“Most art lovers won’t recognize the name Milton Hebald. But it’s safe to assume that tens of millions of people have seen his work: sculptures, installed in prominent public places in Los Angeles and New York City, that include a monumental display of the 12 signs of the Zodiac that stood for decades at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.”
What Do Movies Owe Us In Historical Accuracy?
“Some embellishments are harmless, especially when there’s no history to contradict. It doesn’t much matter if a movie about Elizabeth I has her sharing her bedchamber with a courtier – no one knows for sure and it’s not terribly important. But then there are elaborations that do change the story and mislead in serious ways.”
The Man Who Tried To Turn Perm Into Russia’s Art Hotbed Gives Up And Emigrates
“Marat Guelman, the Muscovite cultural impresario and political operative who attempted to create a contemporary arts revolution in the Soviet city of Perm, is moving to Montenegro this month to open a new cultural centre. He cites the difficulty of working in Russia and the conflict in Ukraine as factors in his decision.”
Are We Seeing The Start Of A Russian Artists’ Exodus?
“The Russian government-led clampdown on free speech, the Ukrainian conflict and the current economic downturn have prompted some members of Russia’s art world to leave the country, and many others to start weighing their options.”
The Musician Making Money By Understanding Search Engines
“I realized people will type weird stuff into search engines, and there’s not always songs for the stuff. If you search for ‘love’ on iTunes or Spotify, you’re going to get something like 15 million songs. If you search ‘monkey,’ you’re going to get fewer.” So Matt Farley decided to fill that gap.
Universities Own A Lot Of Art, And Students Need To Know More About It
At Columbia, “the collection was established in the 1750s, when King George II donated silver to what was then called King’s College. Alumni, faculty and other benefactors have added to the troves, but there have been no major campaigns to solicit, research and repair art.”
Composers Have To Write Political Music And Opera To Meet The Challenges Of Today’s World
“We as musicians have a responsibility to respond to the world around us, to give the people a song to raise their spirits and fuel the fight in their hearts. So, in light of the political climate we live in — for Eric Garner, for Mike Brown, for Palestine — I pick up my pencil and write.”
You Are A Remarkable Musical Expert, Even If You Don’t Know It Yet
“The difference between a virtuoso performer and an ordinary music fan is much smaller than the gulf between that fan and someone with no musical knowledge at all. What’s more, a lot of the most interesting and substantial elements of musicality are things that we (nearly) all share.”
The Woman Whose Galleries Basically Created The Los Angeles Art World
“Right from the start, Butler was dedicated to showing work that explored new directions, that was in opposition to trends of the time, work that she felt passionately about regardless of its financial viability.”
As San Francisco’s Tenderloin Area Quickly Gentrifies, Where Will The Artists Go?
“More than a dozen technology companies, including Twitter, have relocated alongside the impoverished neighborhood, some buoyed by city tax breaks. The prospective changes to the Tenderloin — a noirish haunt of Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade and arguably the central city’s last working-class neighborhood — have given rise to a new nickname: the Twitterloin.”
What Keeps Art Museums Going? Private Money, Hands Down
“The average museumgoer in the US, Canada, and Mexico spends $7.93 during her visit (the average museumgoer must not be in New York City), while the museum spends $53.17 on her, according to the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD).”
In The UK, Regional Theatre Staff Want A Five Percent Raise
“The claim, submitted last month, sets out to ‘address a steady erosion of pay rates in the sector,’ which BECTU says has seen incomes fall by more than 12% in some cases since 2010.”
The Power Of Iconoclasm Versus Art
“Sculptures have the face or head smashed and the eyes gouged out. The faces of paintings are often removed and burned. Far more art has been destroyed in the name of these four religions than has survived. Looked at through this prohibitive lens, it’s a wonder that any religious art survives at all.”
More Older Adults Turn To Ballet For Fitness And Flexibility
“Experts say the physically strenuous and mentally challenging pastime can improve vitality and provide a social outlet for older adults.”
The Paris Phil Will (Possibly) Regret Its Rushed Grand Opening
“The hall’s vaunting aspiration to energize its environs and redefine the concert-going experience could be for naught if the shortcuts and loss of time to fine tune prove crucial.”
Look, No, The Internet Isn’t Killing The Creative Class – It’s Just Hard To Make A Living In The Arts
“This Jane Jacobs-ish defense of the Comic Book Guys of the world is passionate but unconvincing: Are we really losing something essential with these ‘gathering places’ that isn’t made up for by Wi-Fi-enabled coffee shops (frequently havens of creative production, not just consumption) on the one hand, and online forums for critical discussion on the other? Does the labor of culture have to happen in a store?”
Actors Are Narcissistic, But In The Nicest Way Possible
“Theater stages represent ecological niches that provide narcissists with an opportunity to fulfill their desire for admiration.”
Is MoMA’s Director Leaving For An Art Auction House?
“Let’s face it, despite the perceived divide between working for ‘non-profit’ and ‘for-profit’ institutions, there are more similarities — perhaps especially in the art world — than most might want to admit.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 01.08.15
Whitney’s New Collection Database: The Good And The Requested
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2015-01-08
News Flash: Graham W.J. Beal, Detroit Institute of Arts’ Director, To Retire (“Quite a Ride”)
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-01-08
What I do
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2015-01-08
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L.A. Phil Moves Toward Unifying U.S. Sistema-Style Programs
“To better unify the disparate El Sistema education programs across the United States, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is embarking on a new initiative with four other organizations to create a national platform for youth orchestras.”
John Luther Adams Wins $50K William Schuman Award
“The Columbia University School of the Arts has announced that John Luther Adams is the newest recipient of the William Schuman Award, a major recognition given periodically over the past three decades. Named for its first recipient, the award, in the form of a direct, unrestricted grant of $50,000, is one of the largest given to an American composer.”
Finally, Good News From Atlanta Symphony: $1.25M For Salaries
“The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s push to rebuild its ranks, a major issue in the stormy nine-week player lockout that delayed the 70th anniversary season, has received a boost in the form of a $1.25 million Musicians’ Endowment Fund pledge.”
In Praise Of Book Publishing’s Gatekeepers
Daniel Menaker: “In my judgment, there are between 20 and 30 editors and publishers in New York who – along with experienced and discriminating publicists, marketers, and sales reps – have over the decades regularly and successfully combined art and commerce and, in the process, have supported and promulgated art. They are in fact the main curators of our life of letters. They have somehow survived the grinding – tectonic – friction between creativity and business and made a go of both. They are cultural heroes, actually.”
Belarusian Publisher On Trial For Publishing Images Of Police Brutality
“Ihar Lohvinau is charged” – nominally – “with selling books from his bookshop in Minsk without the obligatory state registration, and faces a heavy fine and the closure of a store described by the International Publishers Association as ‘a vital hub for the country’s fragile literary community’.”
Sotheby’s And Christie’s Go Back To Guaranteeing Minimum Prices
“[The two auction houses] all but gave up guarantees in late 2008, after the effects of the financial crisis spilled into the art market. … That auction house guarantees have come roaring back, despite the risks, is a reflection of the largely hidden turmoil in the art market.”