“The barracks are an inconveniently visible example in the once-thriving capital, with no progress made despite the promise of decentralised ownership and the presence of interested investors.”
“Shark Tank” For The Arts? Here’s How It Worked In Arizona
“Inspired by the ABC series “Shark Tank,” the agency last week hosted four Art Tank events, in Peoria, Chandler, Prescott and Tucson, where applicants were given six minutes to pitch a project or idea. A panel of experts picked the winners on the spot, handing out more than $120,000 in “seed money” to encourage innovation by non-profit groups.”
Benjamin Britten In A Minor Key (As In Career, That Is)
A lot of piffle surrounds the cult of Britten, who was endlessly productive to a fault.
Ice Dancing Is What Makes the Winter Olympics Wondrous
“Humans on frozen ground are, generally, comical and sad. It is only a matter of time before the human is going to fall down, ingloriously, limbs akimbo, and hit the ground with a crunch.”
Announcing the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity
Yes, this is real – and Snicket (children’s author Daniel Handler) is funding it himself. Why? “Because librarians have suffered enough.”
Steven Berkoff on Geffen Playhouse ‘Birthday Party’: I Wasn’t Fired, I Quit
“I don’t want to malign the man [director William Friedkin]. He’s a very fine movie director. At the beginning, he was charming and nice – we got on very well. … The conflict grew, and as I’m provoked, I answered him back.”
Will The First V&A Museum Outside Of London Ever Actually Open?
The project in Dundee, Scotland, is going to open three years late – and doesn’t have all the answers about long-term funding for the museum – but a lottery grant of £9.4 million has set it back on track.
When Leica Cameras Changed The World
100 years ago: “Suddenly, photographers could throw away their heavy tripods and exploding flashguns, and step out of their studios to walk the streets and take photographs with this new mobile camera.”
Drake, Perfecting The #Artselfie
Perhaps it’s tough to take a bad #artselfie in a James Turrell show at LACMA, but on the other hand, the Canadian rapper (and huge star) Drake gets them just right.
Imagine The Grammys Without Genres
“The fear, which is justifiable given the history of these awards, is that if the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences were to eliminate all of these various niche specificities, the only music that would receive their kudos, and ultimately all the publicity that comes along with that, would be ‘pop songs’ since they are allegedly the most ‘popular.'”
‘Billy Elliott’ Writer Agrees That Making Films Is Getting Harder
“What’s surprising to me is that anything gets made at all because it’s really, really hard.”
The Number Of New British Films Is Falling, Hard
Big-budget films dropped from 87 in 2011 to 62 last year, and small-budget films fell dramatically to less than 200 – though in the same time period, total investment rose. What’s going on?
Smashed Stained Glass Window In Le Corbusier Chapel Ignites Controversy
“The irreversible damage to what the Fondation Le Corbusier’s president Antoine Picon calls ‘one of the most iconic and most fragile elements of the chapel’ … has sparked controversy over the state of preservation of the structure.”
Minnesota Orchestra Expected To name New Board Chairman Today
Gordon Sprenger, retired CEO of Allina Health Systems, was described by one source as “a healer.” He will need that quality as he tries to unite an organization that has been torn by a labor dispute that resulted in bitterness on all sides.
Wales’ Most Prominent Performing Arts Centers In Danger Of Closing Over Funding Cuts
Two of Wales’ best-known cultural venues – St David’s Hall and the New Theatre – are under threat as part of a huge cuts programme proposed by Cardiff council.
Ukraine’s Filmmakers Are Shaping How The World Is Seeing The Country’s Political Crisis
“As Ukraine’s crisis enters its third month since President Yanukovych’s abrupt decision to walk away from a deal for closer trade and political links with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia, social media activists and local filmmakers are playing a key role in alerting the world to the country’s plight.”
Here’s The Almost $2 Billion Worth Of Art Bought And Taken Out Of The UK Last Year
“A treasure trove of more than £1.7bn-worth of old masters paintings, Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities, ancient weapons and prehistoric archaeological items were allowed to be sold overseas in the year to May 2013, according to official statistics issued by the government.”
A Reporter Tracks Down Owners Of A Painting Looted By The Nazis (Here’s How)
“Critics complain that the effort to find heirs has been sluggish and inefficient, despite increased online genealogy resources and the rise of social media. So I decided to see if I could trace the ownership of any of the works.”
What Happened To The Biopic?
“Biopics used to be a mix of entertainment, education, and guilt-free voyeurism—a peek behind the curtain at people who touched our lives in some way. Now, they’re a contradictory mix of hagiography and revisionism, lionizing their subjects while somehow managing to diminish them in comparison to the products of their imaginations.”