The 1990s saw two ill-starred projects, “American Memory” and the National Digital Library Program, and a series of recommendations in a 2001 report ended up being laid aside and forgotten. And the results of a 2015 Government Accountability Office investigation were, well, painful.
Ten Things That Can Make Your Organization More Diverse
“To make a real impact we need to think beyond the here and now to who the next generation of arts professionals are going to be. We need to go into schools and colleges and talk to young people about the careers that are available to them. We need to take arts and culture job fairs out into communities to tackle socio-economic barriers and increase awareness of opportunities.”
A Neuroscientist Wonders: Could We Upload Our Brains Into The Computer?
As a neuroscientist, my interest lies mainly in a more practical question: is it even technically possible to duplicate yourself in a computer program? The short answer is: probably, but not for a while.
Seriously Cute: The Spread Of Kawaii Was, In Fact, A Japanese Government Plan
“The aggressive development of this aesthetic was not fully organic, but in fact developed with a ‘global wink,’ as part of Japan’s plan to build cultural cachet overseas. … The government has embraced the designation, eager to rebrand the world’s perception of a staid culture characterized by honor and samurai to a more playful, feminized Japan.”
An Artist’s Nightmare: Thieves Steal An Entire Show On Its Way To The Gallery
Herr Nilsson lived the (bad) dream.
A Reel CIA Plot: Hollywood Has Been An Agency ‘Asset’ For Decades
“Ever since its inception in 1947, the CIA has been covertly working with Hollywood. But it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the agency formally hired an entertainment industry liaison and began openly courting favorable treatment in films and television. … Especially after 9/11, American screenwriters, directors, and producers have traded positive portrayal of the spy profession in film or television projects for special access and favors at CIA headquarters.”
A Singers’ Rebellion At Georgia’s National Opera House
“[Alleging] absence of repertoire, corruption, nepotism and threats of unfair dismissal, world-famous Georgian opera singers such as Mzia Nioradze, Tamar Iveri, Nana Kavtarashvili, Anita Rachvelishvili, and Lado Ataneli, with members of the Tbilisi opera choir, are up in arms at the current situation in [the company] and have named their artistic director Davit Kintsurashvili ‘unprofessional’ for having only staged three operas in the two years of his leadership at [the Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater].”
Are You A Good Listener? Here’s What Listening Means
“Good listening is much more than being silent while the other person talks. To the contrary, people perceive the best listeners to be those who periodically ask questions that promote discovery and insight. These questions gently challenge old assumptions, but do so in a constructive way.”
Dante Was A Great Poet – And A Hot-Tempered, Self-Aggrandizing Social Climber
“He was ambitious, had the highest possible opinion of himself and aspired to the life of a noble, or at least to a noble life, a life dedicated to writing. … Dante’s self-image … dominated his writings and conditioned his every move.”
There’s A New $100,000 Art Prize Coming Out Of Austin
“The [museum] Contemporary Austin announced Thursday that it will be host to the Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize, a $100,000 unrestricted biennial award given to an artist of any age, any nationality and working in any medium. In addition, the Booth Prize will finance a solo exhibit for the winning artist that will be accompanied by a major publication.”
‘Barry Lyndon’ – Stanley Kubrick’s Period Piece May Not Be Action-Packed, But ‘It Puts A Spell On People’
“The director’s 18th-century epic is legendary for the hardships imposed upon its cast, with 150 takes for a single shot not uncommon. But, four decades on, the film’s stars remain united in praise of this beautiful, slow-burning masterpiece.”
Stirling Prize 2016 Shortlist Revealed
Three of the six finalists are educational buildings, one is a housing estate, one is the gallery for Damien Hirst’s personal art collection, and one is called “the Outhouse” – it’s actually a private residence, the first up for a Stirling Prize in 16 years.
Why Are There So Few Pokémon Go Locations In Black Neighborhoods?
Pokemon is also heavily tilted toward cities, not small towns and rural areas. But why? Turns out history is the reason.
This Woman Squatted At James Baldwin’s House In Order To Save It
“To clean the floor of James Baldwin’s guest room would take 32 disposable cleaning wipes. I figured this out on my hands and knees, estimating the square footage of the terra cotta tile surface. There were 40 wipes in the package. If I used one wipe per roughly two square feet, I’d have enough.”
The Second Coming Of Harry Potter (And J.K. Rowling)
“With the rollout of the new work, publishers, retailers and fans are preparing for an explosion of all things Harry Potter reminiscent of the series’ heyday more than decade ago.”
Modern Ballet Dancers Can’t Just Do The Same Old Gravity-Defying, Dazzling Repertoire (Says A Dancer)
“Where a classical dancer would have, in the past, said ‘no that’s not for me, I don’t want to push myself into that field or roll around on the floor in mud’, with all those things you have to be much more open.”
The Man Who Elevated Choral Standards In The U.S. But Also Championed New Work
“Mr. Smith founded the Gregg Smith Singers in 1955, when he was still a graduate student of music at the University of California, Los Angeles, and led it for more than 50 years, maintaining its reputation as one of the finest and most adventurous professional choruses in the United States.”
Great Artistic Directors – Like Christopher Haydon Of London’s Gate – Know When To Step Down
“An AD is only ever a custodian, and a publicly funded theatre should never be a personal fiefdom. Every theatre that is genuinely interested in serving artists and audiences must undergo constant reinvention, and sometimes that will include the need for new blood.”
Shadow Dancing: A Sidewalk That Responds To Your Movement
“A project called Mesa Musical Shadows, by Montréal’s Daily Tous Les Jours studio, is doing just that. It’s a public installation that turns a chunk of pavement in Arizona’s Mesa Arts Center into a giant game of Dance Dance Revolution that you play by moving your shadow.”
How Rembrandt Got His Paintings So Perfect (Optics?)
“In a paper published Wednesday in the Journal of Optics, Francis O’Neill lays out a theory that Rembrandt set up flat and concave mirrors to project his subjects — including himself — onto surfaces before painting or etching them.”
South Korean Soldiers At The DMZ Are Taking Ballet Barre Class – To Relieve Stress (!)
“Wearing shorts and T-shirts along with their dancing slippers, members of the army’s 25th Division are taught each week by a ballerina from the Korean National Ballet under a programme that began last year … intended to ease the stress of guarding the world’s most heavily fortified border.”
Fighting ISIS With Animated Mockery
“A cartoon firebrand delivers his Ramadan message: ‘Ramadan is the month where sins are forgiven and hearts are filled with – love.’ This outburst of goodwill is met with confusion from the audience of masked men and veiled women, which only heightens as he continues: ‘there is no difference between Arabs and Westerners except in piety.’ Rescuing the situation, the sidekick hands the preacher a sesame biscuit. ‘Better?’ ‘Fucking better,’ replies the preacher – and with hunger banished, he launches into calls for bombs and destruction. ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry,’ the clip concludes, parodying an American ad for the Snickers candy-bar.”
Michael Flatley To Open His Own Chain Of Irish Dancing Schools
“Flatley’s new venture will begin teaching classes in and around London from September, with plans to expand internationally in the next five years.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 07.14.16
More Major Met Museum Departures – And More Woes
The exodus, and the troubles, continue at 1000 Fifth Avenue: announcement of the departure of Carrie Rebora Barratt, a deputy director of the Metropolitan Museum and longtime close associate of director Tom Campbell, is imminent. … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-07-14
They can do better
I got a press release from the Boston Symphony, advertising live streams from Tanglewood. On July 15 (tomorrow, as I write this), Pinchas Zukerman will conduct the Mozart E flat symphony, and the BSO will stream the second and thirs movements. Which seems lame. Why not the whole piece?… read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2016-07-14
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What Happened To America’s Mid-20th Century Composers?
“I’ve never understood why the music of America’s midcentury modern composers disappeared from our concert halls. Not only is it “entertaining,” but it speaks to ordinary listeners in a direct, immediately comprehensible way, just like the better-known music of Copland and Samuel Barber. Don’t take my word for it—try listening for yourself.”