“Chicago investment executive Mellody Hobson and her husband, Star Wars creator George Lucas, are donating $25 million to the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools to support the construction of an arts building.”
Archives for February 2014
FBI Reopens Investigation Into 1975 Amherst Art Theft
“It was just over 39 years ago that the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College experienced what was likely its worst moment: Thieves broke in on a winter night and made off with three centuries-old paintings valued at more than $400,000.” Two of the works were recovered in 1989; authorities now hope to locate the third.
Injured ‘Spider-Man’ Dancer Discusses His Lawsuit
“It was a stunt that Daniel Curry had performed many times before in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark: Plant himself firmly on a hydraulic lift in the pit beneath the stage, then remain steady as he rose a dozen feet to emerge for the start of Act II. … Then, in a split second, something solid pressed down against his right foot, then crushed it.”
Can These Guys Crowdfund a West End Musical?
“[John] Bant and his co-producer Gavin Kalin are seeking to raise £200,000 for The Pajama Game‘s West End transfer – about 14% of its total capitalisation costs – through the online crowdfunding platform Seedrs, which allows people to invest as little as £10. They hit £40,000 within 24 hours.”
Paco de Lucía, 66, Master of Flamenco Guitar
He first became famous in the 1960s and ’70s, revitalizing flamenco music through his partnership with singer Camarón de la Isla. He went on to attract new fans by blending flamenco with jazz and Latin American music, and he was ultimately recognized as one of the world’s greatest guitarists.
Artist Will Take Work From New York City Ballet’s Floor to Its Stage
JR, the French street artist whose installation on the floor of City Ballet’s home theater went viral, will choreograph a new piece for the company (with the help of ballet master Peter Martins).
Did West Point Make James Whistler the (Ornery) Man He Was?
“If anything betrays Whistler’s military background, it is his conception of the artist’s life as a series of frequent engagements with the enemy – hostile critics, backward-looking institutions, uncomprehending patrons, philistines in general. … Was Whistler just as belligerent toward his art as he was with the wider world into which he sent it? You might think so, judging from reports of how he went about making it.”
‘Chimerica’ Wins Top Women’s Playwriting Prize
“Another day, another major award for playwright Lucy Kirkwood. Her smash hit Chimerica has picked up the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn prize in the United States. Set up in 1978, the award is given annually to a female playwright working in English and it is deemed one of the most distinguished in America’s prize-heavy new writing culture.”
What’s a Typical Day at Ballet School For a Guy?
“Ballet is grace and perfection, but it’s also twisted ankles and stinky flats. We meet two young male ballet dancers whose passion for performance led them all the way to the State Ballet School of Berlin.” (audio)
Santa Monica Finally Decides to Save Paul Conrad Sculpture
The city council voted on Tuesday to use public funds and private donations to repair his 1991 anti-nuclear outdoor sculpture Chain Reaction, which critics had contended was physically unstable and a danger to the public.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 02.26.14
The Sadness of the Corcoran’s Final Throes
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-02-26
Unfair Advantage? New Artists Royalties Bill Still Exempts Dealers
AJBlog: CultureGrrl | Published 2014-02-27
Celebrating Eric Dolphy, and the Threat of Spotify
AJBlog: CultureCrash | Published 2014-02-26
Maestro to audience: Turn on your phones, tweet and take pictures
AJBlog: Slipped Disc | Published 2014-02-26
Serge Dorny in line for a 1.5 million Euro payoff?
AJBlog: Slipped Disc | Published 2014-02-26
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More People Now Have Cellphones Than Have Ever Had Landlines
Today, almost everywhere has more mobile phone penetration than land-lines: The continent of Africa has dismal fixed-line penetration of 1.4 subscriptions per 100 people, but 63.5 cell subscriptions.
Five Artists Withdraw From Sydney Biennale After Protest
“The artists’ decision to withdraw follows a call by 28 artists for the Sydney Biennale to withdraw from a funding arrangement with Transfield, which runs off-shore detention facilities for the Australian Government’s internment of asylum seekers.”
What The Minnesota Chorale Learned From The Minnesota Orchestra Lockout
“We had to think about what the community demands of us. The lock out was a stark call that we needed to be in control of our own destiny. We can never again take for granted this ready source of work and income.”
The (Twitter) Ratings Are In For “House Of Cards” (It’s All We’ve Got)
“Over a similar 11-day period, there was a 430 percent increase in tweets about the show from 2013 to 2014. Last year, the firm recorded 254,460 tweets; this year, the number was 1,350,400. In fact, more tweets were written about “House of Cards” 10 days after its debut in 2014 than on the day of the series premiere in 2013.”
He’s A Little Bit Country. She’s A Little Bit Rap (Why Rap And Country Now Share Audiences)
“You’re not country only or rap only; people like both. I think that’s been there for some time, but we recognize it now, so collaborations work well, and the reverse is they help grow the interests of artists and music as a crossover.”
Research: How Bias Gets In The Way Of What We See
“In two experiments, participants (74 Princeton undergraduates in the first, 85 adults recruited online in the second) looked at a series of 80 paintings and rated the artistic merit of each on a one-to-nine scale.”
So The Corcoran Is Going Away? But Its Mission Is More Important Now Than Ever
“It is exactly this kind of painting — deeply tied to Washington, rich in local history and meaning — that is most in peril as the Corcoran is broken apart, its collection scattered, its community dispersed.”
Evgeny Kissin’s Remarkable Performance
Anne Midgette: “I wish that Kissin were creating a new world of possibilities for all star performers, but I’m not sure anyone else has the virtuosity to step this far outside the box with such honesty and dignity and power. I also wish this concert had been recorded. As it is, it is an evening I will remember all my life.”
Why Movie Theatre Food Is So Bad
“Snacks are a cash cow for theaters, providing some 85 percent in net profits. But no one really goes after the food Americans eat in movie theaters, which is mostly bits of corn syrup, food starch, malic acid, and artificial colors, encapsulated in a sugary ether.”
Trying To Grow Your Audience? Maybe Your Demographics Are Wrong
“Generally, we begin screwing up by turning demographic research into inaccurate stereotypes. We find out how our audience differs from the general population, define it by those differences, and then aim our outbound communication at an imaginary person who embodies every one of those differences.”
Information-As-Junk-Food: Are You Obese?
“A new kind of obesity is now looming with our information, data, and media diet. We have only scratched the surface, but there is already way too much of information available, and it is way too tasty, too cheap, and too rich.”
Poll: This Year Two-Thirds Of Americans Haven’t Seen A Single Oscar-Nominated Movie
“Among those who responded to the online survey, Somali piracy thriller “Captain Phillips” was the most-watched film, at 15 percent. But 67 percent said they had yet to see any of the eleven films in the poll.”
National Book Awards Data: In 60 Years Women Writers Have Achieved Gender Parity
“In the 1950s, the finalists and winners of National Book Awards were more than 80 percent male. But notice how that percentage has steadily fallen until we reach the current decade – then women pulled slightly ahead.”
Mayor Threatens to Close Rome Opera Down If Unions Go Ahead With Strike
Three of the five unions representing Opera di Roma employees say they’ll shut down the entire run of Manon Lescaut, starring Anna Netrebko and conducted by Riccardo Muti, that opens Thursday if management doesn’t withdraw plans – required by law – to revamp the budget and reduce the staff at the near-bankrupt opera house.