"Pop art was just emerging and Bengston spoke its language well with his simple, aesthetically direct and repetitive motifs. His shiny, heavily lacquered surfaces also earned him associations with 'finish fetish.' But it was his flamboyant personality ... that came to define him." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
Starting at a time when American journalism about the visual arts was strictly by critics, she treated it as a news beat, writing more than 3,000 articles for The New York Times — where she also helped lead a landmark gender discrimination lawsuit against the paper. - ARTnews
Locke, who died after performing at the Crazy Horse Memorial, once said, "I have been able to teach countless Indian and non-Indian children to sing, to dance, to stand inside the hoop of Indian culture, and I know that this experience will have lasting influence." - The New York Times
"During the dozen years he led the orchestra, Hatton created its annual Young Artist Concerto Competition, and showcased at least one work by a living Northwest composer each season — a commitment ... every orchestra and classical ensemble in Oregon adopt." - Oregon ArtsWatch
Finke, the founder of the site Deadline, was "a tenacious journalist who revolutionized entertainment reporting." She "placed a singularly unforgiving spotlight on the studio executives and high-powered agents who make the industry run" instead of fawning over celebrities. - Variety
Ilya Silchukou was the "lead soloist at the State Opera Bolshoi who represented his nation at official government functions at home and abroad and performed at opera houses across Europe." Now, after speaking out against Belorus' leader, he teaches middle-school music in Boston. - Seattle Times (AP)
Dabney was 16 when she joined Dance Theater of Harlem. She gained fame in the title role of the company’s 1982 production of Stravinsky’s Firebird. In that role, she contributed thawing cultural relations between the USSR and US, and later inspired Misty Copeland. - The New York Times
Of course, I understand that it is important. But I never said, “I’m a woman, but I will try to do this.” I just said I’m going to be a conductor, because it is burning within me. If a person has a talent for conducting, if a person has something to say, that’s what matters. - ArtsATL
"The Los Angeles Times theater critic from 1969 until 1991, Sullivan earlier worked at St. Paul's Pioneer Press, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and The New York Times. As director of the Eugene O'Neill National Critics Institute, he also mentored many of the nation's current theater critics." - Los Angeles Times
"Sorokin's release from ICE custody comes after months of legal fights — and a blowout with Sorokin's old attorney — as she prepares to appeal her infamous case detailed in Netflix's Inventing Anna." She faces deportation after having completed a two-year jail sentence for fraud and repaying her victims. - The Daily Beast
"A soft-spoken writer who liked to populate his plays with sprawling casts of characters, Mr. Fuller launched his theater career in the late 1960s as Black actors and playwrights were pushing to diversify the predominantly White theater scene." - MSN (The Washington Post)
"(Her) career was remarkable for its storybook ascent from hardscrabble origins. She was a teenage bride and mother, a country star and a grandmother by her early 30s. A trailblazer for other female country performers, she ... helped redefine and broaden the appeal of country music." - MSN (The Washington Post)
Reid’s accomplishments at the museum included launching an 8-year, $320 million expansion and renovation, designed by architect Rafael Vinoly, that transformed the institution by upgrading and enlarging its galleries and giving the museum a central atrium. - The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
Littlefeather, "the Apache activist and actress who refused to accept the best actor award on behalf of Marlon Brando at the 1973 Oscars," has died at 75. - The New York Times
Though Bussard collected 15,000 albums, he was selective: "He loved jazz but detested any jazz recorded after the early 1930s. He loved country music but decreed that nothing good came after 1955. Nashville? He called it 'Trashville.' Rock ’n’ roll? A cancer." - The New York Times
