Today’s Stories
Unhappiness As A Political Act
The focus of the “medicalization of unhappiness” debate was whether unhappiness should be considered a scientific problem. That issue has given way to the “politicization of unhappiness.” Whatever unhappiness Americans feel in their private lives has spilled over into the public realm, with ramifications far beyond whether people who take drugs to feel happy should be doing so. – National Affairs
Exit Interview: Architecture Critic Blair Kamin
It’s really, really important to have critics who, at their best, can deliver lighting bolts that say, “This is a horrible idea. Don’t do it.” “Don’t put a Holiday Inn glass box on top of Chicago’s Union Station.” (It didn’t happen.) Or, ‘The lakefront in Chicago is divided by the chasm of race, address it.” Over the last 22 years since I wrote that series on the lakefront, it has really changed. – Fast Company
Mark Swed: My Picks For Culture Secretary
“A Secretary of Culture would serve not as advisor to the president but as a conscience to government itself. Mr. or Madame Secretary would set a national tone of cultural ambition. If you are worried about politicizing culture, don’t be. Artists are rebels. Any benighted culture czar who happens to come along will have to contend with socially nourishing revolutionary art. We can’t lose.” – Los Angeles Times
The Different Flavors Of Change
The paradox of change is that while it impacts us on a very subjective, personal level and each of us perceives it very differently, on another level it also unites us because of its universal aspects, aspects that can help us define our common humanity. – 3 Quarks Daily
Norway’s New Whale Museum Looks Like… A Whale
From far away, The Whale museum on the southern coast of Norway looks like, well, a whale — the tail of a whale emerging from water, to be more precise. But upon closer inspection, visitors will find that this architectural marvel is actually a scenic viewpoint and an educational center where they can learn about the local marine life. – Travel and Leisure
Dropped By Simon And Schuster, Josh Hawley Finds A New Publisher For His Book
Regnery will publish Hawley’s book, titled “The Tyranny of Big Tech,” in the spring, according to a news release from the publisher. – CNN
‘Für Elise” — Igor Levit Says That Piece You Hate From Piano Lessons Is One Of Beethoven’s Finest Works
“It’s just emptiness. How great must a composer be to allow himself to write about nothing?” The pianist has a go at persuading Joshua Barone. – The New York Times
Is American History As We’ve Been Taught It Wrong? Trump Commission Says So
The commission’s report charges, in terms quickly derided by many mainstream historians, that Americans are being indoctrinated with a false critique of the nation’s founding and identity, including the role of slavery in its history. – The New York Times
How Did American Theater Deal With The Trump Era? Urgently
“For the most part, it didn’t aim straight at the president. … Rather, producers elevated formally adventurous, politically incendiary plays — like Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me and Jeremy O. Harris’s Slave Play — that spoke meaningfully to our nation’s troubled soul. Audiences, hungering for that holiest of dramatic experiences, catharsis, used the ritual of theatergoing to think and hurt and heal.” – The New York Times
Longtime NPR Arts Editor Tom Cole Retires
“That is a typical Tom Cole piece, which is to say it’s not typical at all. For three decades, Tom has positioned himself as an enabler for reporters interested in exploring fascinating corners of the arts – a lost era of Shanghai jazz, say, that NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang discovered meant different things to different audiences.” – NPR
Black Ballet Dancers Talk About How To Move Toward Equity And Inclusion
Black artists From Boston Ballet, ABT, New York City Ballet, BalletMet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Tanzcompany Innsbruck, the Trocks, and the pool of freelance dancers describe the challenges they face and what would be genuinely helpful. – Dance Magazine
Perhaps We’d Be Happier If We Stopped Pursuing Being Happy?
As well as reducing everyday contentment, the constant desire to feel happier can make people feel more lonely. We become so absorbed in our own wellbeing, we forget the people around us – and may even resent them for inadvertently bringing down our mood or distracting us from more “important” goals. – The Guardian
First New Blue Pigment In Two Centuries Now Available To Public
“YInMn Blue, the brilliant pigment discovered in 2009 at an Oregon State University lab, … was finally approved by the EPA for use in artists’ materials last May. Chemist Mas Subramanian and his team serendipitously came upon it while conducting experiments with rare earth elements as part of their work with semiconductors.” – Artnet
Stage Union Volunteers To Help Theatres Be Vaccination Sites
Jonas Loeb, communications director of IATSE, says this time around turning music venues into a vaccination center would require a new configuration. “It doesn’t use any unusual technique.” He adds, “The workers know those venues better than anyone else and can help hook up all necessary utilities quickly and efficiently. To them, it’s a relatively normal job, but with different stakes.” – Variety
Streaming Giants From U.S. May End Up Saving Canadian TV Industry
“Canada forcing Netflix and other foreign streamers to pour $800 million annually into local Canadian content will be a lifeline for world-beating creators, say Bill C-10 supporters.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Premium Classifieds
Camerata Pacifica Seeks Senior Executive of Administration
Strongly positioned to surge forward once the pandemic eases, Camerata Pacifica seeks a leader to rebuild the administrative infrastructure to support live performances beginning in the … [Read More...]
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Master of Arts in Performing Arts Administration at NYU Steinhardt
Bring your love of dance, theatre, music, or opera to leadership roles in national and international performing arts organizations through NYU Steinhardt's MA in Performing Arts Administration, … [Read More...]
Faculty Job Openings: USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance
The USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in Los Angeles, CA invites applications for several full and part-time faculty positions. Open positions with USC Kaufman include the Claude and Alfred Mann … [Read More...]
Michigan Opera Theatre Seeks Digital Media Manager and Storyteller
Detroit's stalwart of opera and dance is hiring for a new position, the Digital Media Manager and Storyteller. This candidate must articulate Michigan Opera Theatre's vision to its audience, and serve … [Read More...]
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Master of Arts in Visual Arts Administration at NYU Steinhardt
Bring your love of the arts to leadership positions with arts institutions through NYU Steinhardt's MA in Visual Arts Administration. Prepare for a dynamic career in the commercial or non-profit art … [Read More...]
Earn your M.A. in Arts Administration at Indiana University.
Advance your career with an Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the nation’s top school of public affairs. Priority application deadline Jan. 15. It takes more than passion to successfully … [Read More...]
Michigan Opera Theatre seeks Box Office Manager
Possessing the highest level of customer service, the Box Office Manager will be instrumental in the success of Michigan Opera Theatre's (MOT) exciting and innovative future productions, as well as … [Read More...]
Philip J. Smith, Chairman Of Shubert Organization, Dead Of COVID At 89
“A low-key businessman who started as a movie usher, [he] presided for more than a decade over the nation’s oldest and largest theatrical company, an archipelago of 17 Broadway theaters, many of them historic landmarks; six Off Broadway stages; and other properties, including a theater in Philadelphia.” – The New York Times
UK Arts Venues Sigh With Relief As Supreme Court Rules Insurers Must Pay COVID Claims
“The case has been rumbling on for a while, triggered when a variety of insurance companies stated that their business interruption schemes did not cover eventualities such as the COVID pandemic. A legal battle has raged over the ensuing months … arguing that this was a deliberate misreading of rules.” – WhatsOnStage (London)
Opera Director Elijah Moshinsky Dead Of COVID At 75
“He made his operatic debut in 1975 when he directed a stripped-back Peter Grimes at the Royal Opera House. The production was so successful that it was subsequently mounted by Paris Opera and La Scala, as well as being seen in Tokyo and Los Angeles. So began a distinguished career spanning five decades. Though Moshinsky was especially renowned for his interpretations of Verdi, his work encompassed a large, diverse range of repertoire.” – Limelight (Australia)
U.S. Cultural Institutions Are Hiring Diversity Officers. It’s A Start.
“At the same time, experts warn, longstanding challenges remain — antiracism goals that are hard to measure; finding funds to pay for these efforts; and assuming that the hiring of one dedicated advocate means the work is done.” – The New York Times
Paris Loses One Of Its Favorite Bookstores
“Gibert Jeune, a popular chain, has announced it will be closing its flagship shop in the Latin Quarter in March – the latest in a series of closures and appeals for help that threaten the future of the city’s booksellers. Gibert Jeune once attracted long queues of students in search of cheap secondhand books before the start of each academic year; most students who have studied in Paris will have paid [it] a visit.” – The Guardian
Fire At Brussels’s Major Art Museum
Flames broke out on the roof of Bozar (the Musée des Beaux-Arts) in the Belgian capital on Monday afternoon (Jan. 18). No civilians were injured (the museum was closed) and there’s been no report of damage to the art collection; however, the museum’s concert hall, a major Brussels venue, suffered water damage, especially to its pipe organ. – VRT (Belgium)
The Essential Importance Of Going Out Into The World To Discover Artists First Hand
“These trips were resource-intensive, but through the intrepid efforts of people like David White and Sam Miller, philanthropic support enabled cohorts of Americans to research artists, network with international administrators, and present an array of worldwide artistry throughout the country. This work was often highly subsidized by foreign governments recognizing the importance of global exchange.” – VTDigger
What’s To Become Of The Trump Impersonators?
“No one is going to want to see my Donald Trump” now. Anyone who is seeking Trump comedy after Jan. 21, I just feel bad for them.” – Washington Post
UK Courts Are Leasing Theatres For Courtrooms – Artists Are Objecting
Three national lockdowns in Britain, as well as tough social distancing guidelines, have hampered the business of England’s court system this past year, creating a huge backlog of cases. Since July, the country’s courts service has been renting suitable spaces — like theaters, but also conference centers and local government buildings — then turning them into temporary courtrooms. – The New York Times
A Dancer Breaking Ballet’s Gender Norms
What is unique about Ashton Edwards is that he is a man doing serious en pointe work in a professional ballet setting. “Ashton led us there,” says PNB director Peter Boal, speaking of Edwards’ request to study en pointe. “Ballet can be a little bit slow. We said, ‘Why not? Lead us and we will work with you.’ ” – NPR