.' He was all that and more." … [Read More]